it svi r ARY ABHATYA his scholarship, the other two terms indicate that he had performed the Vedic Soma sacrifice (soma-yaga). Suryadeva should have earned these appellations during his early years, definitely before he wrote any of his available works, all of which mention these surnames. He was a brahmana of the Nidhruva-gotra and, as such, should have belonged to the Bodhayana-sutra, his prayara-rsi-s being Kasyapa, Avatsara and Naidhruva. Suryadeva does not make any mention of his parentage, but specifically refers to his maternal uncle, Suryadeva, as his promotor : इत्थ मानसकरण व्याख्यात सूर्यदेवसोमसुता । श्री-सूर्यदेवनाम्नो मातृभ्रातुः प्रसादेन ॥ (Col. to the com. on Laghumānasa) The expression prasadena used by Suryadeva to specify the benefit which he had received from his maternal uncle in the matter of composing his elaborate commentary on the Laghunanasa seems to imply that he was a student or protégé of his uncle. इत्थ मानसकरण व्याख्यात सूर्यदेव-सोससुता । (Conclusion of com. on Laghumanasa) In a manuscript of the work (D. 13390, Govt. Or. Mss. Library, Madras), the colophons to the Gitika and Kalakriya padas relate to him the expression Diksita which has the same meaning as Yajvan. Cf. : इति सूर्यदेवदीक्षितीये ग्रार्यभटीयव्याख्याने दशगीतिका समाप्ता and इति सूर्यदेवदीक्षितीये प्रार्यभटीयव्याख्याने कालक्रियाप्रकाशः समाप्तः । 1. Cf. his verses : इत्थं निध्रुवगोत्रेण सूर्यदेवेन यज्वना ॥ कृतं जातकपद्धत्या दृष्टयघ्यायार्थवर्णनम् ॥ (Col. to ch. ii of his com. on Jatakapaddhati) (See also col. to chs. iii, viii of the same work) इत्थं निध्रुवगोत्रेण सूर्यदेवेन यज्वना । मानसप्रथमाध्यायवासना सम्यगीरिता । (Col. to ch. I of his com. on Laghunanasa) इति निधुव-सूर्यदेव-सोमसुद्-विरचिते मानसवासनाप्रकाशे त्रिप्रश्नाध्यायः समाप्तः । (Col. to ch. III of his com. on Laghumanasa)
