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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCT. 4, 1872.
In the beginning of the book there is a stanza which runs as follows:
Chandråvatî vadana chandra chakora vikramaditya bhupathanayonaya tantravetta.
"The son of Vikramarka who was as fond of the face of (his wife) Chandravati as the Chakora is of the moon." I think that there is a stanza at the end of the book concerning the age of the author, but as the book is not at hand I cannot quote it.
вноЈА. This prince was the son of Sindhula, King of Dhârâ in Malwa, and his uncle was called Munja. While he was very young his father died, and on account of his minority his uncle ascended the throne. The young prince made great progress in learning various arts and sciences. His popularity gradually increased and excited the envy of his uncle, who apprehended that the young king would soon depose him. He wanted therefore to secure his position and contrived how to put his nephew to death. He sent for Vatsaraja, one of his tributary princes and, having communicated to him his design, asked him to murder the young Bhoja in a solitary wood. The latter, though unwilling to execute fuch an odious commission, could not refuse, and accordingly he took the young prince to the place appointed. But when he went there and contemplated what he was going to do, he was seized with horror and his own conscience prevented him from doing it. Instead of murdering the prince he took him privately to his house and presented to the king his sword besmeared with the blood of some wild animal which he had killed. When the king asked him what his nephew said before his death Vatsarâjâ gave him a leaf on which the young king had written a verse. He read as follows:
Mândhatá samahîpathih kritayuga lankára bhuto gatah. Sethuryena mahodadhervirachitah kuasan dasásyântakah. Anyechápiyudhishtira prabhritayo yatâdivum blúpate Naikenapi samangatâ vasumatî nunam turaya yâsyati.
"Mandhata, that king who was the ornament of the ksitayuga died. Where is the enemy of Ravana (Rama) by whom a bridge was built to the ocean? Others such as Yudhishthira went to heaven. The earth followed none of them; but it will certainly follow you." No sooner did the king read this verse than he fell down thunderstruck, but was soon consoled by Vatsarâjâ, who told him that he did not
murder his nephew as he was ordered to do, but took him to his house and concealed him there. As soon as Bhoja was brought before him he embraced him and humbly asked his pardon. Soon after this the king placed his nephew on the throne and retired to the woods to perform ascetic ceremonies. The young Bhoja having thus got the throne of his father, invited poets and philosophers from all parts of India. The book from which I have taken the foregoing account makes the following poets his contemporaries :Karpara Dhanapala Harivansa Kalinga Bân 4
Lakshmidhara Kamadeva Bhavabhati Vidy&vinoda Kálidasa Bhaskara
Vigv&vasu Kokila Mayura
Vishnu Kavi Srid&chandra Mallin&tha Sankera Gopaladeva Mahes'wara Sambadeva Jayadeva Mágba
Suka Târendra Muchukunda Site Damodera Ramachandra Simanta Somanatha Rameswarabhatta Subandhu
There are gross anachronisms here, but the author, Vallálasena who is said to have written the work in the 12th century, did not perceive them, and his object was to eulogize the patronage of Sanskrit literature by this prince. This King of Dhara is said to be the author of the Champuramayana. There is internal evidence at least to show that it is not the work of a Brahman.
It contains a stanza in the beginning which is as follows: Uchairgathirjaga ti sidhyati dharmataschet tasya pramâcha vachanaih ksita ketaraischet teshâm prakâsana dasapi mahi saraischet. Tânantareña nipatet kwanu matpranámah.
"If salvation comes from virtue, if the authority for virtue (is given) by words not composed (the Vedas) and if the work of spreading them is to be done by the Brahmans, whither will my homage go but to them? This verse could not have proceeded from the mouth of a Brahman. At the end of each Kanda it is said to have been written by Bhoja. Other works are ascribed to him, viz., the Sarasvati Kanthabharana, a treatise on rhetoric, a commentary on the lexicon of Amarasinha, & treatise on music, Rajavartika, a commentary on the Patanjali sutra, and the Charuchârya. But there is no mention of these works in the Bhojacharitra. In the Vikramarka charitra it is said that Bhoja who was the King of Vijayani and was the descendant of Vikramarka wanted to ascend the
