2023-02-23 18:48:18 by ambuda-bot
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GENERAL INTRODUCTION
7
jadhānikasya kavijanamürdhanyasya ratnavalyakhyaṇāṭikākartur mahara-
jaśriharşasya sabhyau mahakavi paurastydu baṇamayūrāv āstām । tayor
madhye mayürabhaṭṭaḥ śvasuro baṇabhaṭṭaḥ kadambarigranthakarta tasya
jāmatā tayoḥ kavitvaprasange parasparam spardha "sit । bāṇas tu pūrvam
eva kadācid rajasamīpe samagato rajñā mahatya sambhavanaya svanikate
sthapitaḥ kutumbena sahojjayinyam sthitaḥ । kiyatsv api divaseşv atīteşu
kavitvaprasange tatpady śrutvā mayürabhaṭṭo rajñā svadeśād akaritaḥ ।
ityadi.
This passage Bühler translates as follows:-
'Now, for the amusement of the learned, the account of the composition
of the illustrious "Century addressed to the Sun" [i.e. the Süryaśataka]
is narrated, as it has been learnt from the mouth of the illustrious
ancients. It is as follows. Two eastern poets, called Bāņa and Mayūra,
lived at the court of Mahārāja Sriharşa, the chief of poets, the com-
poser of the Natika called Ratnavali, who was lord of Mälava, and
whose capital was Ujjain. Amongst them Mayürabhaṭṭa was the father-
in-law, and Bāṇabhatta, the author of the Kadambari, was his son-in-
law. They were rivals in poetry. But Bāṇabhatta had before, at some
time or other, approached the king, had been honorably settled near him,
and dwelt with his family in Ujjain. After the lapse of some time the
king heard, on the occasion of a poetical recital, some verses of Mayu-
rabhaṭṭa, and called him from his country, etc.'
Bühler comments that this account 'contains undoubtedly some
grains of truth, as it associates Sriharṣa with Bāṇa and Mayūra,'
but it is probably inaccurate in making Ujjain Sriharşa's
capital,' because neither the Harşacarita nor Hüan Tsang state
that he ever resided there. Bühler is not, on the whole, inclined
to give much credence to the tale. However, it should be noted,
as regards the details of the story, that the rivalry of Bāṇa and
Mayūra, and their relationship by marriage, are recorded by other
writers also, notably in Jaina tradition, and that there is another
account of a literary contest in which Mayūra played a leading
part.
MAYURA IS VICTOR IN A POETICAL CONTEST AT BENARES
The account of this second contest, which may perhaps be the
same as that recorded by Madhusudana, is given by Jagannatha,
who, if he be the same as the Jagannātha (or Jagannadha) who
wrote the Prāṇabharaṇam and the Amṛtalahari,¹ flourished in
1 The following six works of Jagannatha have been edited in the
7
jadhānikasya kavijanamürdhanyasya ratnavalyakhyaṇāṭikākartur mahara-
jaśriharşasya sabhyau mahakavi paurastydu baṇamayūrāv āstām । tayor
madhye mayürabhaṭṭaḥ śvasuro baṇabhaṭṭaḥ kadambarigranthakarta tasya
jāmatā tayoḥ kavitvaprasange parasparam spardha "sit । bāṇas tu pūrvam
eva kadācid rajasamīpe samagato rajñā mahatya sambhavanaya svanikate
sthapitaḥ kutumbena sahojjayinyam sthitaḥ । kiyatsv api divaseşv atīteşu
kavitvaprasange tatpady śrutvā mayürabhaṭṭo rajñā svadeśād akaritaḥ ।
ityadi.
This passage Bühler translates as follows:-
'Now, for the amusement of the learned, the account of the composition
of the illustrious "Century addressed to the Sun" [i.e. the Süryaśataka]
is narrated, as it has been learnt from the mouth of the illustrious
ancients. It is as follows. Two eastern poets, called Bāņa and Mayūra,
lived at the court of Mahārāja Sriharşa, the chief of poets, the com-
poser of the Natika called Ratnavali, who was lord of Mälava, and
whose capital was Ujjain. Amongst them Mayürabhaṭṭa was the father-
in-law, and Bāṇabhatta, the author of the Kadambari, was his son-in-
law. They were rivals in poetry. But Bāṇabhatta had before, at some
time or other, approached the king, had been honorably settled near him,
and dwelt with his family in Ujjain. After the lapse of some time the
king heard, on the occasion of a poetical recital, some verses of Mayu-
rabhaṭṭa, and called him from his country, etc.'
Bühler comments that this account 'contains undoubtedly some
grains of truth, as it associates Sriharṣa with Bāṇa and Mayūra,'
but it is probably inaccurate in making Ujjain Sriharşa's
capital,' because neither the Harşacarita nor Hüan Tsang state
that he ever resided there. Bühler is not, on the whole, inclined
to give much credence to the tale. However, it should be noted,
as regards the details of the story, that the rivalry of Bāṇa and
Mayūra, and their relationship by marriage, are recorded by other
writers also, notably in Jaina tradition, and that there is another
account of a literary contest in which Mayūra played a leading
part.
MAYURA IS VICTOR IN A POETICAL CONTEST AT BENARES
The account of this second contest, which may perhaps be the
same as that recorded by Madhusudana, is given by Jagannatha,
who, if he be the same as the Jagannātha (or Jagannadha) who
wrote the Prāṇabharaṇam and the Amṛtalahari,¹ flourished in
1 The following six works of Jagannatha have been edited in the