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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
INTRODUCTION
xxi
Since the VL. thus derives a stanza from the Gaüdavaho its upper limit can be safely taken to be 750 A. D.' Lower limit:
The lower limit of the date of the VL is fixed by the date 1393 Vikrama Samvat, corresponding to 1337 A. D., of the commentary of Ratnadeva. (Vide p. xiv, supra).
We can therefore place the VL between the two broad limits of 750 A.D. and 1337 A.D. In the present state of our knowledge it is not possible to fix the date with greater precision.
As remarked by Prof. Gore (loc. cit., Introduction p. vii), st. 13 of the VL is found quoted in the second Adhyāya of the Kävyā. nuāšansa of Vägbhata," and st. 12 of the VL is found quoted in the Gathāsāhasri of Shri Samayasundara Gaņi (p. 49, Bombay edition, 1940), in both cases without any mention of the VL as the source. The date of Vägbhata is the 13th century A.D. and that of Samayasundara Gaņi is 1650 A.D. As stated by Dr. Bhandarkar (loc. cit. p. 17), some stanzas from the VL are found quoted in the Kāvyaprakāśa of Mammața (1150 to 1250 A. D.). Similarly a good many stanzas occurring in the VL are found cited in the Sarasvatīkaņțhābharana and in the Srmgaraprakāśa of Bhoja, the Daśarūpaka, the Alamkāra-ratnākara of Sobhākara, the Kāvyānuśāsana of Hemacandra,'the Sahityadarpaņa of Visvanātha
1. The upper limit of 750 A, D. for the VL derives further support from the circumstance of the considerable influence of Apabhramśa on its language. See below (pp. xxxiii ff.), remarks on :the language of the Vajjālagga and also Hermann Jacobi, Bhavisattakabā, München, 1918, Introduction pp. 53* ff, and in particular pp. 614-62*.
2. Page 26, Kāvyamālā No. 43, 1894. In addition to this I find two more stanzas from the VL quoted in Vāgbhata's work : VL 284*3 : Vägbhața, Kāvyānušāsana p. 37. VL 476 : ,
p. 41. 3. The Vţtti on Hemacandra's Sabdānušāsana, VIII.3.135 quotes a line from the VL, st. 87 (fae ad opeftem gear), as an illustration of the vicarious use of the Locative for the Instru . mental in Prākrit.
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