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APRIL 5, 1872.]
BANABHATTA'S CHANDIKASATAKA.
111
ON THE CHANDIKASATAKA OF BANABHATTA.
BY G. BUHLER, PH. D. In the learned preface to his edition of the the text, which consists of 102 S'lokas, it Våsavadatla, Dr. Fitz-Edward Hall gives (pp. 8 contains a short commentary on S'lokas 1-84, and 49) extracts from two anonymous Jaina com- written on the margin of each page. It has mentaries on the Bhaktamarastotra of Mâna- been written by a Jaina Lekhak, who, unfortuntunga, which contain curious details regarding ately, was neither careful, nor a good Sanskrit the life of Bâņabhatta, the famous author scholar. Though clerical errors and even omisof the Kadambari and of the Harshacharitra. sions are frequent, still it is possible to reAmongst other matters, it is stated there that store the text of most verses. Bîna amd Mayûra, the author of the Bâna's address to Chandikâ is composed Súryas'ataka, were related to each other by in the S'ardalavikridita vritta and its style, as marriage, and that each of them composed a becomes a poet like the author of the Ka
S'ataka or century of verses in honour of a patron dambari, is made to harmonise with the diffideity and obtained thereby liberation from great cult metre. The tortuosity of the construcevils. May ùr a, it is said, who had suddenly tion, the double-entendres and puns, and the become a leper, was cleansed of his disease by quaint similes in which it abounds, will make it Sûrya, whom he propitiated with the Sarya- dear to the heart of every true Pandit. But these s'ataka. Bâņa, jealous of this feat of his brother qualities make it rather an object of serious poet, thereupon cut off his own hands and feet, study than of enjoyment on first hearing or composed a Sataka in honour of Chandika, reading, and they render it improbable that Euand through her favour obtained the restora- ropean critics will accord to it the epithet of - tion of his limbs.
futtamâ kavitâ,'-"first rate poetry," whichDr. Hall, in giving this story, observes that, according to the opinion of my learned native whatever its absurdity, it may have an histo- friends, to whom I showed the poem-is its due. rical basis in making May û ra and Baņa It is somewhat difficult to give an exact anacontemporaries, and that it deserves attention lysis of the contents of the S'ataka, as the poet for that reason. This surmise has also been himself seems to have followed no fixed plan in confirmed by B&ņa's own statement in the its composition. Every stanza contains an Harshacharitra, where he names May û raka allusion to, or a description of an incident from amongst his friends. I have lately found that Chandikâ's great battle with the buffalo-shaped it contains another element of truth, viz. that demon Mahiş h â sura, and winds up with a it is right in ascribing to Bá na bhatta the prayer to the goddess to protect the hearers or composition of a Chandikds'ataka.
readers from evil, to bless them, or to destroy Not long ago, I acquired for the Government of their enemies. Bombay a book bearing this title, which, according That a Chandikâs'ataka should celebrate the to its colophon, had been composed by a Ma- victory of the goddess over Mahisha, is no hakavi Sr å v aņa or S'rîvan a bhatta. more than might be expected; for the Puranas As no great poet of this name was known to state that the Chandikâ form of Siva's wife, or me, and Dr. Hall's Jainas attributed a Chans S'akti, was expressly created for the destrucdikas'atata to Bâņa, I at once concluded tion of that demon. In the Devimahatmya," that Sravana or Srivaņa must be a mis-spell- the story of Chandika's creation, and of her coning for S'r i Bâņa, This surmise was fully test with Mahisha and his army of fiends, is confirmed, shortly afterwards, when I obtained narrated at great length. According to that a copy of the commentary mentioned by Dr. authority, the gods over whom Indra rules, were Hall at p. 49 of his preface: for the latter driven by Mahisha out of heaven. They work quotes the first verse of Bana's Chandi- went to Brahma, Vishņu, and Siva to complain kds'ataka, which agrees with the beginning of
and to ask for help. On hearing of the Asura's the soi disant Sravana's production.
boldness, these deities were moved by anger and The manuscript of the Chandikas'ataka ac- emitted from their bodies a great lustre. quired by me is written on nine folios. Besides That lustre, united with the flames which Indra
• Márkandeya Purana, Adhy. 80 seqq.
