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5. YASASTILAKA AS A SOCIO-POLITICAL RECORD
95
“ Three openings will this trident make in thy bosom with its three prongs, and spread my martial fame on earth, in heaven and in the nether regions !” तुलारणे द्वन्द्वरणे दिवारणे निशारणे कूटरणे परत्र वा । यदि प्रवीरस्स्वमिहैधि मे पुरे न गर्जितैः शौर्यकलेषु कीर्तयः॥ “If thou art strong in duels or in day-war or night-war or deceptive warfare or in other modes of fighting, do thou confront me in any of them. The fame of the valiant is not produced by empty roars.”
Throughout this unseemly scene, insulting language is freely used, the king of Pancāla being referred to as the meanest of all the villains', and the envoy variously addressed as Veda-vaivadhika ('one to whom the Vedas are a burden'), dvijāpasada, brahmabandhu, dvija-varsapārsana, or simply as Brāhmaṇa'. Happily the disorder is stopped by the intervention of the commander-in-chief who addresses the assembly: Ye wise men, useless are the shouts of men lacking in proper conduct. The brave and the timorous will be sorted out in war (3. 422). Therefore let every one of you control his wrath and desist from offensive language. You, too, Sandhivigrahin, eager to enhance the might of your master, should not give way to emotion. Examine the letter and draft a reply. Examine the presents and prepare counterpresents. Let due respect be shown to all the three (the envoy, the letter and the presents ), for the kings speak through their envoys
vhen they take up arms against each other. Not to speak of the envoys, even their servants should not be insulted. Further, neither one's own failure nor the success of others depends upon the loud declamations of envoys. They are non-combatant intermediaries and speak as they like.” (3. 423)
The letter is soon ready, and the Sandhivigrahin reads it out. It is extremely brief except for a lengthy conglomeration of epithets designed to glorify Yasodhara; and, after a polite and formal prelude, communicates an arrogant message from the commander-in-chief, Vijayavardhana, calling upon the king of Pañcāla to submit, since there is no safety for him whether on the battlefield or in flight. The letter is reproduced in part below:
स्वस्ति । समस्तमहासामन्तशिखण्डमण्डनीभवञ्चरणकमल: कमलाकरससेजसेव्यमानपादपल्लवः पल्लवपाण्ड्यचोलचेरमहर्म्यनिर्माणप्रकाश्यमानदिग्विजयवाहिनीप्रचारः चारचक्षुःसहस्रसाक्षात्कृतसकलभूपालमण्डलः मण्डलायधाराजलनिमग्ननिखिलारातिसंतानः .............. पाटलिपुत्रपण्याङ्गनाभुजङ्गः वलभिरम्भोरुविभ्रमभ्रमरः पौरवपुरंधीरोध्रतिलकः सततवसुवितरणप्रीणितद्विजसमाजः श्रीयशोधरमहाराजः सकलप्रशस्तिसहितमचलमहीपतिमादिशति । श्रेयोऽन्यत् । कार्य चैतदेव-यदुत विजयada: Marthara dhahamu......
The episode of the embassy, divested of rhetoric, throws interesting sidelights on court practices in the tenth century, but even the rhetoric
1 BETEG magti HaHaM
ersiner etc.
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