Kashmir, Tamilnadu, Panini, Abhinavagupta, etc.

[Venkatraman Iyer]

 >I believe this discussion of 'parvata' = 'zriiparvata' has been most
 >interesting.  Are there any similar inscriptional or literary
 >references that take us closer to Bhart.rhari's date (appr. 5th
 >century A.D.)?  The reference to 'parvata' combined with the
 >reference to 'daak.si.naatye.su granthamaatre ...' makes the
 >zriiparvata the best candidate.  The question
 >is are there other contemporary references to zriiparvata by the
 >term parvata.                                Madhav Deshpande

The Sanskrit texts of 5th century to 10th century and more
only refer to 'zrii-parvata' for the present day Srisailam, and not to
`parvata' at all. HarSacarita (Chowkamba ed. p.9), KaadambarI
(ed. Peterson, p. 224-228),  Maalatii-maadhava (1.8,10) and
  RaajataraGgiNI (3.267, 4.390), vAsavadatta, kathAsaritsAgara. In
HarSa's RatnAvalI, udayaNa's teacher hails from zriiparvata. This is
  true even in MaJjuzrImUlakalpa. It refers to zrii-parvata as:
'zrii-parvate mahAzaile dakSiNApatha saJiJike'.
Inscriptional uses of *zrii-parvata* continue well beyond:
The earliest inscriptions at Srisailam are dated to A.D. 1313.
SII, vol. X, nos. 503 and 504. They also refer to 'zrii-parvata',
and not parvata.

Given the continuous usage in Sanskrit texts and in earliest Srisailam
temple inscriptions as 'zrii-parvata', the term 'parvata' in VP 2.486
need not necessarily represent zrii-parvata. If the VP 2.486 author
intended it exclusively, he could have employed zrii-parvata easily
as done in other contemporaneous Sanskrit texts.

Instead, parvata in VP 2.486 could very well be the *kula-parvata*
of the South (malaya/potiyil) appearing from Ram. & MBh. period,
a) which is well known in Sanskrit material of the early centuries
A.D., and
b) which has an attested dakSiNAmUrti/avalokitezvara cult, and
c) where the myth of ziva/avalokita teaching grammar to agastya
is available, and
d) the myth of ziva or avalokita inspiring Panini, attested from
Southern sources only, appears to be an later extension of the
malayamuni agastya cult of (c).

The term malaya-parvata, an important kula-parvata, occurs in
Sanskrit texts. It is likely the *parvata* in VP 2.486 referred to by
a generic name. Because malaya-parvata is the only Southern parvata
excelling in grammatical traditions (atleast as far as texts tell).

Greetings,
V. Iyer



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