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22
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
was awakened by the goddess Sarasvati who gave him this thema¹ for a
verse, "The sky filled with a hundred moons." He half raised himself,
bowed, and gave the following solution,-
damodarakarāghatavihvalikṛtacetasă
drstam canuramallena śatacandram nabhastalam:
"Cāņūramalla, stunned by the blow of Damodara's hand, saw the sky
filled by a hundred moons".
[Banopi tathaiva prstah । humkāram kṛtvā 'pi kathita] The same
question was addressed to Bana. He growled, and worked the thema in
the following manner :-
tasyām uttungasäudhägravilolavadanāmbujāiḥ
virarāja vibhāvaryām śatacandram nabhastalam
"In that night, on account of the lotus-faces that moved to and fro on
the high terraces, the sky shone as if filled by a hundred moons."
'The goddess said, "You are both poets who know the Sastras, but
Bāna is inferior, because he growled. I have shown you that quantity of
commentaries on the syllable Om. Who has ever attained a complete
knowledge of the dictionary of the goddess Speech. It has been also
said, 'Let nobody assume pride, saying "I am the only Pandit in this age.
Others are ignorant." Greatness of intellect only comparative.""
'Thus Sarasvati made friendship between the two. When they arrived
at the outer wall (of Ujjayini), they went each to his house. One after
the other they paid their respects to the King as before. It has been also
said, " Deer herd with deer, kine with kine, steeds with steeds, fools with
fools, wise men with wise ones. Friendship (has its root) in the simi-
larity of virtues and of faults."
'Once Bāņa had a lover's quarrel with his wife. The lady, who was
proud, did not put off her pride. The greater part of the night passed
thus. Mayura, who was taking his constitutional, came to that place.
Hearing the noise made by the husband and his wife through the window,
he stopped. Bāņa fell at the feet of his wife and said, "O faithful one,
pardon this one fault; I will not again anger thee." She kicked him
with her foot which was encircled by an anklet. Mayüra, who stood
under the window, became sorry on hearing the sound of the anklet, and
on account of the disrespect shown to the husband. But Bāņa recited
a new stanza-
1 The Sanskrit word is samasya, and means a part of a stanza given to
another person to be completed. Cf. Aufrecht, ZDMG, vol. 27, p. 51:
'Dieser Vers dient als Beispiel einer Samasya, das ist, eines Spieles, in
welchem zu einem gegebenen Thema (hier: śatacandram nabhastalam)
die übrigen Verstheile hinzugedichtet werden, nach Art unserer Glossen.
Auch Kşirasvāmin im Commentar zu Amara gibt diesen Vers zu samasya.'
The Paddhati of Särngadhara, 32.5 (Peterson's edition, no. 498; cf.
Aufrecht, ZDMG, vol. 27, p. 51) ascribes this stanza to Bāṇa, not to
Mayūra.
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
was awakened by the goddess Sarasvati who gave him this thema¹ for a
verse, "The sky filled with a hundred moons." He half raised himself,
bowed, and gave the following solution,-
damodarakarāghatavihvalikṛtacetasă
drstam canuramallena śatacandram nabhastalam:
"Cāņūramalla, stunned by the blow of Damodara's hand, saw the sky
filled by a hundred moons".
[Banopi tathaiva prstah । humkāram kṛtvā 'pi kathita] The same
question was addressed to Bana. He growled, and worked the thema in
the following manner :-
tasyām uttungasäudhägravilolavadanāmbujāiḥ
virarāja vibhāvaryām śatacandram nabhastalam
"In that night, on account of the lotus-faces that moved to and fro on
the high terraces, the sky shone as if filled by a hundred moons."
'The goddess said, "You are both poets who know the Sastras, but
Bāna is inferior, because he growled. I have shown you that quantity of
commentaries on the syllable Om. Who has ever attained a complete
knowledge of the dictionary of the goddess Speech. It has been also
said, 'Let nobody assume pride, saying "I am the only Pandit in this age.
Others are ignorant." Greatness of intellect only comparative.""
'Thus Sarasvati made friendship between the two. When they arrived
at the outer wall (of Ujjayini), they went each to his house. One after
the other they paid their respects to the King as before. It has been also
said, " Deer herd with deer, kine with kine, steeds with steeds, fools with
fools, wise men with wise ones. Friendship (has its root) in the simi-
larity of virtues and of faults."
'Once Bāņa had a lover's quarrel with his wife. The lady, who was
proud, did not put off her pride. The greater part of the night passed
thus. Mayura, who was taking his constitutional, came to that place.
Hearing the noise made by the husband and his wife through the window,
he stopped. Bāņa fell at the feet of his wife and said, "O faithful one,
pardon this one fault; I will not again anger thee." She kicked him
with her foot which was encircled by an anklet. Mayüra, who stood
under the window, became sorry on hearing the sound of the anklet, and
on account of the disrespect shown to the husband. But Bāņa recited
a new stanza-
1 The Sanskrit word is samasya, and means a part of a stanza given to
another person to be completed. Cf. Aufrecht, ZDMG, vol. 27, p. 51:
'Dieser Vers dient als Beispiel einer Samasya, das ist, eines Spieles, in
welchem zu einem gegebenen Thema (hier: śatacandram nabhastalam)
die übrigen Verstheile hinzugedichtet werden, nach Art unserer Glossen.
Auch Kşirasvāmin im Commentar zu Amara gibt diesen Vers zu samasya.'
The Paddhati of Särngadhara, 32.5 (Peterson's edition, no. 498; cf.
Aufrecht, ZDMG, vol. 27, p. 51) ascribes this stanza to Bāṇa, not to
Mayūra.