Indological Studies

SR No.: 022756
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: H C Bhayani
Publisher: Parshva Prakashan
Publication Year: 1993
Total Pages: 376
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 25 MB

Page 224

214
Prakrit and Apabhramśa Studies
ough the anthology is dated 1195 A. D., many verses are demonstrably taken from earlier anthologies or independent works. Of the nine Krşņa verses, three relate to Vişnu. Two about Viśākhā are taken from the Vajjālagga. Two describe Kșşņa's love for Rādhā, and one for the Gopis. The remaining one is about Kāliya-mardana.
There are numerous citations in Prakrit and Sanskrit in Bhoja's Sarasvatikanthābharaṇa and Sțăgăraprakāśa (11th cent.), which have various episodes from Kșşņa-bālacatita as their theme. Many of them can be reasonably regarded as derived from earlier literature. But they deserve a separate treatment."
The sixteenth chapter of the fourth Vimsati (i.e. seventysixth chapter according to continuous numbering) of Mānasollāsa (or Abhilașitārthacintāmaņi), the encyclopaedic work written in 1143 A.D. by Someśvara, the Western Cālukya king of Kalyāņi, is devoted to the description of the pastime of music. Therein Someśvara has illustrated various metres and musical Prabandhas with his own verse-compositions. Most of these illustrations are in praise of Krsna or various incarnations of Vişnu. Verses 327, 330, 340, 370, 384, 451, 457, 462, 468, 482, 501 (and verses 6, 20, 28 in the Ms. D) wholly or partly refer to various exploits of Krsna. Of these, verse 330 (illustration of Sukasārikā), verse 6 in Ms. D (illustration of Muktāvali) and verse 20 in D. (illustration of Ovi), are specially noteworthy as they describe loves of Krsna and Gopis in post-Apabhraíba regional dialects. So also verse 340 describing the ten incarnarions of Vişņu (after Jayadeva) is in a mixture of a post-Apabhramśa dialect and Old Kannada. Someśvara must have modelled his compositions after the lyrical tradition known to him, which suggests existence of vernacular poems on Krşna-carita in the eleventh century A.D.
Lastly we have to draw attention to a dramatic work dealing with the loves of Krşņa and Rādhā. Among the Uparūpaka types of dramatic works, Rāsaka, Nāțyarāsaka and Rāsakānka are described by the works on dramaturgy. No specimens, however, of these types are preserved. Only in the case of Rāsakānka we