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Bhaskaravarma of Dandt and Bana: An Appraisal
The version in this paragraph affords double sense in "guptanamnā ca grhite Kusasthale"
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"Kusasthala having been occupied by one named Gupta." Bāṇa here wanted to keep concealed the name of the person who performed the rescue operation in case of Rajyaśri lest she could be molested by the enemy and lest the named person could also be taken into custody by the enemy. Hence this version applies both to Devagupta as well as to Gupta scion of noble descent who took out Rajyaśrī from the bondage. Bana has invariably referred to "Malavaraja" as the assassin of Grahavarma. This poses a problem as to who was the father of Kumaragupta and Madhavagupta 7, Had Devagupta referred to in the inscription of Harsa been the father of the two Princes, the two Princes could not have been made susbservient to Rajyavardhana and Harsa during the life-time of Prabhakaravardhna. But treachery of the Gauda king Sasanka also could suggest treachery of Malavaraja Devagupta who could raise his head after the death of Prabhakaravardhana. If Kumaragupta and Madhavagupta were the two sons of Mälavaraja Devagupta, the theory of their being the two sons of Mabasenagupta 22 falls to the ground. Dr. Brij Nath Sharma and Dr. Kailash Chandra Jain 23 have postulated the point of Mahäsena Gupta the later Gupta monarch of Magadha retiring to Malava being a relative of Devagupta and also being a father of Kumaragupta and Madhava Gupta. But Rai K.L. Barua Bahadur takes Mahäsenagupta to have been the ruler of Magadha who escalated his reign dominions to Bengal. The inscription of Adityasena (Aphsad) (dated 672 A.D.) the grandson of Mahasena Gupta does not refer to Kumaragupta as the elder son of Mahäsenagupta. It refers only. to Madhavagupta as the son of Mahasenagupta and a father of Adityasena issuing his inscription from Bihar. Hence Mädhavagupta younger brother of Kumara Gupta referred to by Bana could be a distinct person from Madhavagupta son of Mahäsena gupta.
Dr. H.C. Ray Chaudhari, however, remarks:
"Between Mahäsensgupta, the contemporary of Prabhakara-Vardhana and his younger or youngest son Madhavagupta, the contemporary of Harga we have to place a king named Devagupta II who is mentioned by name in the Madhuban and Banskhera inscriptions of Harsa as the most prominent among the kings who resembled wicked horses who were all punished and restrained in their evil career by Rajyavardhana. As the Gupta Princes are uniformly connected with Malava in the Harṣacarita there can be no doubt that the wicked Devagupta is identical with the wicked. lord of Malava who cut off Grahavarma Maukhari and who was himself
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