Gaudavaho

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

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(XLV) Rávanavaho, the most famous Mahakävya of the Prakrit literature. If the present 1209 (or 1233 ) verses of the work were to represent only the preface, what colossal extent we shall have to postulate for the whole poem proper !! If this objection be not regarded as very serious, still there is another difficulty that confronts us. What should have led the poet to put the best part of his work (description of nature etc. ) in the body of this (presumed) preface? In the case of other poets, we find, on the other hand, this item reserved for the main part of their work and gradually worked up with the subject-matter."
"All such difficulties are removed, if we hold (says Jacobi ) that the present work was only an epitome i.e. an abridgment ( Auszug) of the original work, from which all that concerned historical incidents was dropped, as being neither of general nor of lasting interest. As an epitome of the original poem, the Gaudavaho must have come to lose its division into Āśvāsas etc., though the internal division of the subject-matter was preserved. Thus we can still recognise distinctly the successive parts of the poem :-(1) The poet's introduction, consisting of the usual Mangala and praise of poetry in general, (2) the work proper, of which, even though there are left now only the description of nature and such other secondary matter, still sufficient traces are left to enable us to formulate the general march of events, such as (a) the praise of Yašovarman (b) his triumphant march and (c) his life of enjoyment after his grand achievement and (3) as conclusion, the poet's own life. Bilhana's 'Vikramānka-devacarita' is composed on similar lines and this type seems to have been the usual one for historical poem." 10 . 10. "Gaüdavabo', Reprint by Utgikar - Introduction
P. ccxlii.