bhāskararāya was one of the greatest mantravādin-s of all times, who perhaps was only rivaled by the illustrious abhinavagupta or aghoraśiva deśika, who in times closer to our own was verily like how a brāhmaṇa sage of the time of the veda might have been. He shone like a luminary on the north bank of the Kaveri illuminating many śāstra-s including the ṛk and atharvaṇa śruti-s, navanyāya outside the vaṅga country and above all the śrīkula. In the introduction to his śrīkula work varivasyā-rahasya he says:
ā prācaḥ kāmarūpād druhiṇa-suta-nada-plāvitād ā pratīco
gāndhārāt sindhu-sāndrād-raghuvara-caritād ā ca setor avācaḥ ।
ā kedārād udīcas tuhina-gahanataḥ santi vidvat-samājā
ye ye tān eṣa yatnaḥ sukhayatu samajān kaśca mat kartum īṣṭe ॥
The learned assemblies, which indeed are from kāmarūpa in the east which is flooded by the riverine son of druhiṇa (i.e. brahmā) to gāndhāra in the west which is moistened by the Indus system, from the bridge in the south, by which the foremost of the raghu-s traveled, to the kedāra in the north laden heavy with snow, may this effort gratify them; who would wish to please the lay-folk by this work of mine?
Indeed this clearly expresses the extent of India as the domain of the sanātana-dharma. The marāṭhā patrons of bhāskararāya had placed the saffron Hindu flag on the fort of Attock. He is said to have himself witnessed closely the marāṭhā campaigns against the Portuguese in the Konkan when he was writing his magnum opus the setu-bandha. Thus, there was a brief period of hope that indeed the idea of bājīrāv-I, of the complete liberation of bhāratavarṣa, might become reality. It was perhaps the vision engendered by this hope that inspired the words of bhāskararāya. Sadly, the marāṭhā-s stumbled and the extent of bhārata today has contracted and threatens to contract even more. Not surprisingly more than half the treatises written by bhāskararāya have been lost. But lest Hindus forget, they must keep in mind that this was the bhāratavarṣa that their people had in mind even as of 250 years ago and if its civilizational memory is lost all hopes of regaining it may also be seen as lost.
mAnasa-taraMgiNI 