- Jagannātha
Tarkapancānana
After the British took over the administration of Bengal from the Nabobs, attempts were made to compile easily acce ssible digests of the personal law of the Hindus. It appears that Warren Hastings conceived the idea that a compilation of laws applicable to Hindus should be prepared and called together
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1530 637TIETT: piha: Tien Tha: 1 À Àreit at TTTHHEINTHENA
stiferastā parastfaceaizti sfat &c. ’ ria p. 3. 1531 एकेनैव प्रकारेणैकत्रैव पद्ये क्रमेण वर्णोद्धारे व्यवधानेपि चमत्कारातिशयोनुभवसिद्धो
नापलपितुं शक्यः । अत एव श्रीमयूरेश्वरपण्डितकवीश्वरेण मन्त्रमयभागवते मन्त्र मयरामायणे च द्वादशाक्षरमन्त्रवर्णाः श्रीरामजयरामेत्यादित्रयोदशाक्षरवर्णाश्च क्रमे णोपनिबध्य वर्णान्तरसंमिश्रणेन कथा) बोधयन्तो मन्त्रानुपूर्वीमपि बोधयन्तीति
HERTTITIETtaatque fagfi$479169 folio 36a of D.
C. ms. No. 100 of 1869–70. 1532 The pedigree is :- भास्कर उपाध्याय or पाध्ये - son नारो - son
अनन्त - son का युपाध्याय - Sons यज्ञेश्वर and अनन्त ( who died in sake 1696 ) - ( अनन्त’s son ) काशीनाथ alias बाबा ( died in śake 1727 i. e. 1805 A. D.) and aitait’s bruther fage, died about sake 1747 (i, e. 1825 A, D.).
- Jagannatha Tarkapñacānana
979
several Pandits (whose names are given in the note below ) 1633 to compile a digest in Sanskrit; this was translated into Persian and the Persian version was rendered into English by Nathaniel Brassey Halhed with a long Preface in English in which on P. XLIV he quotes the Gitā verse ( II. 22) - Vāsāmsi Jirṇāni’ in original Sanskrit. Vide for this I. O. Cat. p. 458. This was a very unsatisfactory work. Another attempt was made by Trivedi Sarvoruśarman who compiled in 1789 for Sir William Jones another Digest of law called Vivādasārārṇava1534 in nine tarangas. This digest was suggested by Sir William Jones and two parts of it on contracts and succession were translated by Colebrooke in 1796. The translation was first published in 1797 A. D. and is known to the legal profession as Colebrooke’s Digest. This work exercised great influence over the courts in their administration of Hindu Law in the early days. The work is divided into dvipas, each dvipa being subdivided in to ratnas. The principal topics dealt with are : recovery of debts, deposits, sale without ownership, partnership, rescission of gifts, non payment of wages, rescission of sale and purchase, emancipa tion from slavery, disputes between master and servant, duties of man and wife, inheritance and partition. Jagannatha is said to have died at the venerable age of 111 in 1806.1535 Vide ‘ Dictionary of Indian Biography’ by C. E. Buckland published in 1906, where on p.415 the dates of his birth and death are put as 1695–1806 A. D. with question marks against both dates. It is said the date of his birth is based on tradition.’ He had a wonderful memory, became a remarkable logician and unrivalled his knowledge of Hindu Law; he was consulted by Sir William Jones and Harr ington, he was held in great respect by the highest Hindu nobles
1533 Vide Mitra’s Notices of Sanskrit Mss. Vol. X. No. 3376 pp.
115-117 where the names of the Pandits who prepared the Sanskrit work are given in the verse : TUTT-TTTH-TTA1417
कृष्णजीवनाख्यैः। वीरेश्वर-कृष्णचन्द्र- श्रीगौरीकान्ताभिधानैः ॥ 1534 Vide verses 6 and 7 of sizHITUTE in I. O. Cat. Vol. III.
No. 1505 ‘3 141 TEHTY DIAI 451: A
n gla: 1 अजीजपस व्यवहारसाधको ग्रन्थः समस्तार्थमयो विरच्यताम् । अध्येषितस्तेन तदाप्तवृत्तिर्ग्रन्थान् समालोच्य बहूस्त्रिवेदी। सर्वोरुशर्मा विषयानुरूपं विवाद
सारार्णवमातनोति ।। 1535 Vide. Dawn of new India’ by Mr. Brajendranath Banerjee,
1927, Calcutta (pp. 81-91 ).
980
and the Hindu community. He had a free college for students; he left a great reputation as a scholar and died at a great age in 1806.
Though Jagannātha exercised great influence in moulding Hindu Law in Bengal, his work has been held from very early times not to have any binding authority in Western India.1836