Kalplata Vivek

Author(s): Murari Lal Nagar, Harishankar Shastry
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 12

wbich is a sub-commentary on Kalpalata and a supplement to its gloss Pallava. On the strength of the same source we can say that the name of the author of Kalpalata and Kalpapallava was Ambaprasada. The suffix 'sacivapravara' obviously is a title suggesting the designation of this Ambaprasada and indicates that he was the chief (pravara) minister ( saciva) of some king, i. e. to say of Siddharaja Jayasimha, as we shall presently see. (ii) Prabhavakacarita : In this work by Prabbacandra-acarya, a minister (mantri) Ambaprasadal or Ambaprasada? is mentioned in Chapter XXI, which relates the story of Vadi Devasuri. Ambaprasada was climbing up the Mount Abu as a member of the suri's party. He was bitten by a serpent (dandasuka ). When Devasuri came to know of this misfortune, he sent to the minister bis padodaka ( water with which bis feet were washed). When the wound was dressed with that water Ambaprasada was completely cured of the poison3. The same work further tells us : Once a follower of the Bhagavata sect (Bhagavaddarsani) named Devabodha came to Patan, and hung on the royal gate a paper holding out a challenge, to anyone who took it up, in the form of a very difficult riddle, which remained unsolved for six months. In the meantime, Ambaprasada introduced Devasuri to the King Siddharaja He solved the riddle and defeated the overbearing challenger.. From the above we may reasonably conclude that the minister Ambaprasada referred to in S. R. as the author of Kalpalata and its gloss, is the same as the one who is mentioned in the fore-going passages from Prabhavakacarita. (iii) Gala Inscription : This is an inscription dated c. 1137 A.D., found near Dhrangadbra in Kathiawar. In this inscription Ambaprasada is mentioned as the chief minister (maha-amatya) in charge of the royal exchequer. The inscription belongs to the reign of Siddharaja Jaisimha (1094 do 1143 A. D.) of Patan?. It is evident from the above that Ambaprasada, was the author of Kalpalata and its gloss and that he was a minister of Siddharaja. We 1. loc cit XXI P. 172. 2. loc cit XXI P. 173. 3. (ibid) P. 172. XXI 54-55. 4. Prabhavakacarita XXI. 5. Gujaratana Aitihasika-lekho No. 144. 6. 474TU HEIATTYT37algalgalalaco etc. | Gala Inscription. 7. Gujarata no Madhyakalina Rajput Itihasa (P. 259 ).