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INTRODUCTION
What could have been gracefully acted in sharp conversation is described there at length. Racy conversation with pithy sentences pushing on the plot in a brisk manner is a thing perhaps unknown to our author. Even the Jester's quarrel with the maid servant has nothing particularly light and hurnorous about it. The pining plaints and the passionate outbursts of the king in the presence of Jester etc. afford nice occasions for the poet to introduce lyrical stanzas describing beauties of nature, graces of women and caprices of cupid. Rudradāsa's depiction of love or amorous sentiment lacks buoyancy and is presented under much restraint.
Apart from the artificiality of his Prākrit dialect, Rudradāsa's style is forceful but heavy. His descriptions present a flurry of high sounding words; and there is little of originality and subtle touch in the imagery projected by him. Some of his ideas in the description of moon-light and heroine's graces have an air of novelty, but it is often obscured by heavy and elaborate expression. His rushing composition often reminds us of the style of Bhavabhūti and Rājasekhara; the latter, of course, is his immediate model. Though he does not possess much case of Prākrit.expression, he can nearly rank with Rājasekhara in his love for long metres and his mastery over Prākrit versification. Some of his gāthā varieties are quite happy in their sound and sense; and here and there, though to a less extent when compared with Rājasekhara, he shows some inclination for sound effect and alliteration.
This play, as the author tells us, was composed for the pandita-mandala, the Learned Circle, in the court of Mānaveda. Rudradāsa thus sought the approval of men of learning who were intent on discerning poetic merits and beauties in his play. He has strained every nerve to give elaborate descriptions, highly decked prose passages and high sounding verses; it is a fine exercise in cultivated style through literary Prākrit; but the result has fallen short of what a drama should really be.
vii) PRĀKRIT IN THE CANDRALEKHA In estimating the cultivation of and the composition in a literary language, three factors are to be mainly considered: the grammatical mould, the literary nourishment and incidental influences. To be more explicit, in judging the composition of an author in a classical language we must try to ascertain what grammatical system he had studied, what tract of literature in that language
84. a.
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