________________
No. 9.]
DHAR PRASASTI OF ARJUNAVARMAN.
Arjunavarman; for they were composed (rachita) by the same rajaguru Madana,' who was the author of the drama (1.4).
Arjunavarman's grants report that he defeated Jayasimha. The same enemy is referred to in the drama (1. 7), with the additional information that he was a king of Gurjara (1. 7, vv. 10 and 18) and belonged to the Chaulukya family (v. 7). Hence he seems to be identical with the Chaulukya king Bhimadeva II. of Anahilapstaka, whose grants are dated between A.D. 1199 and 1238. Although these grants do not apply to Bhimadeva II, the name Jayasimha, they call him the new Siddharâja,' and Siddharâja' had been the surname of his ancestor Jayasinha. Hence I believe that Bhimadeva II. is meant both in the drama and in the grants of Arjunavarman. It is, however, not absolutely impossible that the Jayasimha whom Arjunavarman defeated was the temporary asurper Jayantasimha Abhinava-Siddharåja, who ruled in the place of Bhimadeva II. in A.D. 1223. At any rate, as noted by Bühler, Mêrutunga's Prabandhachintamani places both the conquest of Gujarat by Arjunadeva of Målava and an attempted invasion? by his father Subhata in the lifetime of Bhimadêva II. himself.
The drama locates the decisive battle between Arjunavarman and Jayasimha on the borders of the land at the foot of a mountain called Parvaparvata (1.7). The name of Arjunavarman's minister is stated to have been Nårāyana (v. 8). To Arjunavarman himself the drama applies the surname Trividhavirachûdamaņi (1. 7 and v. 9). Even this detail is corroborated from two different sides. The same surname occars as Trivid havira in the grants, and as Virachûdamaņi in the colophon of the Rasikasanjivini, a commentary on the Amaru atakam. This commentary is attributed to king Arjunavarman, who at the beginning of it calls himself the son of king Subhatavarman' and 'the light of Bhoja's family, '10
In his commentary on the first verso of the Amaruśatakam (p. 2) Arjuna varman quotes a Sarda lavikridita verse of the preceptor (upadhyaya) Madana whose other name was Balasarasvati.'ll The same person seems to be racant by the upadhyaya' who is quoted as the author of an Arya (p. 15) and of two Anushtabh verses (pp. 16 and 44). The upadhyaya Madana is of course identical with the rajaguru Madana, the author of the Parijatamañjari and of Arjunavarman's grants. The quotations in the Rasikasanjivini show that he produced other poetical works besides these," and it is not unreasonable to suppose that he aided his royal pupil very materially in the compilation of the commentary on the Amarusatakam.
Finally the drama mentions a few localities within and near the city of Dhårå. According to the prologue, the first performance of the drama took place in a temple of the goddess Sarasvati. The scene of the first act is the top of the royal palace (v. 8), and that of the
Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, Vol. V. p. 379; Journ. Am. Or. Soc. Vol. VII. pp. 29 and 33. * Ibid. p. 26, verse 17.
This was already suggested by Dr. Hall, ibid. p. 39 f. • Prof. Kiel horn's Northern List, Nos. 188 and 216. Ibid. No. 205.
• Ind. Ant. Vol. VI. p. 187. * This invasion is alluded to in the grants of Arjayavarman; Jour. 4m. Or. Soc. Vol. VII. p. 26, Verse 14 • Loc. cit. verse 19.
Kavyanâlâ edition, p. 69. 10 Ibid. p. 1, verse 5. On p. 28 Arjunavarman quotes a verse of our ancestor Muijadora whose other han was Vák patirája. Compare Zeitschr. D. M. G. Vol. XLVII. p. 98.
Viorel op 11 Bâlasarasvati-Madana was taught poetry by the Jains Afadhara, a contemporary of the MAlava king Arjuna and of his two successors Dovapala and Jaitugidêva (Jayasimba). See Dr. Bhandarkar's Report for 1888-84, p. 104 2.; Bühler in Zeitschr. D. M. G. Vol. XLVII. p. 94 ; and Prof. Kielhorn, abovey Vol. App. p. 82, note 8.
11 See the two first lines of this page.
11 Prof. Oppert's Lists of Sanskrit Manuscripts mention three MSS. of the Balasarasvatkyam, a kdoyan by BAlasarasvati, which Prof. Aufrecbt (Catalogus Catalogorun, Vol. I. p. 426) signs to the upddhydya Madina. 1. Saradadêvi, 1. 3, or Bharati, 1. 6.
02
