Mruccha Katikam

Author(s): Sudraka, Prithvidhara, Hiranand Mulraja Sarma, Kashinath Pandurang Parab
Publisher: Tukaram Javaji

Page 12

PREFACE,
ruled over Vidis'â, over S'øbhâvatî in the Kathâsaritsagara, over Vardhamâna in the Vetâlapañchavims'ati. A legend which is found in several places (Kathâ S. S. 78, Vetâla. 4, Hitop. III) represents him as saved from an imminent death by a Brâhman who gave his life to assure the king a life of a hundred years. The Das'akumâracharita alludes to his adventures in various successive incarnations. The Harshacharita describes him as an enemy of Chandraketu, the prince of Chakora. The Râjataranginî mentions him as the type of firmness and predecessor of Vikramaditya. The Skandapurâņa makes him reign in the year Kali 3290 or 189 after Christ but seventeen and ten years before Vikramâditya. Finally two predecessors of Kâlidâsa, Râmila and Somila, composed in corroboration, a legend of S'ândrak&, the S'ûdrakakathâ. Thus from this epoch the personage of S'î(Iraka had no more reality and belonged entirely to fable.” But this at least that he was an author of some repute
seems to be quite obvious from these S'îdraka, an author of some remarks of so old an authority as Vâmanarepute.
"Taifafaag garde" (Kâvyâlankârasûtravritti p. 33).* The gloss on this clause quoted by Pischel in his introduction to the S'sirigâratilaka (p. 20,) points towards the same conclusion. Can we not rely upon these two authorities and hold the author's personal account incorporated in the play as true ?
The gloss alluded to above would prove that the author of The play com
com the Mșicchakatika belonged to the South of posed in the India. The fact that Northern rhetoricians South of India.
18. seldom quotet it and that it uses sundry southern colloquial words point toward the same result.
* See Peterson, Introduction, Subhâshitâvali p. 130. This book attributes the following verse to s'ûdraka:
त्यागो हिं सर्वव्यसनानि हन्तीत्यलीकमेतद्भवि संप्रतीतं ।
जातानि सर्वव्यसनानि तस्यास्त्यागेन मे मुग्धविलोचनायाः ॥ † See Pischel, Indroduction to Sțingâratilaka p. 20.