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NOVEMBER, 1876.)
MISCELLANEA.
317
at the India Office, where his readiness to assist origin of the Chalukya race and the earlier kings all engaged in Oriental research, and his pleasing of the restored dynasty, which begins with Taimanner, made his services invaluable. In 1873 lapa. But these are very fragmentary. Next he he contributed a paper on Buddhist Metaphysics gives a little fuller account of the deeds of to Prof. Cowell's edition of Colebrooke's Essays, Vikramaditya's father, but does not attempt a and began a series of papers in the Journal of the connected narrative of his reign. After that, the Royal Asiatic Society on the Siühalese language, events immediately preceding his hero's birth, and with the object of proving its Sanskritic, and not the history of the latter's youth are given in the Dravidian, origin; in the same year he was appoint- style of a chronicler. When he comes to the ware ed Professor of PAli and Buddhist Literature in fought by Vikrama before his accession to the University College, London. In 1874 appeared throne, he relapses into the rhapsodic treatment the first, and in 1876 the second part of his edition of his subject. The following portion, which treats of the Mahd-parinibbana Sutta,--that portion of of Åharamalla's death, Vikrama's exploits the Sutta Pitaka which relates the history of the during the reign of his brother Somes vara II., closing scenes of Buddha's life. The great work of his accession to the throne, and of the two first of his life, however, was the Pali Dictionary, of years of his reign, is again a kind of chronicle. which the second volume appeared last year, though it is unduly enlarged by the introduction monument of patient and honest work, but which of irrelevant poetical descriptions of the seasons came far short of its author's aim, and which and of court amusements. In the last and conwould have been vastly extended and improved cluding part Bilhaņa gives mere fragmentary had he only lived until a second edition was called notes on events that occurred in the later career . for: it is to be hoped the further collections he of his hero.
had made for it have been left in such a form as Brahma, Bilhana says, was once engaged in his to be available for incorporation at no distant Sandhyâ devotions, when Indra came to him to date. He was labouring to coraplete his long complain of the growing godlessness on earth, and announced Páli Grammar and other works when begged him to put an end to it by creating a hero laid aside by illness. Among other things, he who would be a terror to the evil-doers. On hearhad on hand for this journal a translation of Kern's ing this request the Creator directed his looks monograph on the date of Buddha's Nirvana and towards his chuluka, or water-vessel, and from it the Asoka inscriptions, when a cold contracted sprang a handsome warrior fit to protect the three in the early part of the year developed into con worlds.. From him descended the Châlukyas, a sumption, and carried him off in the thirty-eighth race of heroes, among whom H&rita is reckoned year of his age, shortly after the Institute of as first progenitor, and Månavys arose, who France had adjudged to him for his Dictionary
humbled the kings of the earth. The original sent the Volney prize of 1876, as the best phi- of the Chalukyas was Ayodhyâ. Some of losophical work of the year.
them, desirous of victory, extended their con
quests thence to the reign of the betel-palms in the ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST SEVENTEEN SARGAS
south, " where the tusks of their elephants wrote OF BILHANA'S VIKRAMANKAKAVYA.
the record of their victories on the sands of the (From Dr. Bahier's Introduction to the Vikraman
ocean-shore that witnesses the secrets of the kadevacharitu.)
Cholas. Narrow'was the realm of Vibhishana to In order to enable the reader to form an exact them, and their horses roamed as far as the snowy estimate of the work, I shall closely follow the
mountains." text, and relegate to the notes all my own inter- In course of time, Tailapa (973-997) became pretations, and such additions to the poet's state- the ornament of the Chalukya race, a mighty ments as can be supplied from the inscriptions of warrior, who utterly destroyed 'those thorns of this dynasty which have been published by Sir the earth,' the Râshtrakūtas. W. Elliot, and from other sources.
After him ruled Satyaśraya (927-1008), who Bilhana's narrative is, unfortunately, very un. surpassed Bhargava in the skilful use of his even. He first gives some notices regarding the bow. He was succeeded by Jay a sinha
• Sarga I. ver. 31-56; compare Jour. R. As. Soc. vol. IV. p. 8, extract from the Handarki inscription.
+ L. 58, compare Jour. R. As. Soc. loc. cit.; the Mangaliña plate, Ind. Ant. vol. III. p. 305, and Jour. R. As. Soc. (N. 6.) vol. I. p. 256.
L. 63-67 compare Jour. R. As. Soc. vol. IV. pp. 6, 12, where Sir W. Eliot states, according to his inscriptions, that fifty-nine princes of this dynasty reigned at Ayodhy and other places.
1 $ 1. 69-73; compare Jour. R. As. Soc. vol. IV. p. 6;
Lassen, Ind. Alt. IV. 103. Bilhana has left out this king's expedition against Málva, which is mentioned in his inscriptions and admitted in the Bhojacharitra. According to the latter, Mayja was captured and killed by Tailape, but avenged by his successor.
|| 1.74-78; compare Jour. R. As. Soe, vol. IV. p. 13; LAs en, loc. cit. He is also called Satyasri.
