Gaudavaho

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

Page 70

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or Thanesar (484). From there he reached Kuruksetra (494), the famous battle-field of the Kaurava-Pāndava war and then came to Ayodhyā (495–508), where in just one day he built a magnificent temple (509) and received precious presents from the people (509-10). Afterwards he went North in the Himalayan region (511) and subdued the petty chiefs of the Himāchala territory. This marked the end of his expedition, which he celebrated in joyful festivity, along with the soldiers of his army (694).
Such is the description of Yasovarman's digvijaya, recorded by Vākpatirāja in his Poem. It is highly poetic, but as Dr. Mirashi says, 16 it is mostly a fictionalised piece of narrative, mentioning no names of kings defeated, nor any dates thereof. It is, of course, modelled on similar descriptions of conquests given by Kālidāsa in his Raghuvamsa (canto IV) and by Harişena the Poetlaureate of Samudragupta, as recorded in the form of an inscription, which, we may presume, must have been seen by our Poet at Allahabad. He had also probably before him an account of king Srīharşa's campaigns of the earlier century to help him in this respect.
The Magadha king, very probably the same as the Gauda king, might have been, according to Dr. Mirashi, Jivita-Gupta II, who gave for a sun temple the grant of a village named Värunika, now known as Deva-Varunārka, situated in Bihar. There is no doubt that Yasovarman had subjugated the Magadha country. There is an inscription) at Nāland, which gives the following description of Yašovarman :
16. Mirashi — 'Bhavabhūti' - Pp. 20-21. 17. Mirashi- Bhavabhūti'-P-21.