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warriors cut off Sankha's army on the precincts of the field, and killed his warriors. Sankha himself with equally powerful brothers proceeded to overcome the minister. A fierce battle took place in which nine warriors of Vastupāla were killed with the brothers of Sankha. Now Bhūnapala of the Gula race, taking a vow to kill Sankha, proceeded towards him. He killed many warriors taking them to be Sankha. At last he could approach Sankha against whom he darted his spear, which was, however, cut into pieces by Sankha. Bhūnapāla was at last killed by Sankha. Vastupāla now came forth with a greater army. Sankha, seeing this fresh force of the enemy and his diminished army, fled away to Broach.
The historical merits of the poem-It is a pity that Sanskrita historical poems contain much irrelevant conventional descriptive matter and little of the real history of the hero whom they are glorifying. This applies to the present poem too. As it is a work written by a contemporary writer after the death of the minister, one would naturally expect therein the history of his later career. But the author has remained silent about it. In fact, excepting the last canto about Vastupāla's death, the poem furnishes no more information than that contained in its two other predecessors. The last canto is, however, of great historical importance, as it makes incorrect the current statements about the place and the date of Vastupāla's death. The Prabandhachintamani has not touched the later part of Vastupāla's career. The Chaturvimsatiprabandha and the Vastupālacharitra are the only works that tell us about it. They put the date of Vastupāla's death in Samvat 1298 and the place as Ankevāliyā. But these prove
श्रीभटेन बलिनैकतमेनोल्लोडिताद्यदिह विग्रहवार्द्धः । कालकूटमुदगाद्यदुसैन्यं तन्वर्त्तयदयं ननु भीमः ॥३०।। चाहमाननृपतिस्तव देशं दास्यतीति भवता यदवाचि । किं विरूपमुपपन्नमिदं तद्ग्रन्थिरेष शकुनस्य निबद्धः ॥३९।। मण्डलाधिपतिमूर्तिसनाथं स्वर्णदाम चरणस्य वरं तत् । तहुनोति यदयं यदुगुप्तौ पादयोनिगडबन्धनमूहे ॥४१।। निर्मदामकृत यादवसेनां नर्मदाविपुलरोधसि शङ्खः । दूत ! रे तदिति जल्पसि नैतद्वन्धनानि यदयं समवाप ॥४२॥ क्षत्रियाः समरकेलिरहस्यं जानते न वणिजो भ्रम एषः । अम्बडो वणिगपि प्रधने किं मल्लिकार्जुननृपं न जघान ॥४३।।
[वसंतविलास सर्ग ५ श्लो. २४तः ३०/३९/४१त: ४३]
bsnta-t.pm5 3rd proof
