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CCXCVIII
Kavyanusasana
ingenuity worthy of Hemachandra and far beyond the capacity of his disciples to whom Pischel is inclined to ascribe them” (p.LI).
This is an example of how further research can sometimes reverse the previous judgements.
The importance of Rayaņāvali or Deşināmamālā cannot be exaggerated for the philology of modern provincial languages of India. It deserves to be utilized more by our philologists than it has been up till now.
In this work, as in his previous ones, Hemachandra has made good use of the works of his predecessors. He quotes about twelve authors and two kosas. * Avantisundarī is one of the authorities referred to. She must be the wife of the poet Rājasekhara who refers to her as an authority in his Kāvyamīmāmsā and who, therefore, must have been very learned and written some works on the subject.
After the work of Rayaņā valī was over, Hema. chandra prepared a botanical dictionary known as Nighanţuşesha. He himself says in the first verse “I, who have made collections of words having one meaning, those having more than one meaning and Deşya words, shall, after bowing to the foot-lotus of Arhat, speak of Nighantuşesha (1).
No commentary on this work is known.
This completed Hemachandra's work on lexicography. The grammar comprizing the five angas with their commentaries, and the four lexicons-the Abhidhānachintāmaņi with its commentary, the Anekārtha - samgraha, the Rayaņāvali ( of Desya words ) with its commentary, and the Nighantuşesha-completed his Şabdānuşāsana that is Science of Words.
* Banerjee's Introduction to Desidāmamāla p. XXXIX.
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