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36
प्राकृतसर्वस्वम् ।
into consideration the three works of the same author, i. e., 1) DVM; 2) Vilasavati Saṭṭakam; and 3) PS. There might be some more works of the author, but nothing can be said about them in the present state of our knowledge.25.
8. That Mk was a poet of outstanding merit is an undoubted fact. This can be proved from the internal evidence of his Prakrit Grammar even without taking into account his other works. The first introductory verse of PS employed simultaneously in the praise of god Śiva and of god Visnu accompanied by beautiful Anuprāsaand Yamaka-alamkāras is a clear testimony to his poetic genius:
शशिखण्डमौलि सशिखण्डमौलि वा
सितमेघचारु शितिमेघचारु वा ।
उमया विलासि रमया विलासि वा
66
May a certain object having the lunar digit or the peacock's plume on its head, charming as the whitecloud or the black cloud and sporting with Uma or with Rama settle in my heart". While paying homage to the goddess Sarasvati in verse no. 2 he states that it is the nectarlike flow of lustre of the goddess Sarasvati that enters into the mind of great poets and becomes manifest in the shape of Mahākāvya. This may be an indirect hint at his own compositions which include
मम किंचिदस्तु हृदि वस्तु संततम् ॥
26 Some native scholars try to attribute, "Keśaba Koili" an Oriya Poem depicting the overwhelming grief of mother Yasodā after the departure of Krsna to Mathura to the author of PS. In fact, the name of the author of Kesaba Koili is Mārkaṇḍa Dasa instead of Markandeya Misra; also their arguments to identify both the authors. as one and the same are far-fetched and hence untenable.
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