Indian Antiquary Vol 60

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

Page 58

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[MAROH, 1931
the olaim of Bhasa to the authorship of all these plays and cast his vote only in favour of Sva pravagavadattam? In any case S. V., P. Y. and P. R. have so much in common that one would not hesitate to say that the author of the S. V. was also the author of P. R. and P. Y. Even the grammatical peculiarities which the editor has shown on p. 42 of his Introduction are mostly from (and probably oocur only in the plays belonging to our first group, viz., S. V., P. Y. and P. R.
Before finishing this note, it may be better to adduce one or two instances in support of our view that the second group is only an imitative effort, and later than the first. Imitations are, as a rule, failures. Here is one. In the second Act of P. Y. the parents, viz., the king and the queen, discuss the question of their daughter's marriage. The discussion is carried on in a homely way and the author has utilized the opportunity to give utterance to some homely truths. The anxieties of both the father and the mother are vividly and separately depicted. After opening the topic before his kañcukin the king says:
Drehitrih pradana-kale duhkhasilah hi matarah | Tasmád Devi tavad Amiyalám.
This natural introduction of the queen to the discussion may be compared with a similar scene in Avi., Act I. The king on entering makes the following remarks :
istå makha dvija-varaś ca mayi prasannah prajña pita bhayarasam samada narendra, evam vidhasya ca na me sti manah-praharuh Kanya pitur hi satatam bahu cintaniyam.
Kétumati, gaccha Dévim anaya. What is a natural affair and has been brought about in a simple way in P. Y. has been artificially introduced in Avi. Even then the queen in P. Y. is very different from that in Avi. It could not be otherwise, when the authors themselves belonged to different periods.
The former freely carries on a domestic discussion, while her prototype in Avi. has to enter only to be lectured by the king -
Devi, vivahd nama bahusah parikrya karlavya bhavanti... and so on. Though disturbed in the middle of the discussion by the glad news of Vatsaråja's capture, the queen in P. Y. sits down and discourses till the end of the act, while in Avi., after the king's lecture she has to sit silently till the end of the act. Features like these suggest that not only the authors who wrote, but even the periods in which the plays were written were different and separate. REFERENCES TO THE BHARAT AV ÅKYA OR CONCLUDING VERSES.
Avimârakam. () NÄRADAR
Kuntiblója, kim anyat te priyam upaharâmi? KUNTIBHOJAĦ :
Bhagavın yadi mé prasannal kimatal param aham icchami.
Góbrrthmandnám hiram astu nityam sarva-prajanim sukham astu 18ké. NARADAN
Sauvirandja, kim té bhúyah priyam upaharimi? SAUVÍRARAJAN -
yadi mê Bhagavan prasannah keim atal param aham icchami Imam udirnarnava-nila-vastram narkívaro nah pythivim praédstu. (Bharatard kyam.) Bhavantv arajaso gåvah paracakram prasamyalu imam api mahim Kytonam Rajasimhah prasdatu nah.
Bála-caritam. (O) DAMODARAS
Devarrë, paritciągô omi kim te bhayah priyam upaharami :