________________ 'The Puspadusitaka is as serious a loss in the field as the Devicandragupta. Citations from it are, in respect of extent, next only to those from the latter. The oblivion into which its author fell is undeserved, for when an example of a Prakarana with a theme of pure domestic love and a virtuous heroine is to be cited, authorities cited regularly the Puspadusitaka rather than the Malatimadhava'. (pp. 23-24). 'If the Devicandragupta departs from the Mrcchakatika with a daring fratricide and a widow remarriage, the Puspadusitaka, with equal boldness, breaks new ground with the scandal of unchastity on circumstantial misunderstanding, which is not less intense because it is so common. If the true ideal of a Prakarana is to see the joy and tragedy and the triumph of character among the common folk, we may confidently say that some at least of the Sanskrit dramatists had a true comprehension of this medium and gave us dramas which could take high rank among productions in this branch of literature' (pp. 35-36). Relationship between the Nandayanti and the Puspadusitaka The story of Nandayanti as we find in the Silataramgini, helps us to clarify some obscure points and fill up some gaps, to do which scholars were forced to resort to unaided speculations: We can now altogether reject the idea of the PD. plot having been derived form the story of Muladeva and Samudradatta found in Dandin's Avantisundari. Raghavan and following him Warder were evidently misled by Samudradatta's name-sake in Dandin's story. Why Samadradatta could not meet Nandayanti before his departure, console her and take her leave, and why he returned and spent the night with her secretly, which intri [19]