Gaudavaho

Author(s): Vakpatiraj, Narhari Govind Suru, P L Vaidya, A N Upadhye, H C Bhayani
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 12

PREFACE
The Gaüdavaho of Vākpatirāja is a unique Mahākāvya, on. par with Bhāravi's Kirātārjuniya and Māgha's Siśupālavadha and in Prakrit literature it attracts by its merits along with Pravarasena's Rāvanavaho (Setubandha ) in a golden setting of twin gems, as it were. If Kālidäsa is a master of simile, Vākpatirāja is a master of Utpreksā. He remained unnoticed, however, just because he wrote in Prakrit. The attention of scholars, both in India and abroad, was drawn to him, when that eminent, erudite scholar S. P. Pandit brought out his edition of the Gaüdavaho in 1887 and then, learned men like Jacobi, Bühler, Hertel wrote about him in journals in appreciation of the poet. No effort, however, was made to give a full translation of the Poem in English, French, German or any other language in India and abroad. A fullfledged edition of the Gaüdavaho with an Introduction, Translation, Notes, etc. was thus a long felt need. When, therefore, a proposal was made to me by my friend, Dr. A. N. Upadhye that I should undertake this task on behalf of the Prakrit Text Society, I readily agreed and immediately started the work in this connection in right earnest. I had before me the excellent edition of the Gaüdavaho by S. P. Pandit, which gives the Text and the commentary of Haripāla, an alphabetical Index of words occurring in the Text and a long Introduction dealing mainly with the historical aspects of the Poet and his Patron, King Yasovarman. The same was reprinted by N. B. Utgikar in 1927, with a few additions of supplementary Notes to the Introduction of Pandit.
For the preparation of the Text of the Gaudavaho, Pandit utilised four different Manuscripts, one of which gave Haripāla's Commentary. That was long back in about 1880 A. D. It was, therefore, hoped that some more manuscripts of the Gaüdavaho may be traced in Gujarat or roundabout. Inquiries were made in this connection by Pt. Dalsukh Malvania, the Secretary of the Prakrit