Indian Antiquary Vol 42

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 183

JUNE, 1913.)
INDIAN INSCRIPTIONS AND THE KAVYA
175
Not loss familiar is the comparison of a king's glory with the Ganges, which flows throngh the three worlds and purifies them. Thus it is said in a verae of Pandit Krishnaka, Subhd shitdvali, No. 2556 :36
सा वातास्ति जगचवे सुरनदी सा शंभुचूडामणी शेषा शेषतुषारसोममुषमाचौरी गुणैनिर्मलैः। युक्ता सा भवदीयकीर्तिमुलनौचित्वं भजेस्सा न चे
पालक्षणदेस संततमधोयानेकताना भवेत् ॥ This would quite soffice to show that the ideas contained in the concluding part of the panegyric, according to the translation above, are current in court poets. This itself vouches for the correctness of the proposed interpretation and proves the fact that this part of Harishena's composition has been written in the káry style.
To tarn from this digression to the examination of the form of the panegyric, we must begin with remarking that Harishena, like Vatsabhatti, tries to introdace too often & change of netre in his verses. Thus, of the verses partially preserved, three (3,5 and 8) are composed in Sragdhard, two (4 and 7) in Sardúlavikridita, and one each in Mundakrántd (6) and Prithv (9). The bad cæsura comes only once in the third pada of the last verse. The language of the verses is, on the whole, simple, and especially the compounds of extraordinary length which are found used by Vatsabhatti, are carefully avoided. With the prose part of the panegyric, however, things are quite otherwise. Here, simple words are only the exception, while very long compounds are the general rule, the longest compound word (1. 19-20) containing more than 120 syllables. There cannot be any doubt that this contrast is intentional. Because all the manuals of poetice are unanimous on the point that the essence of elevated prose to be used in romances and stories consists in the length of componds ; wbile the different schools are not so unanimous regarding the admissibility of long compounds in versee. Thus Dandin says in Kávyddarsa 1,80-81:
भीजः समासभूवस्त्वमेतपस्य जीवितम् । पोप्चदाक्षिणात्यानामिदमेकं परायणम् ।। ७ ।। तद्रूणां लघूनां च बाहुल्याल्पस्व मिश्रणैः।
उचावचप्रकारं तदृश्वमाख्याधिकादिषु ॥ १॥ 81. The grandeur (strength) (of language consists) in the frequency of compounds; it is the very life of (poetic) proge. Even in verses, it is regarded as the main feature by those who do not belong to the southern school.'
82. It is of many kinds, according to the mixture of a larger or smaller number of long or short syllables; and is found in romances and other similar works.'
Dandin's statement leaves no doubt about the fact that Harisbena follows the style of the son thorners, the so-called Vaidarbhí riti, which must have enjoyed in the fourth century the same high osteem as in later times, when a large number of writers belonging to the different parts of India advocate it as the most beautiful. Harishena, however, could hardly have come from the south of India. His station at the court of Samudragupta shows that he lived in the northeast, in Påtalipatra, 37 and probably belonged to a family settled in the same place from of old.
Apart from the use of long componnds in the proso parts, there is nothing very artificial in Harishena's language. Of the Sabdálankdras, he uses only the simplest kind of alliteration, the Varanáprasa, and even this occurs principally in the prose-parts38 and that, too, not many times. Of the Arthálariakaras, he uses Rúpaka very often, and Upamd and Slesha more rarely. Two instances where the last flavikdra, i. e., Slesha occurs have been discussed above. A third instance of the same is met with in l. 25, in the epithets of Samudragupta : AUTENTTagaytarfor which is to be translated thus of an incomprehensible prince who is the cause of the elevation of the good and of the destruction of the bad (and thus who
33 Cl. also Barigadhara paddhati No. 1263.
BY That Patalipatre, and not KADAU), an is usually supposed, was the capital of the Guptas, follows from the verson from Mr. Floot'. No. VI. translated above on p. 149 wherein the miniutor of Chandragupta calle himself an inhabitant, of Pataliputra.
For instance, f. 17. parašujarasaklipro sitomara; 1. 20°. Tajagrahayamokshanngrahao; 1.26 .vigrahavato lokanugrahasya, and so on.