Indian Antiquary Vol 62

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

Page 115

JUNE, 1933) HISTORICAL DATA IN PADMAGUPTA'S NAVASAHASANKACARITA
103
--
is correct, Arikesarin must have gained the throne in the first decade of the eleventh century. Vajjada could, therefore, have reigned only for a short time. We know that Arikesarin continued on the throne till 1017 A.D. at least, for the Thana plates, in which he calls himself the lord of the whole of Konkana, were issued in that year. We shall see later on that he sent a large army under his son to help Sindhurâja, evidently out of gratitude for the help he had received from him.
After disposing of the direct references to Sindhurâja's victories, let us turn to the story of the Naveedhasárikacarita.
Sindhurája, while hunting on the slopes of the Vindhya mountains sees and falls in love with Sagiprabha, also called Asuga, a daughter of the snake king Sankhapala. She has for her friends Patala, the snake princess, Mâlyavati, the daughter of a siddha, and Kalâvati, the daughter of a king of Kinnaras. Sasiprabha, after her meeting with the king, is carried away by invisible snakes to Bhogavati in the nether world. The king flings himself into the stream of the Narmada to follow her, and on the other side reaches a golden palace. The river goddess Narmada receives him hospitably, and tells him how he should win Sasiprabha. When she was born, it was predicted that she would become the wife of a ruler of the middle world and bring about the death of Vajrånkuša, a mighty enemy of the snakes. Her father laid down the following condition for her marriage, viz., that her suitor should bring the lotus with golden flowers which grows in the pleasure garden of Vajrankusa. Narmada tells Sindhurâja that at a distance of fifty gavyitis lies the town of Ratnavati built by Maya, the architect of the Asuras, where reigns Vajránkusa, the prince of demons. Finally Narmada prophesies that the king will meet the sage Varku on his way to Ratnavati. He then sends a message to Sasiprabha by Ratnacüda, a snake youth who had been cursed by a sage to become a parrot, but was released from that state by Sindhurája. Then the king accompanied by his minister Yaśobhata, also called Ramångada, starts for Ratnavati. On the way they reach the grove of the sage Vanku. There they converse with the sage and meet Sasikhanda, the son of Sikhandaketu, a king of the Vidyadharas, who had been transformed into a monkey, but regained his original form by the favour of Sindhurája. In gratefulness Sasik handa brought his troops to help the king in his 'expedition. The king then proceeds, sees a wood and then the Trimârgga (Janga). He also meets an army led by Ratnachda. The allied armies surround the town Ratnavati. A battle is fought. Ramangada, the minister of Sindhurâja, kills Visvankuśa, the son of Vajránkuśa. The king himself kills Vajränkuśa. The town Ratnavati is stormed and taken. The snake youth Ratnacûda is made Governor of the kingdom of the Asura king. The king takes possession of the golden lotus flowers and proceeds towards Bhogavati. He presents the golden flowers to Sasiprabha and marries her. Sankhapala makes the king a present of the crystal Sivaliriga made by Tvashtsi. The king returns to Ujjaini, and then to Dhårå, where he establishes the crystal Sivalinga.
The brief analysis of the poem given above will show that Padmagupta has chosen to follow the method of Rajasekhara 15 in describing some incidents in the career of his patron in a romantic and miraculous way, rather than that of Bana, who presents the life of his hero in a more direct, though poetically embellished manner. Padmagupta is not the only foilower of Rajasekhara's method. Soddhala, the author of the Udayasundari Katha and Bilhana, who composed the Vikramarkadevacarita, have followed it in their respective works. As Dr. Bühler has remarked, "the story from the personal history of Sindhurája, which represents the true object of Padmagupta's work, is unfortunately surrounded with so thick a mythological covering that it is impossible, without the help of accounts containing only sober facte to give particular details with certainty."16 If we read between the lines
15 See his Karpuramañjari and Viddhaddlabhanjikd. 16 L.A., XXXVI, p. 171.