Varsakriyakanmudi and Kasirama
Summary
This study examines Govindananda’s sixteenth‑century Sanskrit digest Varṣakriyākāumudī—a compendium on ritual observances for specific tithis (lunar days)—and its extensive use by the commentator Kāśirāma Vācaspati in his commentary on Raghunandana’s Tithitattva. The author summarises the structure of the Varṣakriyākāumudī, noting its division into topical sections with occasional prefatory verses and its critical stance toward earlier Dharmaśāstra citations. Govindananda rejects inauthentic Purāṇic quotations and labels some practices as mere local customs lacking scriptural authority. At the same time, he defends many traditional festivals and offers pragmatic interpretations when texts conflict. The article shows that Kāśirāma frequently lifts large passages verbatim from Varṣakriyākāumudī without attribution, especially in sections dealing with Janmāṣṭamī, Rāmanavamī and other festivals. In some cases he introduces the borrowed material with phrases such as “in general the rites are as follows,” but often he simply reproduces Govindananda’s prose. By systematically comparing the two works, the study highlights issues of plagiarism and intellectual borrowing in early modern Sanskrit scholarship and underscores the value of Varṣakriyākāumudī for reconstructing social and religious history in Bengal.
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Conclusion
Through textual comparison, the author demonstrates that Kāśirāma Vācaspati relied heavily on Govindananda’s Varṣakriyākāumudī, often without citation. The study thus enhances our understanding of sixteenth‑century ritual manuals and draws attention to questions of authorship and originality in Sanskrit scholasticism.