Udayasundari Katha

SR No.: 022655
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: C D Dalal, Embar Krishnamacharya
Publisher: Central Library
Publication Year: 1920
Total Pages: 180
Language: Sanskrit
Classification: Book_Devnagari
File Size: 19 MB

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a few days after the work was completed, it was read before Mummuņiraja, who, in appreciation thereof, rewarded him handsomely. This fact, therefore, of the work being read before Mummuņiraja and of its being appreciated by him enables us to infer that Mummuņirâja must have been on the throne then and the reward was given by him, not as a brother of the king but as the actual ruler which he became after 1026 A. D.
Incidents in Author's Life-Even as a student our author made his genius recognised by other poets. It appears that, while residing in great honour at the court of the kings of Konkana, he was, on one occasion, invited at his court by Vatsaraja, king of Lata. Our author was fortunate enough to win the admiration as well as the royal patronage of Vatsaraja. This Vatsaraja, once by way of a taunt to the poet, recited a verse professing apparently to give admonition to a merchant in the words 'एकैकशः प्रकीर्णै:......कोऽपि परिभोग: (p. 13. 1. 4). Hearing this and fully grasping the intention of the king, the author at once set about to compose a work and within a few days brought out this charming and unique poetic production.
Author's Special Merits-The glowing terms in which he describes his position and powers, his great anxiety to trace his descent from an exalted ancestor of the Kshatriya race born of an immediate follower of God Siva, the language in which he praises his forefathers, his reference to his own self as an equal to Bâņa and Valmiki-all go to prove that the author is sublimely proud of his merits. And yet his pride is not unbecoming. He is indeed a charming writer and a worthy follower of Bana. In sweetness and and melody of language and beauty of ideas, he is uniquely happy and his creative fancy is peculiarly his own. In him Gujarat can well take the pride of having produced a literary gem of the standard of Bâņa.
Ms.-Materials-The solitary manuscript on which the present edition of this work is based was secured by the late lamented Mr. Chimanlal D. Dalal, M. A., of the Baroda Central Library, through Sheth Vadilal Hirachand, from the Library of the Pårsvanâtha Bhandar of Pâtan in the Baroda State. He tried his best to secure more manuscripts of the work, but could not succeed. At last he based his text on this only available Manuscript and while he was seeing through the press a part of this work, the cruel hand of death snatched him away prematurely. The rest of the task was consequently entrusted to me by the Curator of State Libraries, Baroda, under whose supervision the "Gaekwad's Oriental Series" is edited. I leave it therefore to appreciative readers to judge how far I have been successful in my task, requesting them at the same time to consider that the Manuscript of the text was only one and full of mistakes and several omissions, and that these latter have now been corrected by me from mere conjectures of my mind which is indeed far inferior to that of our great author.