Bhaṭṭojidīkshita
Bhaṭṭojidīkshita · bhaṭṭoji-dīkshita, “the Dīkshita who conquered the Bhaṭṭas”
Bhaṭṭojidīkshita is the author of the grammar work Siddhāntakaumudī. The Pratisarga Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa tells that Bhagavān Sūrya himself was born as this scholar at Kāśī, in the house of Vedaśarman, in the Dīkshita lineage. At twelve he was a master of all the śāstras. He worshipped Bhagavān Viśvanātha, received great jñāna from Bhagavān Śaṅkara, and defeated the Bhaṭṭas. Pure of heart and devoted to Śiva-bhakti, he became a disciple of Kṛshṇacaitanya and at the end went to Utpalāraṇya.
Bhagavān Sūrya’s promise
Sūta tells that, hearing Bṛhaspati‘s words, Devarāja Indra with faith duly worshipped Bhagavān Sūrya for one month, in Kārttika. On Kārttika pūrṇimā Bhagavān Sūrya appeared and said to Indra: “Indra, I shall take avatāra and accomplish the devas’ work. The Bhaṭṭas, proud of their learning, have given false meanings to the Sūtrapāṭha and the Dhātupāṭha, turned meaning into un-meaning, and ruined the sense of svara (accent) and varṇa (letter). I shall conquer those pākhaṇḍīs and raise up the Veda.”
His birth and his jñāna
Saying this, Bhagavān Sūrya was born in Kāśī, in the house of Vedaśarman, in the Dīkshita lineage. As his name was, so were his qualities. At twelve he became a master of all the śāstras.
He worshipped Bhagavān Viśvanātha, beloved of Bhagavatī Pārvatī, Svāmī of the world. After three years Bhagavān Śaṅkara gave him great jñāna. By the power of that divine jñāna all knowledge of the vyakta and the avyakta (the manifest and the unmanifest) became clear to him, and he composed the grammar work named Siddhāntakaumudī. Because he defeated the Bhaṭṭas, the name Bhaṭṭojidīkshita spread through the world.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 8
Disciple of Kṛshṇacaitanya
Bhaṭṭojidīkshita, pure of heart and devoted to Śiva-bhakti, came to Śrī Mahāprabhu Kṛshṇacaitanya, bowed and accepted discipleship. He wrote a prakriyā-type vyākhyā (commentary) on Vyākaraṇa, the third aṅga of the Veda, made by Pāṇini, and then, at Caitanya’s order, composed the Siddhāntakaumudī and lived there.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 20
At Utpalāraṇya
Later Bhaṭṭoji went to Utpalāraṇya. On the head he bore a red tripuṇḍra, on the neck a rudrāksha garland, and he constantly did japa of the name Viśvanātha.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 21
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapters 8, 20–21