________________
Kannada Literature / 129
the author was well acquainted with Ardhamāgadhi canonical texts.
5.4.9. Though the present edited texts of AKT have given prominence to the manuscripts with the opening of Sanskrit śloka of ‘namah sri Vardhamānāya; as they belong to the recension of a particular group of preserving the text intact, equal weightage should be given to the other manuscripts which open with three Prakrit gāthās of one each of the invocatory gāthās from PrakritNirvāṇabhakti, Pravacanasāra and Pañcāstikāya of the adept Kondakundācārya. Actully commencing the AKT with the Prakrit - gāthās is in tone with the disposition of the author and the text. The Sanskrit sloka has been interpolated and substituted by the later copyists. [AKT : Arādhanā Karņāta Țikā].
5.5. Srivijaya (C. E. 850) is one of the earliest Kannada authors of greater significance. He is the first poet-laureate among Kannada men of letters. Guņavarma-I, Pampa and Ponna being the second, third and fourth to attain the status of court - poets. After Bhrājişnu and his Arādhanā-KarnātaTikā, Srivijaya is the second earliest author, and his Kavirājamārga, a work on rhetoric and poetics, is the second oldest Kannada work that is extant. For over a period of three score and more years, Kannada scholarship was under the belief that, Nrpatunga alias Amõghavarşa-I (814-78), the Rāştrakūța emperor authored Kavirājamārga which had Nrpatungābhyudaya as its second name. But, a doubt was often expressed that the work was inspired, and not actually composed by the king, its ostensible author. J. F. Fleet had suggested as far back as in 1911 that Kaviśvara was the author. Recently the myth has been exploded. It has been finally settled that the author is Srivijaya, who composed the work at the instance of his benefactor Nệpatunga who had Amõghavarsa as his second name.
5.5.1. Some scholars have suggested that Srivijaya, the
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
