Bruhat Katha kosha

SR No.: 016060
Original Sutra Author: Harishen Acharya
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Publication Year: 1943
Total Pages: 566
Language: Prakrit, Sanskrit
Classification: Dictionary & Dictionary
File Size: 16 MB

Page 95

64
BRHAT-KATHAKOŚA
As far as I know, they have not given any information about the Ms. used by them. On getting, however, an indirect clue from another note of Fleet," lately I made a careful search for this Ms. in the Jaina Matha of Sri Lakşmisena Bhattāraka, Kolhapur; and I found a palm-leaf Ms. whose wooden board bears almost the above name (Palm-leaf Mss., No. 45). The longer extract given by Pathak is found on pp. 113-114 of this Ms. The designation of the Ms. inscribed in Old-Kannada characters on the board, namely, Upasarga-kevali-kathe, appears to be just a convenient and conjectural label written possibly by the library manager perhaps after reading a few opening lines. No such name is found in the Ms. itself. The opening words are Sukumārasyāmi and some of the concluding words run thus :
यी पेल्द पत्तोंभत्तु कथेय रेवाकोट्याचार्यपेल्द वड्डाराधनेय कवचमेंबधिकारऊ । In addition to what has been already written, this is enough to indicate that this work is identical with the Vaddărādhane, major portion of which is edited by my friend Prof. D. L. Narasimhachar, Mysore, and about the age of which some scholars have quite eloquently expressed their views.
1 Indian Antiquary XII, p. 216. 2 This Kolhapur Ms., which would be called L hereafter, can be described thus :
It is a palm-leaf Ms. containing 147 leaves written on both sides, the last page being blank. The bulk of the Ms., without the boards, is about 11.75 x 1.5 x 2 inches. On each page, due to string holes and surrounding space, the written portion is divided into three columns. There are eight lines on a page with 55 to 60 letters in each line. It is written in Old-Kannada characters; the old forms of r and are used; and there are other peculiarities of that script such as the absence of the distinction between long and short vowels and between some aspirated and un-aspirated consonants. The Ms. opens thus: $ARATI 74: ERT: 11 echiaeqni etc. II CH Tier etc. Il ferroflari di Falevi I achto HEE SCEI Haui il : ETT etc. fel & THERO etc. At the close of the last story, there are three Prākrit verses full of corrupt readings: E TU एवं etc.॥ किं पुण etc.॥ जिणवयण etc. Then we have in Kannada prose: यी पेद पत्तोंभत्तु कथेय रेवाकोट्याचार्यलद वड्डाराधनेय कवचमेंबधिकारऊ ॥ श्रीपंचगुरुवे शरणु ।। प्लव संवत्सरद कार्तिक सुद १ ya da izzvati 4 CETTT4a7 TGT HETT X II But for a few leaves that are broken across and stitched lately, the Ms. is quite intact. It is copied at Belur, in the Mysore state. The year is not given. From the general appearance, the Ms. looks quite old, say at least three hundred years. From what little I could compare I find that this Ms. belongs to the group of gha, ca,
cha described by Mr. D. L. Narasimhachar. 3 As far as I know, about Vaddārādhane here are the sources, textual and critical:
Pathak and Fleet: Indian Antiquary XII, pp. 95, 99 etc. R. Narasimhachary: Kavicarite I. p. 282. D. L. Narasimhachar: Karņātaka Sāhitya Parişatpatrike, XVI, pp. 173-231 (Intro. and the stories of Sukumāra, Bhadrabahu and Vidyuccora ; references to these are given by me with starred numbers of pages); Kannada Sāhitya Parişatpatrike XXIV, No. 4, pp. i-iii and 1-26 (story 1); Ibidem XXV. No. 2-3, pp. 1-v and i-viii, 27-44 (story 2 ); Ibid. XXV No. 4, pp. 45-66 (stories 3-5); Ibid. XXVI, No. 1, pp. 67-88 (story 6); Ibid. XXVI, No. 2, pp. 89-108 ( stories 7-10); Ibid. XXVII, No. 1, pp. 109-128 (Stories 11-13 and a page of 14). M, G. Pai: Mūru Upanyasagalu (Dharwar 1940), pp. 111122; Kannada Sāhitya Parişatpatrike XXVI, No. 2, pp. 134-36. S. Śrikaộtha Šāstri: Sources of Karnataka History, vol. I, (Mysore 1940), p. xx.