Book Title: Laghuprabandhsangrah
Author(s): Jayant P Thaker
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra

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Page 83
________________ 56 (15) The employment of Old Gujarati expressions and Prākrit words is quite frequent and therefore noteworthy in the case of LPS as compared to the other versions of this story. Occasionally even Old Gujarāti case-terminations are met with in the LPS version. This fact is quite significant and separates it from all other versions. It can safely be concluded, therefore, that, though all these versions are from Prabandha works written in the so called "Jaina Sanskrit” which is cultivated under the influence of the Prakrits and regional dialects, the characteristic features of this type of mixed Sanskrit are realized in the language and style of LPS in a far more proportion than those of the other Prabandha works, especially those wherein are met with the versions of the story under discussion. (16) The grandeur of the two speeches of Vilh ü . Vä maņi is a unique feature of the LPS version, which is altogether absent in the other ones. In the first speech she addresses her king with a series of charining epithets with the apparent motive of making him realize the seriousness of the situation; while the other speech goes ahead to the realization of her aim through a majestic and realistic sketch of the hostile king. (17) The statement "Avāsamāhi śripārsvanātha-nau prasīd 14 tihām deva pājā karai" also is found only in LPS. It evidently manisests the king as a follower of the Jaina faith, which statement does not appear to get support from any other source. Probably it might be a later interpolation. All the four versions pronounce Caitrāsťami, Mahāstami and Mahānavami as holy days of great festivity, which fact would tempt us to regard him as one following the Sākta tradition or the sect of goddess-worship. Moreover the statement that "he always lived in the midst of women and took ablutions in the lake Candrajyotsnā if he happened to behold the face of a man” (LPS 5. 6-7 ) lends support to the presumption that he was a Sākta. [18] It is only LPS which presents a highly valorous speech of this king in the sentence: "Anyatha yadi yuddham kartukämo'sti kenā'pi muratto na moditaḥ, skandhakharjjir nä'panitā, nādo nottāritaḥ 1” (LPS 7. 13-15). Against this, the PPS version simply has " Agāmike mangalavāre tava sraddhām püray syāvaḥ 1" (PPS 25.11); while PK makes him pronounce these words: "Yadi nah puram bhuvam ca jighrkşasi, tadă yuddhamı karisyāmaḥ | Atha'rthena irpyasi tadâ'rtham grhana 1 ..... so'pi jivatu ciram, yo vittārtham krcchrāņi karmāni kurváno'sti 1" (PK 92. 5-8). This is quite significant inasmuch as it would lend support to the ancient character of LPS. 3. VIKRAMADITYA-PANCADAŅDACCHATRA-PRABANDHA There are several versions of this story which is cultivated in Sanskrit, Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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