Book Title: Sadyavatsa Kathanakam
Author(s): Pritam Singhvi
Publisher: Parshwa International Shaikshanik aur Shodhnishth Pratishthan
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हर्षवर्धन-गणि-कृतं सदयवत्स-कथानकम
sheds some light on the general character of that tale. In the Apabhraṁśa poem Sudamsanacariya completed in 1044 A.D., Nayanandin extols the biography of Sudarśana in the following terms :
Rāmo Siya-vioya-soya-vihuram sampattu Rāmāyaṇe jādā Pandava Dhāyarattha sadadam gottamkali Bhārahe deļā-kodiya-cora-rajja-ņiradā āhāsidā suddhae ņo ekam pi Sudamsaņassa caride dosam samubbhāsidam
(6). The text of the third line here seems to be corrupt in a few places, and its interpretation presents difficulties. But the meaning of the rest is quite clear. The poet says : The Rāmāyaṇa story is not enjoyable because of the sufferings of Sitā due to separation. The Bhārata story is marred by the constant family feud of the Pāņdavas and the Kauravas. As against these narratives, the life-story of Sudamsaņa cannot be alleged to have a single fault.
In the case of the third line, we have several variant readings : tanță for deďā ; koliya for kodiya; suddae for suddhae. Helped by them and in the light of the plot of the tale as known to us from the Sadayavatsa-vira-prabandha of Bhima (see below) we can restore the line as follows :
teņtā-koliya-cora-rajju (?) niradā āhāsidā Suddniae
"In the Sudraka (narrative) the story deals with (disreputable places and episodes involving) gambling dens, Kolis, thieves and police-guards”.
teņtā = dyātasthāna : see R. N. Shriyan, A Critical study of Mahāpurāņa of Puspadanta. (Ahmedabad, 1969) where various occurrences of teņtā are noted and discussed (entries 999 and 1000); koliya = kaulika, “a person of that caste of lower social rank" ; cora-rajju = coroddha-ramika : corarajjuka is used by Kautilya in the sense of “a police-officer”.
