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GENERAL INTRODUCTION
13
which states in so many words that King Harșa, in connection
with the literary activities of the two poets, was the cause of the
rivalry between them. The floka runs as follows:-
sa citravarnavicchittihdrinor avanīśvaraḥ
friharşa iva samghattam cakre bāṇamayūrayoḥ ¹
'He (King Sindhurāja), the lord of the earth, brought about <a col-
lision><between peacocks and [his] arrows [peacocks] that en-
chanted [people] by the variegated arrangements of their coloring »,
and [arrows] that enchanted [Saśiprabhā] by the wonderful arrange-
ment of the letters [inscribed upon them]>; just as the illustrious
Harşa caused <a rivalry> <between Bana and Mayura> who enchanted
[him] by the wonderful arrangement of words [in their literary com-
positions]>.'
There is no good reason for supposing that Padmagupta has
not preserved a true record of the cause of the rivalry between
these two poets laureate of Harṣa's reign, and until contrary evi-
dence is adduced, his statement of the matter may be tentatively
accepted as fact.
1 The text of this śloka is given by Th. Zachariae in an article entitled
Sanskrit vicchitti schminke, published in Bezzenberger's Beiträge zur kunde
der indogermanischen sprachen, vol. 13, p. 100, Göttingen, 1888; by Bühler
and Zachariae, On the Navasahasankacarita of Padmagupta or Parimala,
in IA, vol. 36, p. 151; and also in the edition of the Navasahasankacarita
(cap. 2, stanza 18) by V. S. Islāmpurkar, Bombay, 1895. The text quoted
here is that of Zachariae. Bühler has eva for iva. Islāmpurkar reads
avanipatiḥ, and in a footnote offers sammardam as a variant for sam-
ghattam.
2 Zachariae (see note preceding) explains that by 'a collision between
peacocks and arrows' is meant that the king killed peacocks with his
arrows.
8 For vicchitti in the sense of ''arrangement,' and for a full discussion
of the puns contained in this śloka, see Zachariae as cited in the note
preceding.
+ The heroine, Saśiprabhā, read on the arrow taken from the body of
her pet antelope, which had been shot by the king, the name of the marks-
man-Navasähasänka [i.e. Sindhurāja]. As soon as she had read the
name, love for its possessor filled her heart; hence the arrow 'enchanted'
her. In the Vikramorvasi (act 5, stanza 7) also the name of the marks-
man Ayus was inscribed upon his arrows; cf. Bühler and Zachariae, On
the Navasahasankacarita of Padmagupta or Parimala, in IA, vol. 36, p. 155.
13
which states in so many words that King Harșa, in connection
with the literary activities of the two poets, was the cause of the
rivalry between them. The floka runs as follows:-
sa citravarnavicchittihdrinor avanīśvaraḥ
friharşa iva samghattam cakre bāṇamayūrayoḥ ¹
'He (King Sindhurāja), the lord of the earth, brought about <a col-
lision><between peacocks and [his] arrows [peacocks] that en-
chanted [people] by the variegated arrangements of their coloring »,
and [arrows] that enchanted [Saśiprabhā] by the wonderful arrange-
ment of the letters [inscribed upon them]>; just as the illustrious
Harşa caused <a rivalry> <between Bana and Mayura> who enchanted
[him] by the wonderful arrangement of words [in their literary com-
positions]>.'
There is no good reason for supposing that Padmagupta has
not preserved a true record of the cause of the rivalry between
these two poets laureate of Harṣa's reign, and until contrary evi-
dence is adduced, his statement of the matter may be tentatively
accepted as fact.
1 The text of this śloka is given by Th. Zachariae in an article entitled
Sanskrit vicchitti schminke, published in Bezzenberger's Beiträge zur kunde
der indogermanischen sprachen, vol. 13, p. 100, Göttingen, 1888; by Bühler
and Zachariae, On the Navasahasankacarita of Padmagupta or Parimala,
in IA, vol. 36, p. 151; and also in the edition of the Navasahasankacarita
(cap. 2, stanza 18) by V. S. Islāmpurkar, Bombay, 1895. The text quoted
here is that of Zachariae. Bühler has eva for iva. Islāmpurkar reads
avanipatiḥ, and in a footnote offers sammardam as a variant for sam-
ghattam.
2 Zachariae (see note preceding) explains that by 'a collision between
peacocks and arrows' is meant that the king killed peacocks with his
arrows.
8 For vicchitti in the sense of ''arrangement,' and for a full discussion
of the puns contained in this śloka, see Zachariae as cited in the note
preceding.
+ The heroine, Saśiprabhā, read on the arrow taken from the body of
her pet antelope, which had been shot by the king, the name of the marks-
man-Navasähasänka [i.e. Sindhurāja]. As soon as she had read the
name, love for its possessor filled her heart; hence the arrow 'enchanted'
her. In the Vikramorvasi (act 5, stanza 7) also the name of the marks-
man Ayus was inscribed upon his arrows; cf. Bühler and Zachariae, On
the Navasahasankacarita of Padmagupta or Parimala, in IA, vol. 36, p. 155.