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the earliest author known by whom a tale of Vasavadatta appears to be indicated. To discourage the surmise that Subandhu was beholden to this, or to any other ancient composition, there is however, the argument of entire silence, in all Hindu literature yet discovered, that he was thus indebted. The object which he proposed to himself was, it is justly inferred, of a nature to render choice of plot a matter of very secondary import. His aim, as slight observation may suffice to convince, is the illustration of certain powers of the Sanskrit language; and this, through the medium of such imagery, as was in his time, counted most tasteful, and such allusions to Indian lore as were then held especially in esteem. At the least it is accordingly just as probable that he devised, as that he borrowed, the hungry array of incidents which he has employed as a vehicle for the execution of his purpose." I should prefer to say that Subandhu's purpose left him free to borrow from any available sources such incidents as seemed suitable; and it is in that light that I should explain certain coincidences between his narrative and that of our author.
Bhattarahari chandra is still no more than a name to us and the reference made to his work is ambiguous, Bâna's aim unfortunately being rather to illustrate the simile beween the composition in question and a good king, than to convey information of the kind we want. The note in the commentary is पदानां सुप्तिङतानां बंधः प्रकृष्टा रचना रीतिरित्यर्थः स्वमंडलावष्टंभश्च हारी हृद्यो हारयुक्तश्च अहारीति वा न कस्यचिदपि यो हरति कृता वर्णानामक्षराणां क्रमेण भामहादिप्रदर्शितनीत्या [त्या] स्थितिरवस्थानं यत्र कृतयुगवद्वर्णानां द्विजादीनां क्रमेण मन्वादिस्मृतिकारप्रकाशितमार्गेण स्थितिः पालनं यस्मिन्सतीति च भहारेति पूजावचनं. In the beginning of Mahevara's Visva prakása, the author traces his lineage to one Harichandra who was a physician at the court of Sahasanka If there were any other reasons for identifying this Sahasânka with the king (Ś a & a n k a) who slew Harsha's brother, we might find our Harichandra here: and regard him as one of the authors in virtue of whose writings Sri Sd has dnka, like Śrillarsha, stands among the poets. The honorific epithet Bhaṭṭâra was much in use among the earlier Jains as a designation of those who abandoned the
* भासो रामिलसौमिलो वररुचिः श्रीसाहसांकः कवि
मैंठो भारविकालिदासतरलाः स्कंधः सुबंधुश्च यः । दंडी बाणदिवाकरौ गणपतिः कांतच रत्नाकरः सिद्धा यस्य सरस्वती भगवती के तस्य सर्वेपि ते ॥
Rajasekhara in the Sârngadhara-paddhati: quoted in Aufrecht's paper on that work in the 27th volume of the Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft.
