Indian Antiquary Vol 04

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 92

82
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MARCH, 1875.
HILI
and to make its contents accessible to science. dra-H & ripala, the Chakrapásikávya by After some trouble I succeeded in solving the Bhatta Lakshmidhara. Among these mystery, and it turns out that the magnitude of the Vikramánkacharita is of the greatest imthe Bhåndár has been very much exaggerated, portance. It is a historical work, that gives but its contents are nevertheless of great value. the history of Somes vara I, surnamed According to an old list, which was prepared Ahavamalla, Somesvara II. or Bhu. about 90 years ago by a Yati, the Brihajjnána-vanaikamalla, t and of Vikramadit. kosa contained then 422 different works. It yadeva, surnamed Tribhavanamalla. is clear, however, from what I observed, that | All the three are well known to have reigned in the list is made with great carelessness, and the 11th century at Kalyanakataka in the the number of books which existed at that time Dekhan, and to have belonged to the family of amounted to from 450 to 460. These MSS. are the Chalukyas, commonly known as 8o. mostly written on palmyra leaves, and go bark 18 nkis. Bilhaņa algo relates his own to a very ancient date. At present there is only history at pretty considerable length, and says & remnant of what was at one time a splendid that Vikramaditya deva made him his collection. The Bhåndar still contains about Vidyapati. He wrote the work, as it appears, 40 pothis or bundles of well-preserved palmyra in his old age, but still under the reign of MSS., & very great mass of loose and broken Vikramaditya, and consequently gives palmyra leaves, four or five small boxes full of only a part of the history of that prince. The paper MSS., and a few dozen bundles of paper work is divided into 18 sargas, and contains leaves torn and disordered. The completely 2545 slokas. Bilhaņa has taken the Raghupreserved palmyra MSS. which are all written vansa for his model, and changes his metre in with a pen, not with a stylus, contain very few almost every sarga. He says that he writes in Jain works. Of these there are only a Dhar. the Vaidarbha style, but he uses very high lanmottaravritti, a Kamalaslatarka, a Pratyekabudguage. His hyperboles greatly mar the effect
hacharita, a Viseshávasyaka, and a few frag- of his poetry. Nevertheless there are some pasments of Sätras, as well as a great part of sages that are really poetic and correspond to Hemachandra's grammar (Adhy. 1-v.), our tastes. Besides accounts of Vikrama's and a commentary on the Anekárthasangraha, | many warlike expeditions, already known to which, like the commentaries on almost all thens through many inscriptions, there are many works of Hemachandra, is composed by other notices that are highly interesting. Thus the author himself. The title of the latter we learn that somes vara II. was the elder work is Anekúrthakairavarakaumudi. Ite discov- brother of Vikrama, and was dethroned by ery is so fur important as the genuineness of the latter. Bilhaņa describes some svara. the anekdrthakosa, hitherto doubted, is thereby as a madman, who bore a deadly hatred to placed beyond question.
wards his more talented brother, and who, after The remaining palmyra MSS. contain Brah- his flight from Kaly âņa, sought to destroy manical books belonging to the Kavya-, Alan- him. It was with difficulty, and only at the kára-, Nydya-, and Chhandas-sdstras. Of the express command of the family god Siva, that great Kavyas there are the Raghuvaña as well Vikrama resolved to fight against his broAs the Naishadhiya, the latter of which has also ther. In the battle he was victorious, and he an old and very rare atka by Vidyadhara. took Somerver & prisoner. Another inter(Conf. also Catalogue of Sanskrit Mşs. from esting passage is the description of a SvayanGujarát, No. II. p. 90, No. 124.) Then there vara, which was lield by the daughter of the is also a Bhattikávya with the (ká of Jaye. Karah å ta pati, and in which she chose ma igala.
Vikrama as her consort. Bilhaņa, while Besides we found the following larger new describing his own history, regrets that he should works: the Vikramánkacharita by Bilhana | not have been able to visit Bhoja of Dhara. or Vilhaņa, the Gaudavadhasdru by Upen. The liberality of Bhoja and Munja is
si
• Is this the name of its author ? It is to be observed that many of the commentators of the Raghuramba quote the commentary under the name of Jayamangall, and its
author under that of Jayamanga1 ALAT-S.P.P. t See Ind. Ant., vol. 1. p. 141. -ED.
Ibid. pp. 81-83, 158; vol. II. p. 297-8.-ED.