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Prakrit Verses in Sanskrit Works on Poetics
517
Narakacaturdasi. People take oil-bath in the early hours of the morning and don now clothes -...” V. Raghavan, ibid. p. 657.
1521-1522. Bhoja cites these two gāthās with the introductory words:
स्पृहयन्ती व्रतमष्टमीचन्द्रक: । स हि चैत्रचतुर्थीतोऽष्टमचतुर्थ्यामुदीयमान:
fanfarand (afhaafat - predit Ç. &&8) I went — In identical context SK (p. 664, v. 298) cites only one example (the second gātha).
"Saradātanaya mentions the Astamīcandraka as a spring festival. Bhoja mentions this in both his works, and calls it by another name also, the Sprhayantīvrata. This latter name means the vow or observance of a lady who yearns in love and suggests that it was observed by the lady to secure the object of her affection or to induce a more favourable attitude on the part of the husband. ----- As regards the main feature of this festival, Bhoja says that ladies in love worship the the Moon on this occasion.” - V. Raghavan, Festivals ---- (p. 84).
The second illustrative gātha is to be identified with GS(W) 346 : ओसहिअजणो पइणा, सलाहमाणेण अइचिरं हसिओ । चंदो त्ति तुज्झ वअणे, विइण्ण-कुसुमंजलि-विलक्खो ।। (आवसथिकजन: पत्या श्लाघमाने नातिचिरं हसित: । aos sfa na aso Pashuf- h vila-Pacte: 11) Now see translation. For an idea of the situation and centext of this gāthā, read Gāhākosa - Notes (to Gathā S. No. 295, pp. 168-169) by Prof. M. V. Patwardhan. The reading 37931-531 in v. 1521 and 3424 - R34 in v. 1522 should be corrected as 37981fe37 and its chāyā as 317rea (meaning a hermit, an ascetic). The Sprhayantivrata seems to be meant for ladies in love. Here the hermits are shown as offering a handful of flowers to the rising moon. The nature of sprhayanti-vrata or Astamīcandraka requires to be further investigated.
1523-1524. This gātha is cited as an illustration of the Kundacaturthi. In SK (p.
664, v. 299) too it is cited by Bhoja. He explains the festival as : rei यवनस्तरेष्वबला लोलन्ति सा कुन्दचतुर्थी ।
