Part 4 - Literary Works of Vastupala

It has happened many times in history that patrons of poets were themselves poets. We have many instances of Royal poets in Indian literature viz, Bhoja, Sri Harsa, Sudraka, and Rajasekhara among others. The name of Vastupala also can be counted among such great persons. Just as he is praised as a patron of poets in the works which are the sources of much of our information regarding him, he is highly eulogized as a poet too. He is called Kurcchala Sarasvati, 63 Kavikunjara and Kavicakravartin and praised as a spiritual son of Sarasvati. 64 We are also informed that he had studied from Naracandra the three Vidyas, viz. Nyaya, Vyakarana and Sahitya, and also works on Jaina philosophy. 65 His poetic name was Vasantapala, which was given to him by Harihara, Somesvara and other poets. 66 This is the reason why Balacandra has given the name Vasantavilasa to his poem giving an account of Vastupala's life. At the end of the Naranarayanananda, Vastupala says that his first poem was the result of an inspired outburst in the form of a hymn in the praise of Adisvara on the Satrunjaya hills. 67 This hymn is none other than his Adinata Stotra. Vastupala has also written several Stotras like the Neminatha Stotra, Ambika Stotra and a short Aradhana of ten verses. The Aradhana is probably the last composition of Vastupala, because its first verse Na krtam sukrtam kincit has been quoted by the Prabandhakosa, as spoken by the minister while on his death-bed. 68 The Prabandhacintamani says that the minister did his Paryantaradhana or the last devotional act by uttering this

95 verse when nearing death in the course of his journey to Satrunjaya;69 and it seems that he had composed the Aradhana during his last pilgrimage, while his health was failing. We also gather from the literary sources that Vastupala was proficient in composition of Suktis. Somesvara, in one place, writes as follows above this particular faculty of his patron :---- ambhojasambhavasuta vaktrambhoje'sti vastupalasya | yadvinaranitani sruyante suktidambhena || 70 1 And Udayaprabha, in the first verse of his Vastupalasturi has praised the Sukris of Vastupala in a simple poetic verse :-- piyusadapi pesala sasadharajyotsnakalapadapi svaccha nutanacutamanjaribharadapyullasatsaurabhah | vagdevimukhasamasuktivisado dvaradapi pranjalah kesam na prathayanti cetasi mudam srivastupattoktayah || 71 Vastupala has been quoted in anthologies, which shows that his poetic fame had spread far and wide outside the borders of Gujarat. His four verses are found in the Suktimuktavali of Jahlana, keeper of elephants of king Krsna

96 of Devagiri.72 In the Sarngadharapaddhati of Sarangdhara of Sakambari, a verse of Vastupala has found a place.73 In the Prabandhas a large number of verses have been put in the mouth of Vastupala, as spoken by him on particular occasions, and it is certain that most of them are his own 74 compositions, in view of his skill in this particular branch of poetry. It can be imagined that he could compose Sanskrit Suktis on the spur of the moment on suitable occasions. In the Abu-Prakasti, Somesvara has spoken highly of his originality in the field of poetry and his strict administration in the domain of state-craft.75 Verses spoken by him before his death, while he was on the way to Satrunjaya express a deep-seated religious fervour and a humility, which only the great souls can show. As remarked earlier, Vastupala has composed the Naranarayanananda v Mahakarya in sixteen cantos, describing the friendship of Arjuna and Krsna, their rambles in the Raivataka Garden, and the consequent carrying away by Arjuna of Krsna's sister Subhadra. At the end of the poem he has mentioned his numerous Sanghayatras.16 And we know from other sources that his first great pilgrimage was undertaken in 1221 A.D. Hence the poem must have been composed after that year. Praising Vastupala, who did such a remarkable work in various fields of life and literature, Narendraprabha Suri has given the following verse, which summarizes succinctly his manifold achievements 77: _ 1

tyagah kudmalayanti kalpavitapityagakriyapatavam kamam kavyakalapi komalayati dvaipayaniyamvacah | buddhidhikkurute ca yasya dhisanam canakyacintamaneh so'yam kasya na vastupalasacivottamsah prasamsaspadam !! 97 It appears rather unusual to modern readers that a man should be simultaneously a great statesmen and administrator as well as literary figure. Such people are known to patronize learning, but one feels some doubt when they are also credited with authorship of literary works. And such doubts are not altogether groundless, because it is believed by some scholars in the case of such famous kings as Bhoja and others that they are credited with the authorship of literary compositions coming from the pen of their proteges. Is such a doubt, then, not justified about Vastupala's authorship of literary works attributed to him? Doubts in such cases can not be completely resolved, as it is a matter of interpreting evidence. But one thing is, however, certain that there is nothing inherently incompatible in a statesmen and administrator being also a literary writer. The literary history of Gujarat as well as of other parts of India supplies us with many such cases. Some of them may be mentioned here. Visakhadatta, the famous author of the Mudraraksasa, was the son of Maharaja Bhaskaradatta and grandson of Samanta Vatesvaradatta, and belonged to a family of the ruling class under the Imperial Guptas. Vatsaraja the author of six Rupakas, was a minister of the Paramardideva of

98 Kalanjara. The names of the great Vedic commentator Sayana and his brother Madhava, who were ministers at the court of Vijayanagar, are well-known. They are great scholars as well as patrons of learning and their work is too well-known to require any introduction. It was a tradition in ancient and medieval India that persons of eminent position were also the cultural leaders of their time, and it was their highest ambition after doing their life's work to die in religious meditation, having renounced the worldly ties. On grounds of supposed incompatibility we are not justified in having doubts about Vastupala's authorship of the works attributed to him, unless, as in other cases, there is some positive evidence, circumstantial or direct, which justifies us in raising such doubts.