Bhaskararaya

Bhāskararāya Makhin (1690–1785) was a religious exponent and writer known for his contributions to the

Shakta Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the deity or metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman. Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, manifestations, or personificatio ...

tradition of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. He was born in a Maharashtrian Brahmin family at

Hyderabad, Telangana Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much of Hyderabad is sit ...

. Bhaskara raya was welcomed by king Serfoji II of Bhonsle dynasty in South India, and thereupon he settled in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. According to Douglas Renfrew Brooks, a professor of Religion specializing in

Shaktism Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the God in Hinduism, deity or metaphysics, metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman. Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, mani ...

studies, Bhāskararāya was "not only a brilliant interpreter of Srividya, he was an encyclopedic writer", and that he was a "thinker who had the wealth of Tantric and Vedic traditions at his fingertips". He belonged to the Srividya tradition of the Shakta Tantrism. Bhāskararāya is the attributed author of more than 40 writings that range from

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompa ...

to poems of devotion, from

Indian logic The development of Indian logic dates back to the Chandahsutra of Pingala and '' anviksiki'' of Medhatithi Gautama (c. 6th century BCE); the Sanskrit grammar rules of Pāṇini (c. 5th century BCE); the Vaisheshika school's analysis of atomism (c. ...

and

Sanskrit grammar The grammar of the Sanskrit language has a complex verbal system, rich nominal declension, and extensive use of compound nouns. It was studied and codified by Sanskrit grammarians from the later Vedic period (roughly 8th century BCE), culminatin ...

to the studies of

Tantra Tantra (; ) is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed on the India, Indian subcontinent beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, first within Shaivism and later in Buddhism. The term ''tantra'', in the Greater India, Indian tr ...

. Several of his texts are considered particularly notable to the

tradition, one focussed on the Mother Goddess: *Commentary on '' Tripura Upanishad'' and '' Bhavana Upanishad'' *Commentary on ''

Devi Mahatmya The ''Devi Mahatmya'' or ''Devi Mahatmyam'' () is a Hindu philosophical text describing the Goddess, known as Mahadevi, Adi Parashakti or Durga, as the supreme divine parabrahma, ultimate reality and creator of the universe. It is part of th ...

'', titled
Guptavati
'. Bhaskara raya, in his Guptavati, offers comments on 224 out of the 579 verses of the Devi Mahatmya. *''Varivasya Rahasya'', is a commentary on Sri Vidya mantra and worship. The ''Varivasya Rahasya'' contains 167 ślokas numbered consecutively. It has an accompanying commentary entitled "Prakāśa", also by Bhaskara raya. *''Setubandha'' is a technical treatise on Tantric practice. It is his ''magnum opus''. It is a commentary on a portion of the Vāmakeśvara-tantra dealing with the external and internal worship of

Tripura Sundari Tripura Sundari (Sanskrit: त्रिपुरसुन्दरी, IAST: Tripura Sundarī), also known as Lalita, Shodashi, Kamakshi, and Rajarajeshvari, is a Hindu goddess, revered primarily within the Shaktism tradition and recognized as o ...

. This work was completed either in 1733 AD or in 1741 AD. *"Soubhāgyabhāskara"is a commentary (bhāsya) on ''

Lalita Sahasranama The ''Lalita Sahasranama'' () is a Hindu religious text that enumerates the thousand names of Mother Goddess Lalita, which are held sacred in Hinduism particularly in Shaktism, the tradition focused on the worship of the Divine Feminine (''Sh ...

''. This work was completed in 1728 AD. His ''Khadyota'' ("Firefly") commentary on the ''

Ganesha Sahasranama The Ganesha Sahasranama () is a list of the names of Hindu deity Ganesha (). A sahasranama is a Hindu hymn of praise in which a deity is referred to by 1,000 or more different names. Ganesha Sahasranamas are recited in many temples today as a liv ...

'' is considered authoritative by

Ganapatya Ganapatya is a denomination of Hinduism that worships Ganesha (also called Ganapati) as the Parabrahman, Saguna Brahman.1690 births 1785 deaths 18th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians 18th-century Indian scholars Indian Hindus Marathi people Shaktas