The backdrop of the Srikanthacarita and the Mankhakosa

by Dhrubajit Sarma | 2015 | 94,519 words

This page relates “Specialities as a kosha text” as it appears in the case study regarding the Srikanthacarita and the Mankhakosa. The Shrikanthacarita was composed by Mankhaka, sometimes during A.D. 1136-1142. The Mankhakosa or the Anekarthakosa is a kosa text of homonymous words, composed by the same author.

Part 6 - Specialities as a koṣa text

The speciality of the Maṅkhakośa is noticed in the collection of copious uncommon terms and their meanings, not available elsewhere. It may be mentioned here that Maṅkhaka himself acknowledges the names of the following lexicographers viz. Halāyudha, Amarasiṃha, Śāśvata, Dhanvantari etc. According to him, he utilizes the koṣa text of Śāśvata particularly. Maṅkhaka suggests a great number of meanings in his lexicon, that are not found indicated in any other dictionary. He often cites Bhallaṭa, the poet and the Harṣacarita, in his commentary of the text. Again, he has given almost full cross references from the Nighaṇṭus, Amarakoṣa, Ayurvedic works and several other Sanskrit koṣa texts. Those references or examples, culled from different sources of knowledge, support the hypothesis that the koṣakāra Maṅkhaka was a literary genius also, conversant with various Śāstras as well as Sanskrit literature in general. This lexicon was popular even at the contemporary period of Maṅkhaka also.

As already referred, Mahendra, the disciple of Hemacandra has quoted both from the Maṅkhakośa and its commentary, in his commentary of the Anekārthasaṃgraha of his preceptor. From this, the popularity of the Maṅkhakośa can be easily inferred. Again, in subsequent times, Jonarāja of fifteenth century A.D., quotes from the Maṅkhakośa. in his commentary of the Śrīkaṇṭhacarita. While quoting from the Śrīkaṇṭhacarita, however, without making any special mention of the Maṅkhakośa by name, Jonarāja just writes iti koṣaḥ. Though it means koṣa texts in general, actually it refers to the Maṅkhakośa in particular.

Besides, Rājānaka Ratnakaṇṭha, the son of Śaṃkarakaṇṭha, who flourished in the reign of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (A.D. 16581707) had written a commentary. In that commentary named Laghupañcikā written on the Stutikusumāñjali of Jagaddhara Bhaṭṭa, Ratnakaṇṭha had made quotations from the Maṅkhakośa. Again, there are quotations from the Maṅkhakośa, in Ratnakaṇṭha’s ṭīkā on Vāsudeva’s Yudhiṣṭhirakāvya also.[1] It may be mentioned here that, about the quotations of Ratnakaṇṭha, the observation of Zachariae is remarkable.[2] Thus, the Maṅkhakośa was a very popular koṣa text in Sanskrit, cautiously studied, analysed and quoted in the works of contemporary as well as later period.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Mandal, B.C., Śrīkaṇṭhacarita., page 64

[2]:

“Ratnakaṇṭha generally quotes only what is common to most Anekārthakoṣas, and not what is peculiar to the Maṅkhakośa.” Zachariae, Theodor, Maṅkhakośa., Preface, page 4

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