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in Camatkaracandrika, Vis'ves'vara refers to Rasārņavasudhakara for details.' It is becoming a fashion now a days to refer all works bearing the name of a king to some court poet or court pandit. Unless there is definite evidence as in the case of Sangitasudha assigned to king Raghunatha and mentioned as by Govinda Dikṣita by his son Venkatamakhin', we have to accept that the king himself wrote these works. The kings in ancient and even in medieval India were not mere figure-heads in administration; nor were they mere administrators. They were the true representatives of the civilization of the country. In intellectual equipments, in cultural accomplishments and in every aspect of their lives, they represented the civilization in its ideal form. They maintained Dharma, which is another word for civilization; they lived according to Dharma also. Besides being warriors, conquerors and rulers, they were learned scholars, poets, philosophers and authors, and patrons of learning and arts. They recognized only an Indian Dharma or civilization without any racial prejudices. Simhabhūpāla himself says that he belonged to the lowest caste3; at the same time he honoured the Brahmins and protected religion. Neither caste distinction nor sectarian differences interfered with the unity of culture under the rule of those great Indian kings.
'Cf. Dr. M. Krishnamacharyar's Classical Sanskrit Literature, para 879, p. 771.
See note 1 on p. XI. above.
3 See note 4 on p. XIII. above.
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