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The Target of Criticism in Bhamaha's Kavyalatkara
23
abgence of convincing proof and the unsupported conjecture of the latter scholor, ghould not detain us here in examing the veracity of the view of Dr Pusa)kar.
The author of the Vindyasayadatta (VVD) 18 too careful to fall victim to the shortcomings of the original story of the Brhaikana (BK) It is interesting to examine the story in the VVD in the light of Bhimabas objections
(1) In the VVD, Udapana 18 depicted neither as one destrous of conquest, nor faraighted por wise as an aged person Of course he u depicted as a king too proud of his birth, poner, totefligence, handsomeness, valoor, knowledge, miniaters and skill in welding weapons to care for other langs 66 He la rather overconfident and valorously careless king losofar a he asks Vişnutrata to concentrate on catching other elephants in the nearby places, while he himself captures the Mila clephant and returns with tt to the Saptaparna gate In the evening
(0) Contrary to Bhamaba's second objection, the ambush in the VVD coosisted of not a hundred but four hundred foot soldiers, under the com mand of a Sabara chieftain, assisted by a well organized and widely sprend spy-ring 17 Not only that, Bharatarobaka, the chief-minister of Pradyota, had got prepared at one but four sucb artificiclal elephants with a view 10 exploit the weaknes& of Udayana who was rather tos fond of capturing elepbanta & It is not clear in the VVD that the ambush was locutod 10 Udayapa's own territory It appears that Udayana was skillfully led beyond hla frontiers by the disguised spy who reported to the king about an extraordinary Nila clopbant Again, the soldiers were not inside the artificial
34. The Story of King Udayana, Intro Pp xxvlxxvi. 55 VVD, Act I, p. 7
राजा-सह-कुलबलमतिरूपषिकमधतिसचिवास्त्रविशेषदाम । न ममवति मरेवराम मिती
मृगपोत इस द्विपेश्वरान् ॥ ११॥ 56 Op cit, Act II, p 20
राजा सखे विष्णुत्रात, महमेन गृहीत्वा साय सप्तपर्णवेदिकाद्वारे पापामागमिष्यामि । 57 VVD, Act II, p 15
द्वितीय-अय्यो माळ कामणो सहि तहिं चौरगाछ जहाणुमय उषिम पठस्परेहि पदार्ग
ATTI 58 Op at, P 11
राजा-किमस्ति पुनस्तयोगानुरूपो हस्ती । भरतरोहक-देव अस्यैष कार्यस्य हेतोगूढ कल्पिताश्वापारो इस्तिम । भरतरोहका-सर्वेषां राज्ञा (राजा) छिपमुपलभ्य छिद्रानुरूपो विधि प्रागेव मया किनवे....
