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EDUCATION, LITERATURE AND ART
445
refers to poets, orators, critics, persons conversant with the literature on tale and fable, legend and chronicle, drama etc. the erotic lore and the like. Art of writing and the writing materials
Tāḍīpatra' or the palm leaf meant for writing in place of paper has been described. as a billet sent by Malayasundarī to Samaraketu with an inscription contained in a verse-couplet. The Tāḍīpatra was lying at the root of a mango tree grown in the courtyard. Its region of the neck was wound round by a thread of lotus fibre. It had an imprint of the style of the nipple of a breast attractive, impressed on its middle parts. Both of its sides were cordoned by a circumferential pedestal of the sandal mire hardened by drying, bearing a sheen white like snow and slightly unctuous, being pallid like the cheeks of an Abhira lady. The sole arya couplet inscribed on it had its purport difficult of cognizance and was endowed with syllables (Aks aras) having their characters (lit. limbs) very soft and thin elevation of their maturation obtained accordingly (i.e. their legibility had been completely secured), being not capable of touching each other even when they were very thickly inlaid and were promiscuous from all sides, with camphor powder emitting out sacred odour having its colour effulgent like the fresh pearl powder suffused with illimitable fragrance of incense and black aloe and were decorated with the leafybits of fresh Kumkuma (dye) inscribed as they were with the mire of ink prepared out of inspissated deer-musk and characterised in charming letters.2
‘यत् तदासादितं त्वया तथाविधं ताडिपत्रकम्, असावनङ्गलेखस्तावत् ”
again refers to the palm-leaf the letters inscribed on which purported forth the import of a love-billet.
वेणुकर्पूरावरणकृतरक्षेष्वसंकीर्णखरताडपर्णकोत्कीर्णकर्णाटादिलिपिषु पुस्तकेषु
संस्कृतानुविद्धस्वदेशभाषानिबद्ध काव्यप्रबन्ध
विरलमवलोक्यमान
refers to the poetical compositions made in the languages of the local country interspersed with Sanskrit being observed in the books bearing
1. प्रांगणसहकारपादपस्य मूले मृणालसूत्रवलयितग्रीवाविभागमध्यभागविन्यस्तमुग्धस्तनमुखमुद्रेण स्त्यानतुहिनपाण्डुरत्विषा शोषाधिगतकाठिन्येन चन्दनपंकवेदिकाबन्धेन संदानितोभयान्तमभिमतवियोगविधुराभारकामिनीकपोलपाण्डु ताडीपत्रखण्डमवलोकितम् । TM Vol. II pp 241- 242.
2. ललितपदसंनिवेशा सान्द्रमृगमदमषीपङ्कलिखितैः प्रत्यग्रकुङ्कुमपत्रभंगशोभिभिः कृष्णागुरुधूपवाससंभृतसौरभातिरेकैरभिनवमौक्तिकक्षोदविशदवर्णेन पुण्यपरिमलमुचा... रेवाप्तपरिणतिप्रकर्षैरपि सुकुमारसर्वावयवैरक्षरैरुपेता दुरवबोधतात्पर्यवस्तुरेकैवार्या । Ibid. vol. II p. 242.
3. Ibid. Vol. II p. 243.
4. Ibid. Vol. II p. 286.
