Nilakantha Daivajna

Biography

Nilakantha came from a family of astrologer-astronomers that belonged to the Gargya-gotra (clan), and originated from Dharmapura, a town located on the banks of the Narmada River in central India. The earliest known member of this family is his grandfather, Chintamani. Nilakantha was a son of Ananta and his wife Padmamba. Ananta wrote Kamadhenu-tika (a commentary on Mahadeva's Kamadhenu) and Jani-paddhati (or Jataka-paddhati).

Nilakantha and his brother Rama settled in Kashi, where they composed several works on astrology and astronomy. The town was under the administration of the Mughal emperor Akbar's minister Todara-malla (Todar Mal), and Nilakantha rose to the position of a royal astrologer (jyotisha-raja) in Akbar's administration. Balabhadra, a student of Rama, describes Nilakantha as "the crown jewel in the circle of astrologers", and quotes him extensively in his Hayana-ratna (1649).

Nilakantha's brother Rama wrote Rama-vinoda (1590), Muhurta-chintamani (1600), and a commentary titled Pramitakshara on the 1600 text. Nilakantha's son Govinda (born 1659) wrote Piyusha-dhara (1603), Rasala (1622), and Bhava-vivrti. Govinda's son Chintamani wrote Sammati-chintamani (1661).