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88
by the by that these epithets are not found in the other versions of the prabandha examined by the editor for comparison.
In short, the language is very simple and unassuming; the diction is direct and the style is forceful, sharing the peculiar features of Jaina Sanskrit', and the powerful collcquial influence has offered a realistic touch to the narrative. The lexical material, which is an important feature of the language and style of L''S, is dealt with in Appendix 'A'.
VIII. Authorship and Date
The name of its author is not furnished by the text of the LPS, nor can it be known from any other source. All the same, the unitorm nature of the contents and the homogeneity of the style of all the ten prabandhas are conducive to the conclusion that the present work is not a compilation of pratandhas composed by different authors as would ordinarily be 11. ferred from the title Laghu-prabandha sangraha, but that the whole has come from the pen of a single author. Though nothing is known about th: personat history of the author otherwise, on the evidence of the text itself some remarks can sately be passed regarding the same.
Firstly, the type of the language einployed by him throughout the work is the one cultivated by mediaeval Jaina authors of Western India and known as Jaina Sanskrit' which fact is a sufficient evidence for pronouncing our author to be a mediaeval Jaina author of Western India.
Secondly, there are a few Gujarati phrases and sentences introduced in the body of the text, and what is more striking is that Madana bhrama, king of Kanti in Bengal, is made to speak in Gujarati. Occasionally we also meet with distinctly Gujarāti case-terminations. These circumstances lead us to the conclusion that the author belonged to Gujarāta. Moreover, such expressions as kuņa re vinajāruu' 6.4) induce one to infer further that in all probability he hurled from orth Gujaraia; because though 'kunu' is found commonly used in Old Gujarati for modern Gujarati kona' 'who', it is retained even today in the dialects of North Gujarāta alone. The fact that Pattana or Aņa hila pura Pattana ( modern Pāța ņa), the capital of the great king Siddharāja Ja ya simha, who appears in as many as six out of the ten prabandhas of LPS, is situated in North Gujaråta, in a way, supports this inference.
Date of Composition
It is not possible for us to arrive at a definite date of the composition of
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