2023-02-26 04:07:23 by ambuda-bot
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AVANTISUNDARI KATHA SĀRA
Damodara to his court [and made him his own. Under the
liberal Pallava patronage the poet wrote Gandhamādana and
works on poetics in Sanskrit and Prākṛt]. As desired by the
king, he married and became father of three sons, [Simha-
vişņu, Manoratha and Atilobha. In course of time, the second
son Manoratha had four sons, Dāmodara, Bhavadāsa, Simha-
vişņu, and Viradatta]. The last son married Gauri [of
Mathara gotra, a paragon of womanly virtue. She gave birth
to many female children in succession; and, to the great relief
of the parents], Dandin was born as the only male child.
When Dandin was seven years old he lost his mother; and
afterwards he was nurtured by the Goddess of Learning.
After he was invested with the sacred thread his father also
passed away. During this time, the Pallava kingdom was
invaded by enemies; [famine and pestilence devastated the
land of Draviḍas, Colas and Pandyas]. Torn from his kith
and kin, Dandin roamed all about the country; he stayed many
years in great centres of learning and acquired proficiency in
several branches of learning. After peace was restored,
Dandin returned to Kāñci, and being restored to the place of
his ancestors, lived a peaceful life amidst friends and rela-
tions.
(Av. Sāra I. 27-36; Av. pp. 10-12).
2
Visit to Mahamallapuram
At this time, an architect named Lalitālaya, son of
Mändhātā, called on Dandin. [He was an expert in cons-
tructing ninety-six kinds of prāsādas (temples) and six kinds
of yantras (mechanical contrivances); he had all the thirty-
six qualifications prescribed for an architect (ācārya)]. When
he sat near Dandin with due decorum, people gathered around
them, voicing their admiration of his varied achievements as
follows: ["This architect has constructed mechanical men
and exhibited a mock fight between them; he caused artificial
clouds to rain from the sky and showed magic by means of
yantras; he is a warrior; he broke the heads of elephants, in
battle, with arrows as big as pestles; he is a writer; he wrote
the life of Sudraka (Sūdraka-carita) in Tamil. His father
was superior to Yavanas in making yantras and astonished
king Durjaya by creating a mechanical Kalpa Vrksa (the
wish-yielding tree)."
When the din of voices ceased, the
architect said to Dandin, "Sir! the little things I have done
excite people's wonder; and evidently, our great achieve-
Damodara to his court [and made him his own. Under the
liberal Pallava patronage the poet wrote Gandhamādana and
works on poetics in Sanskrit and Prākṛt]. As desired by the
king, he married and became father of three sons, [Simha-
vişņu, Manoratha and Atilobha. In course of time, the second
son Manoratha had four sons, Dāmodara, Bhavadāsa, Simha-
vişņu, and Viradatta]. The last son married Gauri [of
Mathara gotra, a paragon of womanly virtue. She gave birth
to many female children in succession; and, to the great relief
of the parents], Dandin was born as the only male child.
When Dandin was seven years old he lost his mother; and
afterwards he was nurtured by the Goddess of Learning.
After he was invested with the sacred thread his father also
passed away. During this time, the Pallava kingdom was
invaded by enemies; [famine and pestilence devastated the
land of Draviḍas, Colas and Pandyas]. Torn from his kith
and kin, Dandin roamed all about the country; he stayed many
years in great centres of learning and acquired proficiency in
several branches of learning. After peace was restored,
Dandin returned to Kāñci, and being restored to the place of
his ancestors, lived a peaceful life amidst friends and rela-
tions.
(Av. Sāra I. 27-36; Av. pp. 10-12).
2
Visit to Mahamallapuram
At this time, an architect named Lalitālaya, son of
Mändhātā, called on Dandin. [He was an expert in cons-
tructing ninety-six kinds of prāsādas (temples) and six kinds
of yantras (mechanical contrivances); he had all the thirty-
six qualifications prescribed for an architect (ācārya)]. When
he sat near Dandin with due decorum, people gathered around
them, voicing their admiration of his varied achievements as
follows: ["This architect has constructed mechanical men
and exhibited a mock fight between them; he caused artificial
clouds to rain from the sky and showed magic by means of
yantras; he is a warrior; he broke the heads of elephants, in
battle, with arrows as big as pestles; he is a writer; he wrote
the life of Sudraka (Sūdraka-carita) in Tamil. His father
was superior to Yavanas in making yantras and astonished
king Durjaya by creating a mechanical Kalpa Vrksa (the
wish-yielding tree)."
When the din of voices ceased, the
architect said to Dandin, "Sir! the little things I have done
excite people's wonder; and evidently, our great achieve-