A.R. Rajaraja Varma's high appreciation for Thuravoor Narayana Shastri in Mani Dipika / Manideepika (4th ed., 1934) Sanskrit study guide preface

Last minor update on 18 Apr. 2023

Copied with link update from ravisiyer.blogspot.com on 14 Apr. 2023, first published there on February 19, 2023

"A. R. Raja Raja Varma or A R. Rajaraja Varma (Malayalam: എ.ആർ. രാജരാജവർമ്മ) (1863–1918) was an Indian poet, grammatician and Professor of Oriental Languages at Maharaja's College (present University College), Trivandrum.", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._R._Raja_Raja_Varma . I have referred to him as ARRV in the sections below.

ARRV's book titled "Mani Dipika" (alternative title: Manideepika), fourth edition of which was published in 1934, is available here for viewing: https://gpura.org/item/1934-mani-deepika-arr . The title in Malayalam is: "മണിദീപികാ - എ. ആർ. രാജരാജവർമ്മ". The book is in Malayalam. The front cover page pic of the book is shown below:

[On PC desktop/laptop, to open pic in larger resolution (if available), right-click on pic followed by open link (NOT image) in new tab/window. In new tab/window you may have to click on pic to zoom in.]

The text in above image is as follows:

MANI DIPIKA. 

(A Guide to the study of Sanskrit)

By

A. R. RAJARAJA VARMA, M. A., M. R. A. S.,

THE AUTHOR OF 

Kerala Paniniyam, Sabdasodhini, Madhyama Vyakaranam ,

Prathama Vyakaranam, Bhasha-bhushanam, Virtta-

manjari, Angalasamarajyam, etc., etc., etc.

---

KAMALAYA BOOK DEPOT.

TRIVANDRUM.

---

(Copyright Registered.)

---

Printed at the

Kamalalaya Printing Works,

TRIVANDRUM

1110.

====== end text in book cover image ==========

Note that the book title is: MANI DIPIKA. (First of the two I letters and the A letter of DIPIKA seem to have an accent but I am not sure). The book sub-title is: (A Guide to the study of Sanskrit).

Shri D.K.M. Kartha (referred to as Karthaji) made the wonderful discovery that in the preface of this book, ARRV conveys his appreciation of Sanskrit scholar and grammarian of those times, Thuravoor Narayana Shastri (referred to as TNS) for the help TNS rendered for this book. Note that TNS is my great-grandfather and a list of my posts on him are available here:  https://tnarayanasasthri.blogspot.com/p/list-of-my-posts-about-my-ancestor.html .

Karthaji has kindly provided the relevant Malayalam text in the preface. I have first given the pics of bottom of page 9 and top of page 10 of the book (part of preface) which have the relevant text. I have marked the relevant lines with red arrows. I have also put a hollow rectangle over "ബ്രഹ്മശ്രീ തുറവൂ൪ നാരായണ ശാസ്ത്രികഠം" which translates to: "BrahmaSRee TuRavooR nArAyaNa SAstRikaL", the name of my great-grandfather with the honorific prefix BrahmaSRee which perhaps means somebody who has knowledge of Brahman or has Vedic knowledge. 

Above pic: Bottom part of page 9 with TNS related sentences marked with red arrows and TNS name within hollow red rectangle.

Above pic: Top part of page 10 with TNS related sentences marked with red arrows.

The marked Malayalam sentences in above two pics and their English translation given below have been kindly provided by Karthaji (with slight reformatting and slight change of presentation by me).

Sentence one:  വിശ്വവിശ്രുതനായ പാണിനിമഹർഷിയുടെ വ്യാകരണത്തെ

പരിഷ്കരിപ്പാന്‍ പുറപ്പെടന്നതില്‍ പരം ഒരു സാഹസം മറെറാ

ന്നില്ലെന്ന്  എനിക്കു നല്ലവണ്ണം അറിയാം. 

English translation: I know very well that there is nothing more adventurous than attempting to modify and reformulate the grammar of the world famous PANini MahaRshi.

Sentence two:  ആധുനികവൈയാ

കരണന്മാരില്‍ അഗ്രഗണ്യനും തിരുവനന്തപുരം രാജകീയസംസ്കൃത

പാഠശാലാ ഹെഡ്‌മാസ്റ്റരും ആയ ബ്രഹ്മശ്രീ തുറവൂ൪ നാരായണ

ശാസ്ത്രികഠം അഭിപ്രായഭേദങ്ങളിലെല്ലാം എന്നോട്  ഐക

കണ്ഠയേന യോജിച്ച്  എന്നെ അടിയ്ക്കടി ധൈര്യപ്പെടുത്താതിരുന്നെങ്കിൽ

ഈ ധൃഷ്ടത  എനിക്കുണ്ടാകുമായിരുന്നോ എന്നു സംശയമാണ്.

English translation: It is doubtful whether I would have had the audacity to do that (modification and reformulation) if BrahmaSRee TuRavooR nArAyaNa SAstRikaL, the foremost among modern grammarians and the headmaster of the Royal Sanskrit PaaTHaSAla of Thiruvananthapuram,  had not taken my side and agreed with me fully wherever differences of opinion arose between me (and PANini and others) and if he had not given me repeatedly the courage to do it at every step.

