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CONTRIBUTIONS TO LITERATURE, ETC. 85 Sanskrit literature. It is at once the prodųct and mirror of the litarary taste of the age. Universal judgement assigns the first place among Indian poets to Kālidāsa, but Jinasena claims to be considered a higher genius than the author of the Cloud Messenger." 74 The story relating to the origin of Pārśvābhyudaya is too interesting to be omitted It is stated that Kālidāsa came to Bankāpura priding over the production of his Mégha Dūta. Being instigated by Vinayaséna, Jinasena told Kālidāsa that he had pirated the poem from some ancient writer. When challenged by Kālidāsa to prove his statement, Jinasena pretended that the book he referred to was at a great distance, and could be got only after eight days. Then he came out with his own Pārśvābhyudayu, the last line of each verse in which was taken from Kālidāsa. The latter is said to have been confounded by this, but Jinasena finally confessed his whole trickery.75 Guņabhadra, it is well known, completed his Uttara Purāņa at Bankāpura, and it is certain that he must have concocted 78 this story, though it is a strange way of glorifying his own teacher. Guņabhadra, likewise, modelled his Ātmānusāsanam on the example of Bharthari's Vairāgyaśatakam.77
From these we turn to Somadeva, perhaps by far the most learned of Jaina writers of the South. The best known of his works is the Yaśastilaka-campu, written in mixed prose and verse. “What make Somadeva's works of very great importance," observes Mr. Hiralal, "are the learning of the author which they display, and the masterly style in which they are composed. The prose of Yaşastilaka vies with that of Båņa, and the poetry at places with that of Māgha." 78 According to Peterson, “ The Yaśastilaka is in itself a work of true poetical
74 JBBBAS, 1894, p. 224. 75 Cf. Nathuram Prêmi, op. cit., pp. 54-5. 76 The authenticity of this story is questioned. It is really narrated by
Yogirāt Pandita in his commentary on Pārs'vabhyudaya. 77 Ibid., pp. 20. 75. 78 Kiralal, op. cit., p. xxxii,
