[INDOLOGY] ma.n.dalakramavid- in B.rhatsa.mhitaa

[Francois Voegeli]

Dear Members of the List,

A verse of Varaahamihira's B.rhatsa.mhitaa (60.19; 59.19 in Tripathi's 1968 ed.) quoted by Michael Willis (Archaeology of Hindu Ritual, p. 132) contains the following pada: 

maat.r.naam api ma.n.dalakramavido

Willis translates "ma.n.dalakramavido" as: "those who know the rites of the ma.n.dala" (op. cit., p. 134). 

The only commentary of this verse accesible to me, that of Bha.t.totpala in Tripathi's ed., renders "ma.n.dalakramavido" as: 

ma.n.dalakramavido ye ma.n.dalakrama.m puujaakrama.m vidanti jaananti 

and I guess that "puujaa°" in "puujaakrama.m" has influenced Willis' translation by "rites of the ma.n.dala", because I have never seen "krama-" in the sense of "rite" anywhere, nor is this meaning attested in the MW or PW.

I was wondering 

1) if someone could give me the opinion of other commentators than Bha.t.totpala's on the compound "ma.n.dalakramavido",

2) if anyone has a clear idea of what these "knowers of the ma.n.dalakrama" were actually.

Many thanks in advance,

 Dr François Voegeli

Senior FNS Researcher
Institut d'Archéologie et des Sciences de l'Antiquité
Anthropole, bureau 4018
Faculté des Lettres
Université de Lausanne
CH-1015 Lausanne