Page #1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________ The Five Apabhramsa Verses Composed by Munja, the Paramara King of Malava. H. C. Bhayani Gujarat University, Ahmedabad. As an instance of the Sathkirna type of the Catuspadi Dhruva used in the Apabhrathisa Samdhibandha, Hemacandra has cited under Ghandonusasana1 6, 22 the following verse that illustrates an admixture of two different varieties of Catuspadi. Cudullau bahoha-jalu mayana karticua visamathana ia Munsjim raia uthada patica vi kamahu parca sara 'cudullau, bahoha-jalu, nayana, kahcua and visama-thana these five Dohas, like the five arrows of the Love-god, were composed by Munja'. This verse has a unique historical importance in that it records the suthor. ship of some Doha verses composed by Vakpati Munja, the famous Paramara king of Malava, who flourished during 975-995 A. D. He enjoyed great fame in legend. and history for his romance, heroism, literary talent and patronage to litera ture. The laudatory verse gives five Pratikas or characteristic words one from each of the five verses of Munja which had become famous among the literary circles due to their poetic excellence. It was a traditional device to record in a fool-proof manner the authorship of some isolated Muktaka-like verses. Now the problem is that of identifying the five Apabhrathka verses credited to Munja. Fortunately for us Hemacandra seems to have preserved them for the posterity. The cidullau-and the bahoha-jalu verse are given in the chandonusasana at the same place as the commemorative stanza noted above, i. e. under 6, 22. The cudullan verse occurs also in the Siddhahema under 8, 4, 395 with slight slight variation in the third Pada. The text according to the Chandonusasana is as follows: Cudullau cunnthoisai muddhi kaoli nihittau 1. Velankar's edition, Singhi Jaina Series No: 49, 1961, Pp, 209. 2. See e. g. Prabandhacintamani of Merututunga (ed. Muni Jinavijaya 1933); P.11, where verses no. 10 and 19 give the pratikas or characteristic words of some famous Gathas of Satavahana which have been given under verses no, 11 to 18, 90 : agaracanda nAhaTA abhinandana grantha
Page #2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________ niddaddhan sasa ndalina baha-salila-samsittan The Siddhahema has kavoli for kaoli and sasanala-jalajhalakkiau for the third Pada. The verse can be translated as follows: 'O simple girl, your bracelet, positioned as it is under your cheek will be reduced to powder, having been (first heated by fiery sighs and then sprinkled with water of your tears'. The second i. e, the bahoha-jalu verse is as follows: tain tettiu bahaha-jalu sihinaritari vi na pattu chimichimivi chimivi garidatthalili simisimivi simivi samattu Translation : Even though it was a flood of tears, it interspace her breasts it boiled up just on the cheeks sounding chimi chimi and so disappeared sounding simi-simi'. The remaining three verses are to be identified from among citations given in the Apabhranusa section of the Siddhahema. There is some uncertainty about the identification of the third i. e. the nayana-verse. Probably it is the same as the one cited under 8, 4. S14 to illustrate the use of pralva. It is as follows : amisu-jale pralva goriahe sahi uvvatta nayansara teri sampesia demti tiricchi ghatta para Translation : 'It seems that the arrows of glances of the fair damsel are deflected due to the stream of tears-hence, even though charged straight, they strike sideways'. The fourth verse, i. e. the kamcua-verse is the same as the one cited under Siddhahema 8, 4, 431. It is as follows: pahia ditthi goradi ditthi maggu niamta arususasehi kamcua timtuvvana karamta 'O wayfarer, did you meet my fair lady?' 'Oh yes, I saw her gazing at the road (of your return), and drenching and drying her blouse in turn with her tears and sighs'. Lastly, the visama-thana verse is the same as the one cited under Siddhahema 8, 4, 350 (as also under 362). It is as follows: itihAsa aura purAtattva : 91
Page #3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________ phodemti je hiadau appanau taha parai kavana ghen rakkhejjahu lovaho appana balale jaya visama thana Translation : 'Those who burst open their own heart-what compassion can they have for others ? Men, be on your guards-the breasts of the young girls have become terrific.' Apart from the evidence from the Chandonusasana, some further evidence, although indirect, is now available in support of Munja authorship of the abovequoted verses. The A pabhramsa poem Jambusamcariya was composed by Vira in V. S. 1076 ( = 1020 A. D.): Vira was connected with the places called Simdhuvarisi and Gulak heda in the Malava country, which was ruled by King Bhoja from 1010 to 1055 A, D. Bhoja was preceded by Sindhuraja (995-1010 A. D.) and the latter by Munja (975-995 A, D.) The Jamusamicariya was composed some twetyfive years after the death of Munja. Now from this work of Vira it can be seen quite clearly that not only he was familiar with important literary works of his times including the Apabhramsa works of Puspadanta (C. 930-980) and Svayambhu (end of the ninth century), but he was also intimately influenced by them. Jambusamicariya reveals numerous borrowings in ideas and words, from earlier well-known Apabhramsa, Prakrit and Sanskrit works. Thus Vira cannot but be famliar with the Apabhramsa compositions of the royal poet Manja, who was famous also for his literary patronage-so much so that later on it was extolled in such terms as gate Munje yasah-punje niralamba sarasvati',i. e. 'with the departure of the glorious Munja, the Goddesss of Learning has become a homeless wanderer. And from one passage of the Jambusamicariya we get an actual indication of the influence of Munja's Apabhramsa poems. Describing the love-lorn condition of the ladies of Rajagrha at the sight of Jambusvamin, the poet says: kahi vi virahanal sampalittu amsujalohalin kavolalkhittu pallattai hatthu karamtu sunnu damtimu cutullau cunnu eunnu kahi vl harsyanmdanarasu ramei laggamtu angle chamachamachamei (Jambusamcariya, 4, 11, 1-3). Translation : 'In the case of some lady the fire of separtion so flared up that it reduced to powder the ivory bracelet that was drenched with tears due to 1. Edited by V. P. Jain, Bharatiya Jnanapitha, Varanasi, 1968. 2. Prabandhacintamani, P. 25, line 2. 3. In this connection it is also significant that Vira has stated that he was closely associated with the state business. See Jambusamicariya, Prasasti, V. 5. 92 : agaracanda nAhaTA abhinandana-grantha
Page #4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________ its contact with the cheek, thus rendering the hand bare. The sandal paste applied to the body of some other lady emitted sizzling sounds'. These lines clearly echo the ideas and the wording of the Cudullau-verse and the bahoha-jalu-verse of Munija quoted above. Especially Cudullau and Chamachamachamei in the Jambusamicariga passage are tell-tale words, and the sequence of the two poetic images here is the same as given in the commemorative verse recorded in the Chandonusasana. It means that to both of these authorities the two Munja stanzas were known from a source where they appeared in this very order. 1 The evidence from the Jambusamicariya confirms the Chandonusasana stanza abont Munja's authorship of particular Apabhrarmsa verses, and it also establishes the fact that the Cudullau-verse and the bahajalu-verse were closely associated and along with some other verses of Munja they formed a close group. 1. It should be noted that the Gatha-Dhavala no. 6 (kasarekkacakkaoete.) at the Jamtusani cariya very closely resembles the Doha-Dhavala under Siddhahema 4, 5, 350 (dhanaln bisurai Damiaho etc.). they also must have a common source, / itihAsa aura purAtattva : 93