Mahīdhara

Mahīdhara ("earth-bearing") was a 16th-century commentator of the Vedas. His treatises include the Mantramahodadhi (mantra-uda-dhí, "great ocean of mantras") of ca. 1588, and the Vedadipa (veda-dīpa, "light of the Vedas"). The latter concerns the Vajasaneyi-samhita of the White Yajurveda.

Mahīdhara's namesake is a legendary mountain described in the Mahabharata, which is also an epithet of Vishnu.

The commentaries of "Sayana", Skanda, Venkata , Mahīdhara, etc are of recent times. All of them belong to a time later than Yaska's. According to Swami Dayananda these commentaries were gross misinterpretations. Swami Dayanada based his commentary on the Brahmanas and the Nirukta and rejected all other commentaries. His interpretations are based mainly on the etymological method.[1]

Mahīdhara commentator on the Yajurveda[1]

Mahīdhara was equally an important commentator on the Yajurveda; but from his Bhasya it is quite evident that he was a Vāma mārgi and believed in the Tantrika school of ritualists.It is useless to quote here a number of instances as the following one instance will convince the reader that something was seriously wrong with him.

While explaining the Mantra (YV. XXIIJ.19)

गणानां त्वा गणपति हवामहे प्रियाणां त्वा प्रियपति हवामहे निधीनां त्वा निधिपति हवामहे वसो मम । आहमजानि गर्भधमा त्वमजासि गर्भधम् ॥१९ ।।

(हे गणों के बीच रहने वाले सर्वश्रेष्ठ गणपते ! हम आपका आवाहन करते हैं। हे प्रियों के बीच रहने वाले प्रियपते ! हम आपका आवान करते हैं।हे निधियों के बीच सर्वश्रेष्ठ निधिपते ! हम आपका आवाहन करते हैं। हे जगत् को बसाने वाले ! आप हमारे हों । आप समस्त जगत् को गर्भ में धारण करते हैं, पैदा (प्रकट) करते हैं। आपकी इस क्षमता को हम भली प्रकार जानें ॥१९ ।। )[2]

Mahīdhara remarks:

'अत्र गणपति शब्देन अश्ववो वाजी प्रहीतव्यः ।

'Here the word Ganapati means a horse. Then he adds: महिषी स्वयमेवाश्वशिश्नमाकृष्य स्खयोनौ स्थापयति । गर्भधं गर्भस्य धारयितृ रेतः । त्वमजासि गर्भधम् । अश्वदेवत्यम् । वाजी अश्वो रेतो दधातु मयि वीर्य स्थापयत् । आकृष्य च त्वं हे अश्व, अजासि क्षिपसि गर्भधं रेतः |तं च गर्भधं रेतः आ अजासि | उत्सक्थी तस्याः । कथं तदाह । अञ्जि लिङ्ग संचारय । अनक्ति भाकृष्य क्षिपसि ॥

"The wife of the sacrificer, in the presence of all the priests, lies with the horse nearby and then she addresses the horse and requests him.....". Thus Mahīdhara interprets this and the following nine verses in words which are not reproduceable even in the semi-obscurity of a learned European language.Here Mahīdhara deserves all censure for going too far to translate the word ganapati (i.e Lord of multitudes) in the sense of a horse-which has NO support in the entire sanskrit language. For comparison, below is the english rendering by Swami dayananda's bhasya here:

" We invoke Thee, O Lord and Protector of the numerous orders;who art also the Lord of all that is dear and near to us- of all the treasures and precious objects (e.g Knowledge and wealth). Thou pervadest (this world)."

We feel, when we see that a very well-known and simple word, like ganapati, has been interpreted as "horse", that Mahīdhara 's mind was not free from ill-conceived pre-notions against Vedic teaching. Actuated by such grossly erroneous ideas, he wrote whatever he could. He ought to have read and consulted the Satapatha Brahmana in this connection before he proceeded to comment upon such Mantras.

Editions

• Mantramahodadhi with the Commentary Nauka, Sri Satguru Publications, Indian Books Centre, Delhi (1984, 1985), ISBN 978-81-7030-050-2.
• Mahidhara's Mantra mahodadhih: Text in Sanskrit and roman along with English translation and comprehensive commentary, Prachya Prakashan (1992)
• Isavasyopanisad bhasya sangraha: Sankara bhasyam, Uvata bhasyam, Sayana bhasyam, Mahidhara bhasyam, Prakasa bhasyam, Yogapaksiyam Pra. Bha., Svami Dayananda, Jagadisa Samskrta Pustakalaya; Nutana samskarana edition (2001), ISBN 978-81-87177-21-0
• A. Weber, The Vajasaneyi-samhita in the Madhyandina- and the Kanva-shakha Berlin (1852), reprint Chowkhamba (1972).
• The Rigveda with Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati's commentary- Translated into english by Acharya Dharma Deva Vidya Martanda (1974), English, Sanskrit, Book edition

See also

• Sayana
• Uvata
• Yaska
• Swami Dayananda

References

1. Saraswati, Dayanand. "An Introduction to the Commentary on the Vedas Rigvedadi Bhashya Bhumika by Dayanand Saraswati, Ghasi Ram — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists". Goodreads.com. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
2. https://archive.org/details/RigvedaWww.aryamantavya.in/page/n1
3. [1]Dayananda Sarasvati, S., Parmanand, 1. (1981) : Pg xxii Mahīdhara
4. Rigvedadi Bhashya Bhumika[3]

Specific

1. An introduction to the commentary on the four Vedas / translated into English, with original text, a critical introduction & exhaustive notes by Parmanand., Dayananda Sarasvati, Swami, 1824-1883. (1981). "Svāmī Dayānanda Sarasvatī's R̥gvedādi-bhāṣya-bhūmikā". hathitrust.org. Meharchand lachhmandas Publications.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
2. Editor :वेदमूर्ति तपोनिष्ठ, Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya (1966). यजुर्वेद. Bareilly district Uttar Pradesh: संस्कृति संस्थान, बरेली (उत्तर प्रदेश). p. 364.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
3. महर्षि दयानंद सरस्वती, Swami Dayanand Saraswati. ऋग्वेदादिभाष्यभूमिका. Vijaykumar Govindram Hasanand. ISBN 9788170771630.