Sentence three:  സിദ്ധാന്തസംബന്ധികളായ സന്ദേഹങ്ങളാല്‍ മുന്‍പിന്‍

നീങ്ങാന്‍ നിർവാഹമില്ലാതെ ചില ദു൪ഘടഘട്ടങ്ങളില്‍ കുഴങ്ങീട്ടുള്ള

പ്പോഴൊക്കെയും ഭാഷ്യകൈയ്യടാദ്യാകരഗ്രന്ഥങ്ങൾ  പരിശോധിച്ച്

അദ്ദേഹം പൂർവ്വപക്ഷങ്ങളെ  സമാധാനിയ്ക്ക മാത്രമല്ല, എന്നോടൊ

ന്നിച്ചു വ്യാകരണവിചാരണകൊണ്ടു ജാഗരണം ചെയ്യുയും ഉണ്ടാ

യിട്ടുണ്ട്‌.

English translation: There were impassable occasions when I could not move forward because of doubts about the fundamental principles of PANinean grammar.  Whenever that happened he (TNS) examined the source texts such as BhAshyam (Patan^jali's MahAbhAshyam) and KaiyyaTa (KaiyyaTa's PRadeepam) and found solutions to objections to my arguments and joined with me to find solutions through grammatical argumentation and decision-making.

(Karthaji's note:  The next two sentences (sentences four and five) mention a person who rewrote book in legible handwriting  for the printers AND the printing Press (and so are omitted here.))

Sentence six: ഇവരോടെല്ലാവരോടും ഞാ൯ യഥാതഥം നിഷ്‌കൈതവമായ  കൃതജ്ഞതയെ പ്രദർശിപ്പിച്ചുകൊള്ളുന്നു.

English translation: To all these three persons and entities, I respectively express my sincerest gratitude.

--- end Karthaji provided Malayalam text and English translation of relevant sentences ----

The relevant Malayalam sentences given above in Roman script (provided by Karthaji):

viśvaviśrutanāya pāṇinimaharṣiyuṭe vyākaraṇatte

pariṣkarippān puṟappeṭunnatil paraṁ oru sāhasaṁ matto-

nnillennu  enikku nallavaṇṇaṁ aṟiyāṁ. 

ādhunikavaiyākaraṇanmāril agragaṇyanuṁ tiruvanantapuraṁ rājakīyasaṁskr̥ta

pāṭhaśālā heḍmāsṟṟaruṁ āya brahmaśrī tuṟavūr nārāyaṇa

śāstrikaL abhiprāyabhēdaṅṅaḷilellāṁ ennōṭ  aika-

kaṇṭhayēna yōjiccu  enne aṭiykkaṭi dhairyappeṭuttātirunneṅkil

ī dhr̥ṣṭata  enikkuṇṭākumāyirunnō ennu saṁśayamāṇu.

siddhāntasaṁbandhikaḷāya sandēhaṅṅaḷāl munpin

nīṅṅān nirvāhamillāte chila durghaṭaghaṭṭaṅṅaḷil kuḻaṅṅīṭṭuḷḷap-

pōḻokkeyuṁ bhāṣya-kaiyyaṭādyākaragranthaṅṅaḷ  pariśōdhiccu

addēhaṁ pūrvvapakṣaṅṅaḷe  samādhāniykka mātramalla, ennōṭonniccu vyākaraṇavichāraṇakoṇṭu jāgaraṇaṁ cheyyukayuṁ uṇṭāyiṭṭuṇṭ. .....   

(Karthaji's note:  The next two sentences mention a person who rewrote book in legible handwriting  for the printers AND the printing Press (and so are omitted here).)

ivarōṭellāvarōṭaṁ ñān yathātathaṁ niṣkaitavamāya  kr̥tajñataye pradarśippichukoḷḷunnu.

----------------------

The above in Devanagari script (also provided by Karthaji):

विश्वविश्रुतनाय पाणिनिमहर्षियुटॆ व्याकरणत्तॆ

परिष्करिप्पान् पुरप्पेटुन्नतिल् परं ऒरु साहसं मऱॆऱा-         

न्निल्लॆन्न्  ऎनिक्कु नल्लवण्णं अऱियां. आधुनिकवैया-

करणन्मारिल् अग्रगण्यनुं तिरुवनन्तपुरं राजकीयसंस्कृत-

पाठशाला हॆड्मास्ऱ्‌ऱरुं आय ब्रह्मश्री तुऱवूर्  नारायण-

शास्त्रिकळ  अभिप्रायभेदङ्ङळिलॆल्लां ऎन्नोट्  ऐक-

कण्ठयेन योजिच्च्  ऎन्नॆ अटिय्क्कटि धैर्यप्पॆटुत्तातिरुन्नॆङ्किल्

ई धृष्टता   ऎनिक्कुण्टाकुमायिरुन्नो ऎन्नु संशयमाण्.

