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INTRODUCTION
as the household language.' The Vajjalaggam (gāthā No. 468) clearly presumes a tradition that Hala ruled at Pratisthāna on the bank of Godavari.
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The Nisitha (ed. Sanmati Jñānapitha, Agra) refers to Sālavāhaṇa, see gāthās 1571, 3153. Further there are some Prabandhas, ancient and modern, and Caritas which record various legendary tales about Satavahana. His name is variously spelt in Sanskrit: Sata-, Śāta-, Śala and Sali-vahana. Almost uniformly he is associated with Pratiṣṭhāna on the Godavari in Maharastra. Some of the legendary tales may be summarised here :
1) Satavahana inherited the kingdom of his father Naravahana who retired from the world being censured by the public for his attempt to sacrifice a gallant boy before Camunda. 2) Once Satavahana sent out a military expedition, and within one day he had four festive events: by day-break he had a son; by midday nine crore golden coins were obtained from a well; by afternoon Daksiņa Mathura was conquered; and by evening Uttara Mathura was annexed. 3) In his earlier life Satavahana, as Kālikācārya or Jñanasagara explained to him, was a burden-bearer; and as a result of his pious gift of food to a monk, he became a king in his subsequent life. The Aquatic Deity, under the garb of a fish in Godavari, who knew all this, smiled at his prosperity. 4) Satavahana was born from a Dvija widow through her contact with Sesa Naga who asked her to remember him in adversity. 5) The fame of the potter-boy Satavahana as a fair judge reached the ears of Vikramaditya of Ujjain who consequently anticipated in him a prospective and potential adversary and sent against him a well-equipped army. The boy was unruffled. His mother, however, sought the aid of Sesa Naga who gave a pot of nectar with which the boy's earthen horses etc.
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1 श्रयते च कुन्तलेषु सातवाहनो नाम राजा, तेन प्राकृतभाषात्मकमन्तःपुर एवेति समानं पूर्वेण । p. 50., G. O. S., 3rd ed., Baroda 1934.
2 पुरिसविसेसेण सइत्तणाइ न कुलक्कमेण महिलाणं । सग्गं गए विहाले न मुयइ गोला पइद्वाणं || Calcutta 1944, p. 94.
3 See 1) Puratana-prabandha-samgraha, Singhi Jaina Granthamala 2, Calcutta 1936, Satavahana-prabandha p. 11, Nagarjunaprabandha pp. 91-92, Pädaliptaprabandha pp. 92-95. 2) Prabandha-cintamani of Merutunga, Ibid. No. 1, Santiniketana 1933, Satavahanapra., pp. 10-11. 3) Prabandhakosa of Rajasekhara, Ibid. No. 6, Santiniketana 1935, Satavahanaprabandha pp, 66-77, Nagarjunapra., pp. 84-86, Padaliptapra., p. 14. 4) Prabhavakacarita. Ibid, No. 13, Ahmedabad 1940, Padaliptacaritam, especially pp. 36-40.
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