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IO
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
'Great is the power of (Sarasvati), the goddess of speech, seeing that
even the outcast Diväkara
Became a courtier of the illustrious Harşa, on equal terms with Bāna and
Mayura.'
The exact meaning of this stanza has caused speculation.
Fitzedward Hall¹ inclined to the view that matangadivākara was
a shortened form of manatungadiväkara, referring to Manatunga,
the well-known Jain of whom we shall hear more anon. Hall's view
was adopted by Max Müller, who writes, referring to Manatunga:
'[Manatunga], called also Matanga, as in the verse of Rajasekhara,
aho prabhavo etc. Cf. Hall, Vasavadattā, pref. p. 21. This
surely proves that all three were favorites of Harṣa (whatever
Mahesa Candra Nyāyaratna in his edition of the Kavyaprakāśa,³
Vijñāpana, p. 19, may say to the contrary); for the meaning is
that the power of Sarasvati is so great that even a Jaina could
become a favorite of king Harșa, like Bāṇa and Mayūra, i. e. as
if he were their equal.' Peterson, however, makes a correction
and introduces a variant reading. He says: 'But there is no
warrant for identifying Mätangadivākara³ with the Jain writer
Manatunga, as Hall and Max Müller have done. The fact is
that Divākara is the real name of our poet, not Mätanga. There
is a reference to him under the name Divākara in our verse 30,6
1 F. Hall, Vasavadatta of Subandhu, introd., 21, Calcutta, 1859.
*Max Müller, India: What Can It Teach Us?, p. 330, note 5.
3 I have not been able to procure this edition and learn the views of
its editor.
* Peterson, On the Saktimuktavali of Jalhana, in JBRAS, vol. 17, part
I, p. 67.
"A stanza under the name of Mätangadivākara is given in the Paddhati
of Sarngadhara (cf. Aufrecht, ZDMG, 27.73, or Peterson, no. 1227), in
the Subhasitavali of Vallabhadeva (Peterson, no. 2544), and in the Su-
bhāşitaratnabhāṇḍāgāra, p. 208, stanza 33. Three other stanzas, attributed
to the same author, are given in the Subhaşitävali (Peterson, nos. 30, 2496
and 2546). See also Aufrecht, Miscellen, in Indische Studien, vol. 17, p.
171-172.
6 Verse 30 of a list, compiled from the Saktimuktavali and other anthol-
ogies, of verses ascribed to Rajasekhara (cf. Peterson, On the Sakti-
muktavali of Jalhana, in JBRAS, vol. 17, part 1, p. 60). The text of
this verse is as follows:-
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
'Great is the power of (Sarasvati), the goddess of speech, seeing that
even the outcast Diväkara
Became a courtier of the illustrious Harşa, on equal terms with Bāna and
Mayura.'
The exact meaning of this stanza has caused speculation.
Fitzedward Hall¹ inclined to the view that matangadivākara was
a shortened form of manatungadiväkara, referring to Manatunga,
the well-known Jain of whom we shall hear more anon. Hall's view
was adopted by Max Müller, who writes, referring to Manatunga:
'[Manatunga], called also Matanga, as in the verse of Rajasekhara,
aho prabhavo etc. Cf. Hall, Vasavadattā, pref. p. 21. This
surely proves that all three were favorites of Harṣa (whatever
Mahesa Candra Nyāyaratna in his edition of the Kavyaprakāśa,³
Vijñāpana, p. 19, may say to the contrary); for the meaning is
that the power of Sarasvati is so great that even a Jaina could
become a favorite of king Harșa, like Bāṇa and Mayūra, i. e. as
if he were their equal.' Peterson, however, makes a correction
and introduces a variant reading. He says: 'But there is no
warrant for identifying Mätangadivākara³ with the Jain writer
Manatunga, as Hall and Max Müller have done. The fact is
that Divākara is the real name of our poet, not Mätanga. There
is a reference to him under the name Divākara in our verse 30,6
1 F. Hall, Vasavadatta of Subandhu, introd., 21, Calcutta, 1859.
*Max Müller, India: What Can It Teach Us?, p. 330, note 5.
3 I have not been able to procure this edition and learn the views of
its editor.
* Peterson, On the Saktimuktavali of Jalhana, in JBRAS, vol. 17, part
I, p. 67.
"A stanza under the name of Mätangadivākara is given in the Paddhati
of Sarngadhara (cf. Aufrecht, ZDMG, 27.73, or Peterson, no. 1227), in
the Subhasitavali of Vallabhadeva (Peterson, no. 2544), and in the Su-
bhāşitaratnabhāṇḍāgāra, p. 208, stanza 33. Three other stanzas, attributed
to the same author, are given in the Subhaşitävali (Peterson, nos. 30, 2496
and 2546). See also Aufrecht, Miscellen, in Indische Studien, vol. 17, p.
171-172.
6 Verse 30 of a list, compiled from the Saktimuktavali and other anthol-
ogies, of verses ascribed to Rajasekhara (cf. Peterson, On the Sakti-
muktavali of Jalhana, in JBRAS, vol. 17, part 1, p. 60). The text of
this verse is as follows:-