Shri Rameshwara Pandita

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Shri Rameshwara Pandita is the celebrated author of *Saubhagyodaya* which is a

famous commentary on the magnum opus *Parashurama Kalpa Sutra* which is

considered to be the bible of Srividya.

 

Very few biographical details are available of Shri Rameshwara Pandita other

than some of his statements in the Kalpa Sutra. He says that:

 

// shrI pandita kulavatamsa nikhila nityanaimittikanushtana pushtikrita

kalashodbhavavadyopasakavarya amriteshananddanatha

prema patra subramanya tanudbhava rameshwara virachita saubhagyodaya samgyika

parashurama sutravrittih samapta //

 

From this statement it can be deduced that author of Saubhagyodaya was Shri

Rameshwara whose surname is Pandita belonging to Agastya Gotra. His father's

name was Shri Subramanya Pandita.

 

Also mentioned his mother's name to be Guruvamba as per mangala sloka

" subramanyam cha pitaram guruvamba cha mataram " .

Elsewhere is also mentioned about the region of his origin as Karnataka which

implies he was a Kannada Smarta Brahmana.

A great upasaka of Bhagavati Adya Kali from his statement " priyatah shri

kalikayamanena priyatam shiva " .

 

Also from the above sloka, it can be deduced that the Srividya Guru of Shri

Rameshwara Pandita was Shri Amriteshanandanatha.

 

Shri Rameshwara Pandita gives out his diksha nama in the following sloka as

Aparajitanandanatha.

 

" esho aparajitanandanathah shrigurusevaya / sampannasukshmavijnanah shri

devipreritah kriti //

 

Shri Rameshwara Pandita also mentions his guruparampara of Srividya and mentions

himself to be pra-shishya of Shri Bhaskararaya Makhin. That means the Srividya

guru of Shri Rameshwara Pandita alias Aparajitanandanatha is Shri

Amriteshanandanatha who is the disciple of Shri Bhasuranandanatha.

 

The date of composition of the Saubhagyodaya is mentioned by Shri Rameshwara

Pandita as:

 

" Magha Sukla Padyami Guruvasara Sayamkala Shaka 1753 " which means the commentary

Saubhagyodaya was completed in the year 1753 Thursday Evening in the month of

Magha Sukla Padyami.

 

Needless to say that Parashurama Kalpa Sutra is a reference book of Srividya as

per Kaula Dharma.

 

regs,

sriram