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106
Sudarshan Kumite Sharing of Asmaka by; diplomacy and re-establish Bhaskaravariir of Anantavarm.
on the thrond
"tam nay valiptamaśmakendram nayenaivonmalya balamenam pitryepade pratişthapayeyam -iti pratijñāya" etc,
This avowal of Viśruta proclaims him as an enemy of the king of Asmaka. The strategy employed by him as illustrated in the subsequent narr. ation also comes up to the mark of Bāņa's-illustration quoted-above. Having heard it from the Kirata that Pracaņdavarmā younger brother of Caņdavarma king of Utkal was eager to marry Manjuvādint the proclaimed daughtar of Mitravarmā king of Mābişmati and Mitravarma who equally cager to put an end to the life of Bhāskaravarmā thereby depriving Bhāskaravrma to succeed to his ancestral throne. Viśruta sent words through the forester to Vasundhară promising her full protection that she should kill Mitravarm & with the help of poison-soaked garland and then he himself frightened Pracandavarma to death in a cemetry, himself marrying Manjuvadini in the bargain :'He made it proclaimed in public that Vasantabhānu thé Biog of Aśmaka had organised the downfall of Mitravármā and Pracandavarma. Ho-conviroed the people that Asmaka Lord as the defaulter deserved a lessen to be taught. He had managed to-kih Pracaņdavarma with the help of spies guistu as dancers' (Kuśitavas). He himself had become a dancer and Tdiverted him. When lost in revelry Pracaņdavarmā was killed by hit with the help of daggers (Taravārayaḥ of Bāņa) borrowed from the dan. cers (spies) concealing them within their lute gourds. He sought the succour of Āryaketu the minister of Mitravarmā and employing strategies superior to Aryaketu's intellect, he won over the favour of people of Aśmaka and Vidarbha and employing all the devious tactics guided by Aryaketu he managad aff-irs in such a way that Vasaptabhānu was left alone under the marvellous impact of Durgā whose attendant Viśruta was. Visruta struck a counter blow when struck by Aśmaka lord and des patched him to the heavens. He re-established Bhaskaravarmă on the throno of his ancestors. The outline synopsis of the strategems of Visruta makos it evident that Baņa's account might be true to the factual norm and Dandi's' ascount of describing the death of Pracanda Varma' in the manner of the death of Sarabha the Asmaka lord and that of Aśmka lord also at the hands of Viśruta may be twisting of the reality which he endeavoured to colour with a tinge of literery exaggeration in pootto norm. To my dpinion Bana had the correct information of what Dandi tried to make a fictfon in his own times leaving it to Bāņa in later tintos to expound in correct words. Sarabha might have been the real name of
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