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PREFACE
The quantitative and qualitalive contributions of the Jain Munis to continuing of Sanskrit, Prakrit and especially Apabhramsa literary trends and types down to the later period of Medieval regional literatures (with of course some timely changes) have not been adequately assessed due to various reasons - one of which is obviously a large amount of works remaining so far unedited and unpublished. New works of the type Phagu, Bārahamāsā, Kakka or Mätṛkā etc. which have been published during recent years present a few such instances. Two Rásakas also, which are being published herewith, are similar illustrations. We can draw attention to some recent examples: The Phagus published in some issues of the Anusamdhana periodical and the Barahakkharakakka and Dohāṇuvekkhā recently published by the Pärsva Educational and Research Foundation, Ahmedabad.
Rāsaka or Rāsābandha
The Rasaka or Räsäbandha was second important genre in Apabhramsa literature besides the Sandhibandha. It was quite distinct in theme, form and structure from the latter and enjoyed the same vogue. It was a sort of lyrical composition of moderate length reminding us of the Sanskrit Khandakāvya like e.g. the Meghaduta. It was predominantly a lyrical form. In one of its types it employed one traditionally fixed metre for the general body of the poem and a variety of choice metres for the purpose of variation.
In the face of its popularity as can be gathered from definitions and extolling reference of the earliest Prakrit prosodists (Svayambhu proclaims it as a veritable elixir to the gatherings of the dilettanti), it is very strange that not a single name of any of these early Rasakas, let alone their actual specimens or excerpts, is handed down to us. And for the later times too, we have very little to relieve our ignorance about this important class of Apabhramsa poems. It seems that there were
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