2023-02-26 04:07:19 by ambuda-bot
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1
BJWL FCP
GN092092
INTRODUCTION
The discovery of Avantisundarī of Ācārya Daṇḍin in the
early decades of the present century is one of the most
important events in the literary history of Sanskrit. The
peripatetic party attached to the Government Oriental Library,
Madras, brought to light in 1916-9, a fragment of a prose
romance called Avantisundari-kathal and a fairly large
metrical summary called Avantisundari-kathāsara2 and they
were published in the Dakṣiṇabhārati Series, No. 3, in 1924.
It was gathered from the two fragments that the prose
fragment was a part of the long lost preliminary portion of
the Avantisundarī of Daṇḍin, that the so called Daśakumāra-'
carita (hereafter referred to as Daśakumāra), the middle
portion and that the Pūrvapīṭhikā in most printed editions,
a patch-work by a later hand. Some papers were published
in research journals bearing on the literary and historical
data furnished by the fragments. A few scholars however
expressed their doubt in regard to Dandin's authorship of
the prose romance. Dr. S. K. De who belongs to the section
of Sanskritists that places Dandin earlier than Bāṇa, held
that the fragment was a revised version by a later hand of
the lost portion of the Avantisundarī, on the ground of
disparity in style seen in it and in the Daśakumara.3 And
Dr. A. B. Keith went further, even to the extent of
saying that the fragment should not have been published4!
Soon after, however, another fragment of the same work but
much larger in extent was discovered, containing the continu-
ation of the smaller fragment, to a considerable length. This
fragment, as will be seen in the sequel, convincingly answers
the scepticism on the part of scholars in regard to the
authenticity af Dandin's authorship of the prose romance.
A few words may be said here about the discovery of this
fragment. When I was collecting manuscripts for the
Trivandrum Curator's Office in June 1925, I came across a
big bundle of dishevelled foilos of ancient palm leaf manus-
cripts, along with other manuscripts of wellknown Sanskrit
works, in the house of a Namburi gentleman, in Muvattupuzha,
1 and 2 are referred to in the footnotes as Av. and Av. Sara
respectively.
3. I.H.R. Vol. III. pp. 395-403.
4. Vide preface to his History of Sanskrit Literature
(Oxford, 1928, p. XVI.)
A
BJWL FCP
GN092092
INTRODUCTION
The discovery of Avantisundarī of Ācārya Daṇḍin in the
early decades of the present century is one of the most
important events in the literary history of Sanskrit. The
peripatetic party attached to the Government Oriental Library,
Madras, brought to light in 1916-9, a fragment of a prose
romance called Avantisundari-kathal and a fairly large
metrical summary called Avantisundari-kathāsara2 and they
were published in the Dakṣiṇabhārati Series, No. 3, in 1924.
It was gathered from the two fragments that the prose
fragment was a part of the long lost preliminary portion of
the Avantisundarī of Daṇḍin, that the so called Daśakumāra-'
carita (hereafter referred to as Daśakumāra), the middle
portion and that the Pūrvapīṭhikā in most printed editions,
a patch-work by a later hand. Some papers were published
in research journals bearing on the literary and historical
data furnished by the fragments. A few scholars however
expressed their doubt in regard to Dandin's authorship of
the prose romance. Dr. S. K. De who belongs to the section
of Sanskritists that places Dandin earlier than Bāṇa, held
that the fragment was a revised version by a later hand of
the lost portion of the Avantisundarī, on the ground of
disparity in style seen in it and in the Daśakumara.3 And
Dr. A. B. Keith went further, even to the extent of
saying that the fragment should not have been published4!
Soon after, however, another fragment of the same work but
much larger in extent was discovered, containing the continu-
ation of the smaller fragment, to a considerable length. This
fragment, as will be seen in the sequel, convincingly answers
the scepticism on the part of scholars in regard to the
authenticity af Dandin's authorship of the prose romance.
A few words may be said here about the discovery of this
fragment. When I was collecting manuscripts for the
Trivandrum Curator's Office in June 1925, I came across a
big bundle of dishevelled foilos of ancient palm leaf manus-
cripts, along with other manuscripts of wellknown Sanskrit
works, in the house of a Namburi gentleman, in Muvattupuzha,
1 and 2 are referred to in the footnotes as Av. and Av. Sara
respectively.
3. I.H.R. Vol. III. pp. 395-403.
4. Vide preface to his History of Sanskrit Literature
(Oxford, 1928, p. XVI.)
A