I N T R O D U C T I O N
I. BHATTIKAVYA AND ITS AUTHOR
The Title
The Bhattikavya,[१] called so after its author Bhatti, is named also according to its subject matter as Ramacarita,[२] Ravanavadha[३] and Ramakavya.[४] Some equate 'Bhatti' with 'Bhartr' and hence call it Bharty-kavya.[५] We have accepted the title 'Bhattikavyam, being the one used by the earliest commentary on the work Jayamangala and by the most famous commentator Mallinatha.
Authorship
The author has not mentioned his name in the work even once. But writers on Sanskrit grammar, while quoting from the Bhattikavya, mention Bhatti as its author. He is often referred to as Bhatti-Brahmana, Bhatti Pandita, Swamibhatta, Bhattisvamin, Bhatta Mahabrahmana or Kavi Bhatta. These are but respectful ways of mentioning a great poet. Bharatamallika in his Mugdhabodhini calls him Bhartrhari.[६] This seems to be the result of an attempt at linguistic reconstruction aiming at deriving 'Bhatti' from 'Bhartr' and equating him with the renowned grammarian, author of the Vakyapadiya and the three Satakas. Bhatti’s proficiency in grammar, like that of Bhartrhari, seems to have led to this
