[ - § 84 Bopadeva's School: Later History 107 84. Later history of Bopadevo's school.-From what is said just now we are not to conclude that the Mugdhabodha was never widely popular. In the two centuries preced- ing the rise of the Mahratta power and the revival of Pāņi- ni it enjoyed a wide currency as well in the land of its origin as elsewhere. This is clear from the statements of Bhattoji-dikshita in the Sabdakaustubha and in the Mano- rama. In the latter he says- BEHETSTEDEit aanger: 1 a fia: He is also at great pains to refute the opinions of the author of the Mugdhabodha, which must have domi- nated the literary world before advent of Bhättoji. It was only in the seventeenth century that like other non-Pāṇiniya systems of grammar this school had to take refuge in a country which was farthest removed from Mahratta influence, that is, Bengal, or rather the neigh- bourhood of Nadia on both the sides of the Ganges, where it continues to be assiduously studied to the present day. During the few centuries of its existence the Mug- dhabodha has produced quite a bewildering number of digests and commentaries. The most celebrated of the commentaries is that of Rămatarkavägisa, a profound logician and an adept in the grammars of other schools (mana), upon whose systems he frequent- ly draws to supply errors omissions in the Mugdha- bodha. He is quoted by Durgadāsa (1639 A. D.) who wrote a commentary on the Kavikalpadruma. Durgadāsa also quotes Ramānanda, Devidasa, and Käsīśvāra and his predecessors, while he is in his turn quoted by Vidyāvāgisa, Bholänatha, and Ramabhadranya- yalankāra.
