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knowledge, Haribhadra Sūri made him his pupil with the name of Balachandra, and at the time of his approaching death, put him in his place. Padmāditya, whose feet were emblazoned by the light of the rubies of the crown of the Chaulukya king, and who was the real hereditary abode of learning, was his tutor, while Udaya Sūri of the Gaccha of Vādi Devasūri gave him the Sārasvata charm. The Goddess of Learning once appeared to him in his Yoganidrā (contemplation-sleep) and told him that she was pleased with his meditation and devotion to her from infancy, and that he was her legitimate child like Kālidāsa and other mighty poets of yore. The Prabandhachintamani says that Vastupāla, pleased with the poem composed in his praise by Bālachandra spent one thousand drammas for getting him installed as an Achāryā.
Other works of the author. Besides the present work, Balachandra composed Karunāvajrāyudha, a drama in five acts, and commentaries on Āsada's Vivekamañjari and Upadeśakandalī. The drama was composed at the time of Vastupāla's pilgrimage to Satruñjaya and was first acted there in the temple of Adinātha at the command of Vastupāla. It is thus clear that the author had already begun his literary career in the time of Vastupāla.
The date of composition of the work. The author has not specified the date of its compoisition and it is thus not possible to say in what particular year the present work was composed. The upper limit is, however, fixed by the mention of Vastupāla's death, which occurred in Samvat 1296. As the work is composed for the delectation of Vastupāla's son, we can easily put the date about the end of the thirteenth and the beginning of the fourteenth century of Vikrama. 2
The summary of the poem. The first canto is introductory. After dilating on the nectar of poetry and other allied matter, the poet gives his personal
१. तथा बालचन्द्रनाम्ना पण्डितेन श्रीमन्त्रिणं प्रति
गौरी रागवती त्वयि त्वयि वृषो बद्धादरस्त्वं युतो भूत्या त्वं च लसद्गुणः शुभगणः किं वा बहु ब्रूमहे । श्रीमन्त्रीश्वर ! नूनमीश्वरकलायुक्तस्य ते युज्यते
बालेन्दुं चिरमुच्चकै रचयितुं त्वत्तोऽपरः कः प्रभुः ।। इत्युक्ते तस्याचार्यपदस्थापनायां द्रम्मसहस्रं व्ययीकृतम् । [प्रबन्धचिन्तामणि पृष्ठ-२६३] 2. See Notes pp. 2-3.
bsnta-t.pm5 3rd proof
