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Isänsivaguru-The Author 13 prominent position. Thus there is every reason to hold that the author must be a Keralite scholar Identity Once it is established that the author is a Keralite the problem regarding his identity remaiलs. Scholars have expressed different views in this respect. Tšānašīvaguru the author - of the Tantra treatise is often identified with Isanadeva the preceptor of Krsnalilāśuka, the author of the famous Krşnakarnāmrta. Towards end of the first canto of the work the following stanza occurs : ईशानदेवचरणाभरणेन नीली दामोदरस्थिरयशस्तबकोद्भवेन ।
लीलाशुकेन रचितं तव देव कृष्ण
कर्णामृतं वहतु कल्पशतान्तरेऽपि ।। The stanza makes it clear that the author of the stotra was Lilāśuka, that his parents were Damodara and Nili and that he was a disciple of Isānadeva. This Isāpadeva is supposed to be author of Tantrapaddhati. This again referred to in the following stanzas quoted by the historian of Sanskrit literature from a manuscript. आदित्यप्रज्ञपादानामादिकारुण्यभाजनम् ।
ईशानदेव इत्यासीद् ईशानो मुनितेजसाम् ।। तयोरनुग्रहापाङ्गसङक्रान्तज्ञानसागरा: । सागरा इव गम्भीरास्सन्ति धन्याः सहस्रशः ।। तयोरेव कृपापात्र कृष्णलीलाशुको मुनिः ।
यदाश्रमाङ कणे नित्यं रमन्ते तन्त्रविस्तराः। तिलकं कुलपालीनां नीलीति निलयं श्रियाम् । यमलं जनयाञ्चके यं च कीर्ति च शाश्वतीम् ।। यस्य दामोदरो नाम सविता सवितुस्समः ।। From these stanzas occuring in the Bālakṣşņastotra it is gathered that Isana was the preceptor of Krsnalilasuka. The parent's 1. M. Krishnamachariar, A History of Classical Sanskrit Literature, Delhi, 1974, p. 334.