सिद्धान्तसंबन्धिकळाय सन्देहङ्ङळाल् मुन्पिन्

नीङ्ङान् निर्वाहमिल्लातॆ चिल दुर्घटघट्टङ्ङळिल् कुऴङ्ङीट्टुळ्ळ--

प्पोऴॊक्कॆयुं भाष्यकैय्यटाद्याकरग्रन्थङ्ङळ्  परिशोधिच्च्

अद्देहं पूर्व्वपक्षङ्ङळॆ  समाधानिय्क्क मात्रमल्ल, ऎन्नोटॊ-

न्निच्चु व्याकरणविचारणकॊण्टु जागरणं चॆय्युकयुं उण्टा-

यिट्टुण्ट्. .....   (Karthaji's note:  The next two sentences mention a person who

rewrote book in legible handwriting  for the printers AND the printing Press (and so are omitted here).)

इवरोटॆल्लावरोटं ञान्  यथातथं निष्कैतवमाय  कृतज्ञतयॆ

प्रदर्शिप्पिच्चुकॊळ्ळुन्नु.

----------------------

Karthaji made this great (for me and other TNS descendants, at least) find/discovery on and around Mahashivarathri day 18th and 19th early morning February 2023. The initial discovery was an indirect reference where some of the above sentences were quoted, which is: ശ്രീ നീലകണ്ഠ തീർത്ഥപാദരുടെ ചരിത്ര സമുച്ചയം , (shree neelakanta theerthapaadarude charithra samuchayam) which in Engish is: The Historical Collection of SRi Neelankanta Theerthapaadar. This book is available for viewing/download here: this particular book: https://archive.org/details/sreyas-ebooks/sree-neelakanta-theerthapadaswami-charithrasamuchayam/ , the collection of books link: https://archive.org/details/sreyas-ebooks/Njan-aar-sava-njanum-siva-njanum/, full text link of this particular book: https://archive.org/stream/sreyas-ebooks/sree-neelakanta-theerthapadaswami-charithrasamuchayam_djvu.txt )

The reference to the words in Manideepika preface are in page 625 of the above 'shree neelakanta theerthapaadarude charithra samuchayam' book. Given below are two screenshots of the page with the relevant lines shown by red arrows or highlighted.

Deeply grateful to Karthaji for his hard work and find

ARRV is a very famous figure in Kerala literary circles. Reading such high praise from ARRV to TNS directly in a book authored by ARRV is a matter of great joy for me, a descendant of TNS. These words of the famous ARRV establish that TNS was a great Sanskrit scholar and grammarian, and made a significant contribution to ARRV's Mani Dipika (Manideepika) book.

I (Ravi S. Iyer) am deeply indebted to Karthaji for this great service he has provided to the revered memory of TNS and the joy this find has given to me, and will give to other descendants of TNS (who come to know of this, and I will do my bit to spread the joyous discovery & news).

Note that Karthaji himself is originally from Thuravoor. Karthaji's family name is KAn*jirampaLLil കാഞ്ഞിരംപള്ളിൽ. His grandfather SRee rA man KONoorAyaR രാമൻ കോണൂരായർ used to be the head priest at the Thuravoor Narasimhamoorthy Temple (https://www.thuravoortemple.in/ ) off and on in the first half of the 20th century. He (grandfather) was a KONoorAyaR originating in a village now in KAsaRgod and his (proper) name was KOnooru^ rAman empRAntiri, കോണൂര്  രാമൻ എമ്പ്രാന്തിരി. 

So there is a Thurvoor connection between TNS, Karthaji's grandfather, Karthaji and me! I must mention here that I have never been to Thuravoor (as far as I can recall) but as TNS is from Thuravoor, I am connected to it in some ancestral way. My late mother would surely have visited Thuravaoor and prayed at the Thuravoor Narasimhamoorthy temple.

As I wrote earlier, Karthaji made this great find/discovery on and around Mahashivarathri day 18th and 19th early morning February 2023, with the critical find of the Mani Dipika book and the preface pages about ARRV's high praise of TNS on Mahashivarathri night in India (18th night/19th early morning).

So Karthaji and I view this find as a great gift from Lord Shiva to us, blessing all the hard work that Karthaji has put in, with me helping him out a little. Incidentally, I did part of the helping work on this Shivarathri (night time) and so view it as a tapas (penance) or jagaran (night vigil) which has been a very memorable one, thanks to Karthaji's wonderful discoveries and effort, and Lord Shiva's grace.

May Lord Shiva shower Karthaji and family with the choicest blessings.

Aum Namah Shivaya!!!

Our (Karthaji and mine) gratitude prayers to BhagavAn SRee nr^simha moorTi of Thuravoor, BrahmaSRee TNS, KOnooru^ rAman empRAntiri (Karthaji grandfather head-priest of Thuravoor temple), and all the other Guru-s who are guiding us.

I am very grateful to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba for the grace he is showering on such efforts of mine and I pray to Him to continue showering this grace. Jai Sai Ram!

[I thank gpura.org, archive.org, sreyas-ebooks and Wikipedia, and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extract(s) and screenshots from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]