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DECEMBER, 1902.)
THE SUKRITASAMKIRTANA OF ARISIMHA.
477
THE SUKRITASAMKIRTANF
ARISIMHA.
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN OF THE LATE PROFESSOR G. BÜHLER, C.L.E., LL.D., VIENNA
BY E. H. BURGESS, UNDER THE DIRECTION OF JAS. BURGESS, C.I.E., LL.D.
[Tus paper, of which the following is a translation, appeared in the Sitzungsberichte of the Imperial Academy of Sciences of Vienna (Vol. CXIX., 1889), and some copies of it were struck off in a separate form, chiefly for distribution to friends. There are many scholars, both in Europe and India, who are interested in the subject of the paper but are not familiar with the German language; to them the following translation is offered in order to make its contents accessible. - J. B.]
TN my Report on the Search for Sanskrit MSS., 1879-80, p. 5, I announced the discovery of 1 & historical poom which beers the title Sakritasam kirtana, and was composed by Arisinha in honour of his patron, the Jaina Vastupala, who served the Vaghela prince RanakaViradhavals of Dholka and his son Visaladeva as minister from Vikrama-Samvat 1278 to 1296 or 1297. Although since then, hy the publication of Someśvara's Kirtilaumudi, the most important source concerning the origin of the power of the Vaghela dynasty of Gujarat, has become generally accessible, yet a discussion of the contents of Arisimha's poem will not be superfluous. For this touches on several details about which Someśvara is silent, and gives new and in part valuable accounts of other incidents. The manascript which I have used for the following examination is No. 302 of my collection in the library of the India Office. This was copied in August 1880 from the same original in Ahmadâbâd from which No. 415 of the Dekhan College Collection of 1879-80 was taken ; and it was then carefully collated with No. 411 of the Dekhan College Collection of 1880-81. It is therefore, with the exception of the confusion between the sibilanta, between a and i, ra and ri, as well as ta and tha, - pretty free from errors, and the text is almost throughout easily intelligible.
The character and arrangement of the work. The Bukritasathkirtana is, as the inscription of each canto intimates, a Mahdkávya or artistic poem, composed according to the rales of prosody, and it contains 11 Sargas with 553 verses. Five verses at the end of each Sarga are due not to Arisimha but to Amarapandita. It says, I. 46 : -"In this work which Arisimha composed, Amarapandita wrote these four last verses canto by canto." The number refers to the preceding four verses 42-45, and the fifth, which is repeated at the end of each Sarga, is not reckoned. These verses have no close connection with the contents of the preceding parts. The first three either contain general praises and blessings upon Vastupala or mention incidents not described by Apisimha. The fourth always names Apisimlia as the author of the work and praises his poetic skill. The titles of the separate cantos are as follows: I. - Chapotlafánvayavarnana, Description of the Châpotkata dynasty (of Gujarat),
46 verses ; principal metre: Vasantatilaka. II. — Chaulukyanvayavarnana, Description of the Chaplokys dynasty of Gujarat),
56 verses ; principal metre: Upajâti. III. - Mantriprakdía, Appearance of the ministers, 67 verses ; principal metre:
Anushtabh.
1 The German original in noompanied by the Sanskrit text of the pumgen that are translated in this paper,
