Indian Antiquary Vol 18

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 55

FEBRUABT, 1889.)
SOUTH INDIAN LITERARY LEGENDS.
Next morning the great poet went in advance, and informed the king that four of his fellow students had come to the town, and that they would soon be in the council to see him. In due time the four Brahmans entered the hall of assembly, and the monarch received them very kindly, as he had heard they were fellow-students of the great poet. After being seated, each began to repeat what he knew; and that most learned assembly of Pandits, with Kálidasa at its head, heard the following jumbles of Sanskrit verse :
कूजतं रामरामति श्रोत्रियाय कुटुंबिने ।
उवाच वचनं श्रीमान्पितॄणां दत्तमक्षयम् ॥ Each quarter of this being borrowed from & separate source, no one in the hall could make a grain of sense out of it. But up rose Kalidasa, and said that the best verse ever uttered by Paņdits was the one that was just given out, and he explained its meaning thus:-रामरामति कूजंतं (नारद ) श्रीमान् (प्रया) इदं वचनमुवाच पितृणामुद्दिश्य कुटुंबिने श्रोत्रियाय यहत्तं
29- "To Närada, who was always pronouncing Râma, Rama,' the most holy (Brahma) said thus :- Whatever is given in honour of the manes (pitris) to the Srôtriya Brâhmans who have large families, becomes the most imperishable donation in the world. And as the four Bråbmaņs who have come now to the court are Srôtriya Brâhmaņs with large families to Protect, they remind you, o king of the words of Brahmå to Narada, and ask you to follow the same advice."
So explained Kalidase, and the monarch at once issued an order that each should be rewarded with a hundred-thousand gold coins for each letter.
LEGEND V. A certain boy, who had just begun Sanskrit and had not advanced beyond the declension of nouns, went on a certain day to Kalidasa and said he wanted be taken to the assembly of king Bhoja. The poet asked him what he knew. He said that his master had only the previous day taught him kavih, kavi, kavayah-*14, at 2:-the declension of the word kavi (poet) in the singular, dual and plural of the nominative case. Said the poet " Come with me to the assembly to-morrow, and, blessing the king with af: 4, 4, request the assembled Pandite to compose a verse on it."
The boy did accordingly. No one present was able to compose a verse upon those forms, till at last Kalidasa got up and said :- Tra artek 9: arafa ya last for at wa tarefa refa 11 "When Valmika was born, the word as (poet) came to existence in the world ; and then when Vyasa too was born, the dual a (poets twain) came into use; and when you began to wield the sceptre, the whole world became full of poets, and 77: (poets) came into use.
The king was exceedingly pleased at this praise and amply rewarded the boy.
LEGEND VI. A certain buffoon named Bhukkunda, very learned in Sanskpit and of most ready wit, lived in the country of king Bhoja. One day he committed a great crime for which, by the laws of the state, he was to be executed. When taken before the king, to have sentence pronounced upon him, he said :-EAT ITU TE: I feet, TATAN TENGS T i pary
war | "Bhatti (the great grammarian and minister) is gone. Bharavi (another poet) is also gone. Bhikshu (a beggar) is dead and gone, and Bhimasena too is dead. I am Bhukkunda. And you are Bhúpati, o king! Infer from this that the god of death has entered the Bha series in order (Bha, Bhd, Bhi, Bhi, Bhu, Bhu). And that when I, Bhukkuņda, die, the next person to die after me is yourself, your name being Bhupati."