Somarajadeva of the Sangitaratnavali
Summary
In the brief note 'Somarājadeva of the Sangitaratnavali', K. Madhava Krishna Sarma addresses the authorship of Sangitaratnavali, an important treatise on Indian music. Some catalogues had attributed the work to King Somesvara, known as the ‘Pratihara of the Calukya king Ajayapala of Gujarat’ or to Somesvara III of the Western Chalukyas. Sarma examines a manuscript from the Anup Sanskrit Library dated Samvat 1516 (A.D. 1454) and transcribes an extract from its colophon. The extract clearly states that the author of the work is Somarajadeva, a minister of the Calukya king Bhima of Gujarat, who composed the treatise in Samvat 1382 (A.D. 1325). Sarma notes that Somarajadeva was not a king but a learned minister and that he likely compiled the treatise based on earlier musical texts. The note therefore concludes that Sangitaratnavali should not be attributed to King Somesvara. Sarma’s evidence resolves a longstanding confusion in musicology and clarifies the genealogy of authorship.
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Conclusion
By presenting manuscript evidence, Sarma convincingly identifies Somarajadeva, not Somesvara, as the author of the Sangitaratnavali. This correction has implications for the history of Indian music theory, as it places the text in the fourteenth century and associates it with a ministerial scholar rather than a royal patron. The note highlights the value of examining manuscript colophons to establish accurate authorship and dating.