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CCLVI
Kavanusaayssa We learn from the autobiographic verse + of Srīpāla in the Vadanagara prasasti of Kumārapāla that he was famed for composing a great prabandha (literary composition ) in a day, that he was accepted as a brother by Şri Siddharāja and that he was called Kavichakravartin - king of poets. * This verse is quoted in the P. C. and other works whenever Srīpāla is referred to. From the diction of this prasasti whose author he was, we can say, that he must have been a poet of no inconsiderable merit. We have seen that he is one of the characters of the contemporary play M. K. C.. From that play, we also gather that he was a friend of Siddharāja from childhood, the very essence of good poetry and bearing the title of Kavirāja. We also learn from it that he was blind. * He is called Thakkura Srīpāla by the Pratihara in the play. The verses put in his mouth in the play are really fine - and it may be that some of these may really be Srīpāla's.
From an inscription on an image in the temple of Vimala on Mount Abu, we learn that the poet Șrīpāla belonged to the Prāgvāta family and that his
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श्रीपालनामा कविचकवर्ती प्रशस्तिमेतामकरोत् प्रशस्ताम् ।
* अये कथं सिद्धभूपालबालमित्रं सूत्रं सुकवितायाः, कविराजविरुदकमलनालं श्रीपालमालोकयामः । ४ कविः-पातुं नेत्राञ्जलिभिस्त्वद्रूपरसायनं विधिहतस्य ।
श्रीदेवसूरिसुगुरो भरमस्ति मे भाग्यम् ॥ दे.-कवीश्वर ! अप्रतिकार्याऽयं पुराकृतासकृतपरिपाकः, परं कृतैव भगवत्या भारत्या त्वयि त्रिलोकाकलनकौशलजुषः सारस्वतचक्षुषो वितरणेन करुणा ।। (p. 39 the M. K. P.).
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