Upavarsha is the earliest commentary (vrittikara) on all sixteen chapters of the Purva Mimamsa Sutras of Jaimini and on all four chapters of the Brahma Sutras of Badarayana Vyasa.
Upavarsha was an eminent exponent of both the Mimamsas. He was revered with an honorific title of ‘Bhagavan’ as quoted by Sabarasavamin in his bhashya of Mimamsa Sutra, as well as by Shankaracharya in his Devatadhikarana Bhasya of Brahmasutra, saying ‘iti Bhagavan Upavarshah’.
According to Kathasaritsagara of Somadeva, he was the son of Shankarasvamin and a native of Pataliputra. It is said that he was the brother of Varsha, the guru of Panini, Vyadi, Vararuchi and Katyayana etc. The author is referred to many times by Sabarasvamin and Shankara in their Bhashyas.
Acharya Ramanuja mentions in the beginning of his Sribhashya that his work is based on Bodhayana’s Vritti. Vedanta Desika, in his Tattvarthatika on Sri Bhashya, says that Bodhayana may be identical with Upavarsha.
Devasvamin (1000 CE), who wrote a commentary on Sabara Bhasya, mentions Bodhayana also as the author of Kritakoti Vritti.
Upavarsha has expounded the omnipresence of the being, the atman, in his vritti of Brahmasutra (3-3-53). There is no conclusive opinion on the date of Upavarsha. Tradition takes him as far back as 2900 BCE. Internal evidence is found in the discussion on the use of Chaturthi Samasa or Sashti in the opening sentences of Brahmasutra and Mimamsa Sutra. Upavarsha and Katyayana are in favor of Chaturthi Samasa while Patanjali favors sasthi. It is therefore inferred that Upavarsha should have lived between Katyayana and Patanjali, that is, around 200 BCE.