Indian Antiquary Vol 57

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 92

74
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(APRIL, 1928
BHAGAVADAJJUKIYAM, BY BODHAYANA, edited by
P. AUNJAN ACHAN (with a preface by Prof. Winternitz).
This is a work called Praha sana in Sanskrit, usually regarded as a farce, one of the ton classes of dramatio composition known to Sanskrit. This work is perhaps very much more of a comedy than of a farce, and the element of comedy is made to appear not so much in the acting as in the subject. matter itself. It is a sort of a comedy of an error with just a satirical tinge in it. The story is very simple. A Parivråjaka, or hormit of the Yogic school, is introduced with a disciple of his by name Sandilya, who was a Buddhist Bhikshu, but now & disciple of the Parivrâjaka. These two are intro. duced in conversation on questions of higher religion and philosophy, and enter a garden conversing. A courtesan by name Vasantasênå is introduced with two companions, expecting to meet her lover there. As the Parivråjaks and his disciple enter, Vasan. tasena is bitten by a serpent and rapidly collapses in death. The Parivråjaka exhibits his power of Yoga to his disciple by transferring his soul into the body of the dancing girl, who revives, but speaks and conducts herself not as her own real self, but as the Parivrâjaka, whose dead body is lying some distance away in the immediate neighbourhood. The mother of the courtesan and her lover both arrive on hearing of her death, and are surprised to find her speaking, but not as she haspel! used to do, and take it that she has gone mad. In the meanwhile the discovery of an error is mado by the messengers of death, viz., that they had carried oft a wrong soul to the region of death, and they return to restore it to its body. But finding that it is already infused with life, they set it in the dead body of the Parivrájaka somo distance away. The body of the Parivrăjaka now revives, but the revivified Parivre jaka conducts himself and talks not as he him. self, but like the courtesan. This comic situs tion is what is intended to be produced, and in the end the whole error gets rectified by the messengers of death returning and effecting the exchange of souls, thus setting matters right.
It is a spirit od poem throughout and the plot is worked up to the denouement with great skill. The composition itself may be regarded as that of a mas. terpoet, the dramatic effect produced is, notwith standing the introduction of the supernatural, almost real and lifelike.
Nothing is known of the author, except that he is a BodhAyana Kavi, which the comparatively lato commentator notes. There is nothing else to lead to an identification, but there is the possibility that he might have been Bodh Ayana the Vrittikara, not Baudhayana the law-giver. The discussion of tho Yoga and Yogic practice may lead one to the inference that it is a play later than the fifth century, to which is ascribed the Yoga Satras of Patanjali by some scholare. Such an argument would imply the non-existence of the practice of the Yoga before
the Satras of Patanjali, which is hardly warranted. This comic play figures very largely in the discussion relating to the Bhisa problem, as this Prahasana has, in regard to certain features, considerable similarity to the plays of Bhâsa. But that by itself would not warrant the inference which has been built upon it, that it was an adaptation by the Châkkiyars of Kerala, and on that untenable ground a lato date has been ascribed to the comic play as well as the dramas of Bhåsa. This inference is hardly justified, as Professor Winternitz points out. Neither this play nor several of the Bhasa dramas can be regarded as adaptations from the plays as they are. This opens out many other questions for discussion, which it would be out of place to take up in a review.
The editor has edited this work from six manus. crípte, one of which also contains a commentary, which is printed. The commentary is ascribed to the sixteenth century. A feature of one of the manuscripts, written in the old Tamil-Malayalam style, is worth referring to here. Certain words in Prakrit, where the consonants double are written with the first vowel followed by a half cipher followed by the next following vowel. For instance the word for "Arya " is either Ayya' or 'Ajja.' In either case the manuscript writes Aoya and Aa for the two words 'Ayya' and 'Ajja', which is interpreted as a slightly pronounced Y&' of the Prakrit grammarians. That may be all right for one form of the word 'Ayya'. But it hardly explains the Ajja' form. It may after all be a manner of writing in Tamil which sometimes does occur, where instead of a double consonant, sometimes a three dotted aspirate is introduced in Tamil. For instance pal tuli becomes bahruji; whereas kal idy becomes karrin. Perhaps the Malavalam writing of the peculiar character represente a phenomenon like this. This is only by the way.
The editor has done his work very well, and we congratulate him on the successful production of a very important work like the Bhagavadajukiyanı, a name which is given to the drama to indicate the confusion that was introduced between the Bhage. vat, or ascetic, and Ajju kâ the courtesan, owing to the confusion between the two that had beer brought about in the course of the play.
S. K. AIYANGAR.
INDIAN HISTORICAL RECORDS COMMISSION; PRO
CEEDINGS OF MEETINGS, vol. IX, December, 1926.
This volume, like so many of the preceding issues, contains several articles of interest. Inspired by a visit to Chambéry in Savoy, the birth-place and last resting place of Benoit do Boigno, Sir Evan Cotton furnishes a fascinating sketch of the career of that distinguished soldier of fortune, who played such an important part in Hindustan between the years 1784 and 1795 in consolidating the power of Mah. daji Sindhis. The article--for which an appropriate head-line appears in Tasso's words Guerreggio in Asia, e non vi cambio o merco, adds considerably to our knowledge of de Boigne's life. Another article