NITYANANDA (NATHA or SIDDHA) Author of the Tantric work, Ratnakara-paddhati.
The following works also are attributed to him: Tripura-sundari,
Mahimah-stotra tika, Lalita-stava-ratna, Saktasutra Agastya and Srividya- bhasya Agastya.
NITYANATHA-SIDDHA or NEMANATHA
The Kamaratna-tantra, Tantrakosa and Sabara-cintamani are ascribed to him.
He was son of Parvati. "Generally his name is found mixed up with Nagarjuna in colophons of MSS of Kaksaputa, Rasaratnakara, and with Adinatha in Sqbaracintamani", NCC, X, p. 119.
NITYAPRAJNA
Author of a commentary on the Krama-dipika. PADMAPADACARYA
Disciple of the great Advaita philosopher, Samkaracarya. He is said to have been a native of Cidambaram.
Author of a commentary on the Prapancasara, ascribed to Samkara. He is assigned to 625-705 A.D.
For his life, see Intro., pp. 36-37 of Advaita Granthakosa; also Bib.
of Advaita Vedanta, pp. 228-229, Madras Uni. ed. PADMAVAJRA
A contemporary of Indrabhuti (q.v.). Also called Saroruhavajra, he was preceptor of Anahgavajra and author of the Guhya-siddhi. PANDITA KANHA
See Krsnapada. P A R A N A N D A
Perhaps the same as Paranandanatha and author of the Parananda-
stitra. Parananda is mentioned (pp. 72,91 of the above work) as one
of the Gurus. He is also mentioned in the Mahavidya-tantra, Tarakhanda, p. 164 and Nilatantra (v. 67) as a guru of the Manavaugha class. He is perhaps identical with Ramasvami-pandita, author of a commentary on the Raja-yoga-taravali of Samkaracarya.
PARIVRAJAKACARYA
Mahamahopadhyaya P. Acarya is the earliest known Bengal writer on Hindu Tantra, the title of his work being Kamya-yantroddhara. His real name is not known. A manuscript of the above work is dated Saka 1297=1375 A.D. Vide H.P. Sastri, Notices of Skt. MSS,
III.53.
PARVATlPUTRA
Some ascribe the Kamaratna to him. PRAJNAVARMAN
He was an Acarya of the Kapatyavihara of Bengal, and perhaps lived at sometime under the Pala rulers. Two Tantric works, Visesa-
stava-tika and Devatisaya-tika are ascribed to him. PRAKASANANDA DESIKA
See Subhaganandanatha. PRANAMANJARI
Third wife of Premanidhi Pantha (q.v.).
The commentary, Sudarsana on Tantraraja, is ascribed to her. PREMANIDHI PANTHA (18th Century A.D.)
Son of Umapati and Uddyotamati, he was a native of Kurmacala (Kumayun) and patronised by Malaivamnadeva, a chieftain of Nepal. Afterwards, he lived at Varanasi.
Among his various works, the Tantric works are:
Antaryaga-ratna, Kamala-paddhati, Dipa-dana-ratna, Dipaprakasa
(1726 A.D.).
His commentaries on Tantric texts are:
a commentary on Sakti-samgama-tantra, Sabdartha-cintamani (1737 A.D.) on Saradatilaka, Malladarsa on the Saiva Tantra,
Sivatandava.
For a list of his works, see NCC, XIII, pp. 197,198.
For a panegyric of his patron in 84 stanzas, see his commentary
Malladarsa on Sivatandava; JASB, VI, 1940, pp. 105-17; C. Chakravarti, Tantras etc., pp. 76-8.
PUNYANANDANATHA
Alias Advaitananda of Kashmir. Preceptor of Amrtanandanatha. Author of the Kamakala-wlasa Tantra.
PURNANANDA
Commonly known as P. Giri, he was actually called P. Paramahamsa Parivrajaka; he had also the title Yati. A native of village Katihali under Netrakona subdivision of Mymensingh district in Bangladesh, he belonged to the Radhi class of Brahmins, bearing Kasyapa-gotra. It is learnt that his real name was Jagadananda and that he was son of Purandara, a Sakta, and Aparna. Purnananda was the name given by his preceptor, Brahmananda Giri (q.v.).
Born in Saka 1423 (=1501 A.D.), he was widely known as a devotee of a very high order. Krsnananda, author of the Tantrasara, was his most distinguished Bengali disciple. He was a member of the Samkarite order.
Purnananda is said to have gone to Kashmir at the request of the king of that land, and succeeded in resolving disputes between the two sects, Saiva and Sakta.
Later in life, he is said to have settled on the Himalaya. He is said to have authored the following works:
Syamarahasya, Sakta-krama, Sritattva-cintamani, Tattvananda- tarangini, Satkarmollasa, Kalikamhasya, Gadyavallari, Subhagodaya- darpana.
To him are ascribed also the following Tantric works:
Yogacintamani, Yogavilasa, KalT-kakara-kuta, Bhutasuddhi, Sarasvatitantra,Kalikai-kali-sahasra-nama-stuti-ratna-tika,Kalika- rahasya, Vamakesvari-tantra, Maha-tripura-sundari-mantra-nama- sahasra, Satcakra-bheda or Satcakra-krama, Saktananda-tarangini.
The Sat-cakra-krama has a commentary, Dipika, by Nandarama Tarkavagisa.
See NCC, IX, p. 329.
The Satcakra-nirupana (or, -vivarana), actually a part of the
Sritattva-cintamani, is sometimes taken as an independent work.
He also commented on the Satcakradipika of Brahmananda, on the Kakaratmaka-kali-sahasra-nama-stotra and on the Saradatilaka.
See D.C. Sircar, Shakta Pithas, pp. 28,75; C. Chakravarti, Tantras, p. 67 f; Bengali Encyclopaedia, Visvakosa for Purnananda's works;
Sahitya-varsa-panji, Calcutta, 1983, p. 45. PUTALI or PUTTALI
Said to have been a Sudra of Bengal, and one of the 84 Maha-siddhas. His work Bodhi-citta-vayu-carana-bhavanopaya exists only in Tibetan translation.
See MA (Buddhist Tantric Literature of Bengal), I, p. 11. RAGHAVABHATTA
A renowned commentator. Son of Prthvidhara-bhatta, he flourished in the fifteenth century A.D. He is well-known for his commentary,
Padarthadarsa, on the Saradatilaka Tantra, as also for his Arthadyotanika commentary on the Abhijnana-sakuntala of Kalidasa.
From his autobiographical account at the end of his
Padarthadarsa commentary (1494 A.D.), it is learnt that he was a
native of village Janasthana (Nasik) in Maharastra. His grandfather was Ramesvara. His father, Prthvidhara, settled at Varanasi. His great-grandfather was Mahabala.
He writes that he wrote the above commentary at Visvesa-puri, i.e. Varanasi.
AKali-tattva (rahasya) is attributed (for example, see NCC, IV, 74, RASB Cat., 474 f) to Raghavabhatta who seems to be identical with
the above commentator.
RAGHUNATHA TARKAVAGISA BHATTACARYA