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GENERAL INTRODUCTION
flourished in the first half of the seventh century A.D. Of his
birthplace and early life nothing is known. His earliest voca-
tion seems to have been that of a jängulika, 'snake-doctor.' His
poetical ability, exhibited at a public recital, attracted the attention
of the reigning emperor, Harșa, and Mayūra was summoned to
court, where he seems long to have enjoyed the favor of his royal
patron. He became the rival of Bāṇa, and may have been the
father-in-law of that poet. Other details of his family life are
lacking, nor can it be proved that 'Sankuka, son of Mayura,' was
his son. It is likely that he engaged in literary contests, and at
one of these, held at Benares, he is said to have carried off the
first honors. He wrote the Süryaśataka and the Mayurāṣṭaka,
and several scattered stanzas in the anthologies are attributed to
him. His literary qualities are highly praised by later poets. It
is possible that he may have been a leper. He was not a Jain, but
probably a Saura, or Sun-worshiper.
MAYURA'S EXTANT WRITINGS
THE MAYURASTAKA
We must not leave Mayura without taking note of what he
has written. Perhaps the earlier of his two complete poems that
have come down to us is the little poem Mayūrāṣṭaka, consisting
of eight stanzas and presenting the charms of a certain young
woman who, according to the statement of a Jain commentator
(see above, p. 25), was Mayūra's own daughter. The work
exists, so far as I have been able to discover, in but a single manu-
script, which is in the library at Tübingen. A special interest
attaches to this poem, because it is popularly supposed to be the
cause of Mayūra's affliction with leprosy, having roused his
daughter's anger to such an extent that she cursed him with that
loathsome malady (see above, p. 25). Since in the legend the
Mayūrāṣṭaka caused the leprosy which the Süryaśataka cured
(see above, p. 24), it may be tentatively regarded as chrono-
logically antecedent to the Süryaśataka. For the text and a
translation of the Mayurāṣṭaka, see below, p. 72–79.
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
flourished in the first half of the seventh century A.D. Of his
birthplace and early life nothing is known. His earliest voca-
tion seems to have been that of a jängulika, 'snake-doctor.' His
poetical ability, exhibited at a public recital, attracted the attention
of the reigning emperor, Harșa, and Mayūra was summoned to
court, where he seems long to have enjoyed the favor of his royal
patron. He became the rival of Bāṇa, and may have been the
father-in-law of that poet. Other details of his family life are
lacking, nor can it be proved that 'Sankuka, son of Mayura,' was
his son. It is likely that he engaged in literary contests, and at
one of these, held at Benares, he is said to have carried off the
first honors. He wrote the Süryaśataka and the Mayurāṣṭaka,
and several scattered stanzas in the anthologies are attributed to
him. His literary qualities are highly praised by later poets. It
is possible that he may have been a leper. He was not a Jain, but
probably a Saura, or Sun-worshiper.
MAYURA'S EXTANT WRITINGS
THE MAYURASTAKA
We must not leave Mayura without taking note of what he
has written. Perhaps the earlier of his two complete poems that
have come down to us is the little poem Mayūrāṣṭaka, consisting
of eight stanzas and presenting the charms of a certain young
woman who, according to the statement of a Jain commentator
(see above, p. 25), was Mayūra's own daughter. The work
exists, so far as I have been able to discover, in but a single manu-
script, which is in the library at Tübingen. A special interest
attaches to this poem, because it is popularly supposed to be the
cause of Mayūra's affliction with leprosy, having roused his
daughter's anger to such an extent that she cursed him with that
loathsome malady (see above, p. 25). Since in the legend the
Mayūrāṣṭaka caused the leprosy which the Süryaśataka cured
(see above, p. 24), it may be tentatively regarded as chrono-
logically antecedent to the Süryaśataka. For the text and a
translation of the Mayurāṣṭaka, see below, p. 72–79.