Bruhat Katha kosha

Author(s): Harishen Acharya,
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Page 73

BRHAT-KATHAKOŚA
Kathākośas :' Some Mss. labelled as Kathäkośa are available in the Government Collection at the Bhandarkar Oriental R. Institute, Poona. No information is available about their authors, nor is it possible to state, at this stage, their source, their literary basis or their connection with other Kathākosas. I have casually inspected them just to see what they are like, and I note here a few facts about them: 1) No. 1266 of 1884-87, foll. 47, incomplete. It opens with a salutation to Candraprabha, and gives in Sanskrit the stories of Ārāmatanaya, Harişeņa.Srīşeņa, Jimūtavāhana etc. 2) No. 1267 of 1884-7. This gives the stories which are usually called Samyaktvakaumudi-kathā. The opening prose is slightly different and runs thus: गौडदेशे पाडलीपुरनगरे आर्यसुहस्तिसूरीश्वराः। त्रिषण्डभरताधिपसंप्रतिराज्ञोऽग्रे धर्मदेशनां चक्रुरेवं, भो भो Hout etc. The concluding story is that of Dhanapati illustrating Pătradāna. Though written in Sanskrit, some Prākrit verses are given here and there. 3) No. 1268 of 1884-87. This gives stories in Prākrit illustrating the fruits of worship with Gandha (by Subhamati etc.), with Dhūpa (by Vinayaṁ. dhara ) etc. The colophons and some portions are in Sanskrit. It is written at Sărangapura by Harșasinghagaņi. 4) No. 1269 of 1884-87. The Ms. is mutilated and very badly written. It gives stories of Amaracandra (with reference to bhāvanā), of Vikramāditya (to illustrate pāramārthika-maitri) etc. in Sanskrit prose and verse. The Vetālapañcavīsi is quoted on p. 19. and there are some small stories in Apabhramsa and Old-Gujarāti. It ends with a fable possibly from the Pañcatantra. 5) No. 582 of 1884-86. There are Sanskrit verses followed by illustrative stories some of which are Prabandhas about Jinaprabhasūri, Jagasimha, Sātavāhana, Jagadūsāha etc. 6) No. 583 of 1884-86. It is mutilated on both the sides. It is in Sanskrit prose with Sanskrit and Prākrit quotations; and possibly it contains the stories of the Sam yaktva-kaumudi. 7) No. 1324 of 1891-5. 1 and incomplete. There are stories about Prasannacandra, Sulasă, Cilātiputra etc. in Sanskrit prose mixed with verses. 8 No. 1323 of 1891-95. In Sanskrit prose mixed with Sk. and Pk, verses, it gives stories of Devapala (in connection with Deyapūjā), Bāhubali (to illustrate the effect of Māna), Asokadatta (to illustrate deception), Madanăvali (with reference to sandalworship) etc. Sometimes the stories open with Präkrit verses. No. 1297 of 1887-91 also begins like this and some stories too are common. The verse vasahi etc. (No. 240) from the Upadeśamālā is the basis of some tales. 9) No. 1322 of 1891-95. The stories of Madanarekhā, Sanatkumāra etc. are given in Sanskrit interspersed with Prākrit and Apabh. verses. 10) No. 478 of 1884-86. The first three folios give Harişeņa's Kathākośa. Th an Apabh. work giving Kathās, something like 53 in number, that deal with Vratas like Sugandhadaśamī, Șodaşakāraṇa, Ratnāvali (in Sanskrit) Nirdosasaptami etc. There are a few more Kathākośas attributed to the authors like Vardhamāna, Candrakirti, Simhasūri, Jayatilaka, Sakalakirti, Padmanandi,
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Various Aradhani-kathākośas will be reviewed later.