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THE MAYŪRĀṢṬAKA OF MAYŪRA
The Mayurāṣṭaka, which covers one full leaf and parts of
two other leaves, consists, as its name implies, of eight stanzas.
Of these, the first and the sixth are incomplete, owing to a
tear in the manuscript. Stanzas 1, 2 and 4 are in the sragdharā
meter, the others in färdülavikridita. The dedication is to Hari
and Hara (Vişņu and Siva), and at the end is the colophon iti
śrīmayūrāṣṭakaṁ samāptam. After the colophon comes a kind
of diagram, which may be something astrological, though I have
been unable to decipher anything from it except the words
70
samvat 2.
The theme of the poem is the description of a girl or young
woman, and at times, especially through the double entendres and
puns, the sentiment is decidedly erotic, and might very well have
given offence to the person portrayed. In a general way the
style is not unlike the style of other compositions ascribed to
Mayūra. For example, the puns and double entendres, already
referred to, besides other Kävya elements, are common to it and
to the Süryaśataka, and that Mayūra did not disdain the erotic
sentiment elsewhere is shown by a perusal of the descriptive verse
on two asses, which is found under his name in the Subhāṣitāvali
of Vallabhadeva and also in the Paddhati of Särngadhara.¹ It
cravati 5, çandu' (Stein, in Garbe, Verzeichniss, p. 78), and, as Prof. Garbe
writes me, 'die Ähnlichkeit der äusseren Beschaffenheit aber zeigt, dass
die beiden darauf folgenden Stücke [Vetalastotra, Mayürüşṭaka] in an-
nähernd derselben Zeit geschrieben sein müssen.'
The Saptarsi era began B.C. 3076 (Bühler, in Weber, Indische Studien,
vol. 14, Leipzig, 1876, p. 407-408). During the centuries which, in
consideration of the average age of birch-bark manuscripts (see Bühler,
Indische Palaeographie, Strassburg, 1896, p. 88), can alone be here taken
into account, the fifth of Srāvana fell on Saturday in the year 87 of
any century of this Saptarsi era only in 4687 and 4487-Saturday,
Srāvaņa 5, 4687 corresponding to Aug. 13, 1611 (Gregorian calendar),
and Saturday, Srāvaṇa 5, 4487 to July 25, 1411, of the Julian calendar
(as reckoned according to Robert Schram, Kalendariographische und
chronologische Tafeln, Leipzig, 1908). Since of these two dates the former
is the more likely, we may ascribe the completion of our manuscript to
Aug. 13, 1611. (On the Saptarşi era, see Sewell and Dikshit, The Indian
Calendar, London, 1896, p. 41; Ginzel, Handbuch der mathematischen und
technischen Chronologie, Leipzig, 1906, vol. 1, p. 382-384; A. Cunningham,
Book of Indian Eras, Calcutta, 1883, p. 6-17.)
1 This stanza will be found edited and translated below, p. 237-238.
The Mayurāṣṭaka, which covers one full leaf and parts of
two other leaves, consists, as its name implies, of eight stanzas.
Of these, the first and the sixth are incomplete, owing to a
tear in the manuscript. Stanzas 1, 2 and 4 are in the sragdharā
meter, the others in färdülavikridita. The dedication is to Hari
and Hara (Vişņu and Siva), and at the end is the colophon iti
śrīmayūrāṣṭakaṁ samāptam. After the colophon comes a kind
of diagram, which may be something astrological, though I have
been unable to decipher anything from it except the words
70
samvat 2.
The theme of the poem is the description of a girl or young
woman, and at times, especially through the double entendres and
puns, the sentiment is decidedly erotic, and might very well have
given offence to the person portrayed. In a general way the
style is not unlike the style of other compositions ascribed to
Mayūra. For example, the puns and double entendres, already
referred to, besides other Kävya elements, are common to it and
to the Süryaśataka, and that Mayūra did not disdain the erotic
sentiment elsewhere is shown by a perusal of the descriptive verse
on two asses, which is found under his name in the Subhāṣitāvali
of Vallabhadeva and also in the Paddhati of Särngadhara.¹ It
cravati 5, çandu' (Stein, in Garbe, Verzeichniss, p. 78), and, as Prof. Garbe
writes me, 'die Ähnlichkeit der äusseren Beschaffenheit aber zeigt, dass
die beiden darauf folgenden Stücke [Vetalastotra, Mayürüşṭaka] in an-
nähernd derselben Zeit geschrieben sein müssen.'
The Saptarsi era began B.C. 3076 (Bühler, in Weber, Indische Studien,
vol. 14, Leipzig, 1876, p. 407-408). During the centuries which, in
consideration of the average age of birch-bark manuscripts (see Bühler,
Indische Palaeographie, Strassburg, 1896, p. 88), can alone be here taken
into account, the fifth of Srāvana fell on Saturday in the year 87 of
any century of this Saptarsi era only in 4687 and 4487-Saturday,
Srāvaņa 5, 4687 corresponding to Aug. 13, 1611 (Gregorian calendar),
and Saturday, Srāvaṇa 5, 4487 to July 25, 1411, of the Julian calendar
(as reckoned according to Robert Schram, Kalendariographische und
chronologische Tafeln, Leipzig, 1908). Since of these two dates the former
is the more likely, we may ascribe the completion of our manuscript to
Aug. 13, 1611. (On the Saptarşi era, see Sewell and Dikshit, The Indian
Calendar, London, 1896, p. 41; Ginzel, Handbuch der mathematischen und
technischen Chronologie, Leipzig, 1906, vol. 1, p. 382-384; A. Cunningham,
Book of Indian Eras, Calcutta, 1883, p. 6-17.)
1 This stanza will be found edited and translated below, p. 237-238.