15 - Ānandatīrtha's Saṃnyāsapaddhati: Handbook for Madhvaite Ascetics

Summary

Ānandatīrtha (1238–1317 CE), also known as Madhva and Pūrṇaprajña, was the founder of the Madhvaite sect of Vaiṣṇavism and the principal advocate of the dualistic system of Vedānta. After Rāmānuja, Ānandatīrtha was probably the most influential religious reformer and thinker of medieval India.

The Granthamālikāstotra lists thirty-seven works authored by Ānandatīrtha. They are collectively known as Sarvamūla. Although other works are ascribed to him, only these thirty-seven are generally considered authentic. The last work in the list of the Granthamālikāstotra is entitled Saṃnyāsapaddhati (henceforth S). The Yatipraṇavakalpa and S are the only works of Ānandatīrtha that deal exclusively with the topic of renunciation. In the last verse of S the author is identified as Pūrṇaprajña.

Three editions of the Sarvamūla have been published. Two of these omit S and contain only thirty-six works. S is published in the Bangalore edition as a work outside the Sarvamūla, though the editors appear to recognize it as a genuine work of Ānandatīrtha. The Bangalore edition of S is based on a manuscript dated śake 1810 (=1888 ce), although the editors have made some corrections. In my edition, the Bangalore text is referred to by the siglum Bg.

I have been able to locate only one additional manuscript of S. it is found in the library of the Oriental Institute, Baroda, and is referred to in my edition by the siglum Bd. The following is the description of this manuscript:

Accession no. 9593. Paper. Devanāgarī script. 2 folia. Complete. Some errors and illegible writing due to scribal negligence. […]