11 known all through the ammals of Kerala history to scholars and, at the same time, patrons of scholarship have श्रीमद्दामोदरं नत्वा भगवन्तं रविं तथा । यत्प्रसादान्मया लब्धं ज्योतिश्चरितमुच्यते ।। been Ravi and Dam10dara, the Teachers Nilakaptha informs us in his 437.Blasya that he studied Vedaाmta under Ravi, .ि Ravita atta-Weddrta-5astre१10 , (7SS 101, p. 180). That Ravi was well versed also in jyoti5xtra and that Nilakantha imbibed Some of his knowledge in astronomy from Ravi is clear from the introductory verse to Nilakantha's Siddhart-darp00, edited here, where his teacher has been mentioned by double enter1d/re : good A work on astrology, acaradpika, which is a detailed commentary, in verse, on Malamr४०staka, is ascribed to this Ravi The teacher of Nilakaitha who actually initiated him into the science of astronomy and instructed him on the various principles underlying mathematical calculations was Damodara, 8on of the Kerala-Drgapita author Parame5vara, of the Bhargava-gotra and resident of the village of Alatur(Sanskritised into Asvatha grāma) which was situated quite near Nilakantha's own village. In his Bl.Bhasya, as also in his other works, Nilakapha reverentially refers to his teacher and his studies under him . He speaks of how even as a boy he stayed with his guru at the latter's residence prosecuting his studies : cf. मया । गुरुकुले वसता बाल्य एव etc. (481.Blasya, 7ऽऽ 110, p. 48). He also refers, often, to his teacher's views and quotes him ; cf. प्रकारान्तरेण “चन्द्रबाहुफलवर्गे"त्यादिना श्रीमद्-दामोदराह्वयास्मद्-गुरुमुखोद्गतेन इलोकेनोक्ता तद्युक्ति: etc. (N's Grahanadigrathc * Ts. p. 61) ; तच्चोक्तमस्मदाचार्ये: (18. Blasya, 7ऽऽ 101, p. 47) ; निबद्धं च तत् तदैव अस्मद्गुरुभिः पञ्चभिरुपजातिभि ‘अर्कस्फुटेनानयनं प्रकुर्यात्’ etc. (ibid, p. 48) ; तदपि “सर्वत्र विष्कम्भदलं श्रुतौ वा व्यासार्धके स्याद् विपरीतकर्णः । इत्यस्मद्गुरुणोक्तम् (Siddhart-daाpa16-yakty, on verse 27 (p. 30, below)
1. Uloor, Kerala Salitya Caritra71, vol. II, Trivandrum, 1954, p. 114. For a Ms. of this work see Kerala Uni. Mss. Lib., No. 3336-B . 2. C. the detailed colophon quoted above, pp. xiv 3. On this work, see below, p. xxi-xi.
