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PREFACE
(fifteen of the development of our modern vernaculars. From this view the present mork should receive a good welcome.
The language of the Samdesarāsaka is, as I suggested just abore, not enclosed in a rigid grammatical frame, but has a considerable flexibility of form. This fact suggests that the work was composed when Apabhramsa was passing through its last stage of decay and the New Vernaculars like its daughters were leaving behind their childhood stage. This period was, as already stated, the second half of the 12th century or the first half of the 13th century of the Vikrama era. In other words, this was exactly the period which covered up the whole ife, from childhood to death, of Ācārya Hemacandra, the .ast grammarian to treat the fully developed form of Apabhramśa. Hemācārya died in 1230 V. S. Cambay had reached its height of progress and prosperity during his life-time. Soon after him the power of the kingdom of Gujarat waned and Cambay also fell to evil days. Within fifteen or twenty years after Hemacandra's death are started the series of invasions by Shihabuddin Ghori on the Punjab and the northern India, jhe Hindu kingdoms of Anangapāla of the Punjab, Cāhamāna Přthvīrāja of Delhi and Rāştrakūta Jayacanda of Kanauj are lestroyed, Multan which was like a stronghold of Hindu culture .s ravaged and the trade relations established between Gujarat and north-western India become disconnected. The glimpses of the lost glory of these places are preserved in this poem. As we do not find such prosperous state of these cities restored to them at any time afterwards, I come to the plausible conclusion that our Rāsaka was composed before—but not much earlier to-the rise of Sultan Muhammad Ghori.
This work of Abdala Rahamāna attractively handles âtheme that is very simple and popular. In his descriptions nowhere do we find exaggeration to achieve effect or depiction of unreal sentiments. It gives a vivid picture of most natural emotions in direct words. The description of various seasons reflects the common experience. It is the climate which we find in Rājasthāna i. e. in Marusthala, Sind and the borders of the Punjab that is pointedly described here. The poet calls the hot wind blowing in summer by the name Jhakhadā
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