________________
SEPTEMBER, 1877.]
THE RAJATARANGIŅI.
269
and who is united with his spouse, give you glory, --the left, whose forehead wears a saffron tilaka, the colour of whose throat near the ear is fair like the splendour of the ocean-born (moon), and is enhanced by numerous tremulous earrings, and whose breast wears a faultless boddice;---the right, whose forehead carries a flame of fire, the colour of whose throat near the ear is concealed by the ocean-born (poison) and enhanced by numerous playfully moving snakes, and whose chest is encircled by the lord of snakes as by a boddice.
Worthy of praise is that quality of true poets, whatever it may be, which enables them to sprinkle with the nectar (of their song), and thereby to preserve, their own bodies of glory as well as those of others. Who else but poets resembling the Prajapatis (in creative power), and able to bring forth lovely productions, can place the past times before the eyes of men P If the poet did not see in his mind's eye the existences which he is to reveal to men, what other indication would there be that he is a divine seer P. Though for its length the story does not show much variety, still there will be something in it that will gladden the virtuous. That virtuous (poet) alone is worthy of praise who, free from love or hatred, restricts his muse to the exposition of facts. "If I narrate
again the subject matter of tales of which others have treated, still the virtuous ought not to turn their faces from me without hearing my reasons. 0.10 How great a cleverness is 1 equired in order that men of modern times may complete the account given in the books of those who died after composing each the history of those kings whose contemporary he was! Hence in this narrative of past events, which is difficult in many respects, my endeavour will be to connect.
11 The oldest extensive works, containing the royal chronicles (of Kasmir) have been lost in consequence of (the appearance of Suvrata's composition, who condensed them in order that their substance) might be easily remembered.
"Suvrata's poem, though extensive, does not easily reveal its meaning, since it is made difficult, by misplaced learning.
**Owing to a certain want of care, there is not a single part in Kshemendra's 'List of Kings' free from mistakes, though it is the work of a poet.
**Eleven works of former scholars which contain the chronicles of the kings, I have inspected, as well as the (Purdna containing the) opinions of the sage Nila.
By looking at the inscriptions recording the consecration of temples and grants, at the laudatory
The Prajapatis are fourteen in number. They caused the successive creations of the world.
10 Verses 9 and 10 form a yugalaka, or couplet, i.e. they are interlaced in their construction : compare K & vyddarsa I. 13, comment. Tney give the reasons' alluded to in v. 8. Yat must be taken as a conjunction, depending on Kivad idas dakshyam. Saryaprakdraskhalite, which is difficult in many respecta,' means literally in which there are dangers of mistakes of all kinds.
11 Suvrata apparently wrote a hand-book of the history of Kasmir, to be committed to memory in the schools, which, as usual in India, canged the loss of the more an.
1088 of the more an
13 Kshemale same subject.
13 Kshemendra has taken care to let us know a good deal about himself and his time. In the colophon to the Sama. yamatrika he informs us that he finished that work during the reign of king Ananta, in the 25th year of the Kasmirian cycle, 1050 A.D. In the Suvrittatilaka he again states that he wrote under Ananta, and finally he says that he finished the Dafdvataracharita in the year 41 of the Saptarshi er, under Ananta's son, Kalasa. Ananta ruled from Saptarshi 8. 4, or 1029 A.D., to Saptarshi S. 89, or 1064 A.D. In the latter year he nominally abdicated in favour of, and performed the abhisheka of, his son Kalasa. The Saptarshi year 41 corresponds to the year 1066 A.D. Consequently Kshemendra's literary activity falls in the second and third quarters of the eleventh century. The other data which he gives regarding his family and himself are that his grandfather's name was Sindhu, and his father's Pra k&endra. The latter was a great patron of Brahmane, and expended three kotis, or thirty millions (of what is not stated), in various benefactions, and died a fervent worshipper of Siva. Kshemendra himself seems to have been in his youth a Saiva, bat later he was converted to the Vaishnava-Bhågavata creed by Som&ch Arya. He studied the Alankarasastra under the famous Abhinavagupta charya. He wrote several of his compositions at the request of a Brahman called R&m syasa e, and one, the Vrihatkáthamanjort, at the command of one Devadhara, who seems to have occupied a promi. nent position in the Brihmanical community of Kasmir. His surname, Vy&sad & sa, is given in all his works except
in the Kaldvilasa. Conf. Ind. Ant. vol. I. pp. 302 seqq. vol. V. p. 29. Kahemendra wrote also, 9 Kalhans asserts. a Rajawali, or history of the Kasmirian kings. The work exista now in Kasrafr. But the hope that it would soou come into my hands, which I expressed in my preliminary Report, haa hitherto not been fulfilled I do not, however, yet despair of ultimately obtaining it.-Dr. Bühler's Report, pp. 46, 48.
1 The Nilamat purana is supposed to have been narrated by Vaisampayana, & pupil of Vyasa, to king Jana meja ya. It opens with a question of the king inquiring why no ruler of Kasmir took part in the great war between the Kurus and Påndus. The sage's answer is for the greater part lost, but from the fragments remaining it is clear that it contained the account of the expedition of Gopanda I. to Mathura in aid of Jarlsandha, in which he was slain, and of the attempt by his son Damodara to Avenge his father's death when Krishna came to B u . vath vara in the Gandhira country, just as these events ar told in the Rajtarangint, i. 57-66. A few verses have been saved, which mention the evayamvara and the de. struction of Damodara by Krishna, as well as the coronation of Damodara's pregnant queen and the birth of Gonandu II. They prove that Kalhana took over some portions of his narrative almost literally from the Pur&na. Janamejaya's next question is why Krishna considered Kasmir so important as to secure for it a king by the coronation of a woman. Vaisåmpiyana hereupon states that the country is an incarnation of Sati or Uma, and describes its various excellencies, adding that it was formerly a lake called Satisaras. This statement gives an opportunity to intro. duce the story of the creation of Kasmir by Kaśyapa. The Purana then goes on to narrate the 'rites proclaimed by Nila,' which occupy two-thirds of the work; and it concludes with aome miscellaneous Mahatmyas. From this it will appear that it is an attempt to connect special Kasmirian legends with those of India proper, and especially with the Mahabharata, as well as to supply a sufficient authority for the rites prevalent in Kasmir.
15 According to my interpretation of this passage, Kalhana used four kinds of records :-(1) the pratishthaja. sana edicts, i.e. inscriptions recording the erection and consecration of temples or other buildings and monuments, such
