5. Identification of Virabhanu, the Patron of the Poet Bhanukara

In my note in the Calcutta Oriental Journal (Vol. I, pp. 197-199 ) I recorded some data for the identification of king Virabhanu, the patron of the poet Bhanukara. Since this note appeared more evidence has been forthcoming and the problem of the identification of Virabhanu may now be regarded as well nigh settled. Peterson' mentions a king Virabhanu of the Vaghela dynasty in the following comments :- "No 101 of A 1883-84-in the present collection there is a copy of a metrical commentary on the Sutras of Vatsyayana by a royal author who fortunately gives us his date and lineage. He belonged to the Vaghela dynasty and wrote " in the year 1633." His name was Virabhadra. He was the son of Ramachandra, who was the son of Virabhanu, who was the son of Virasinha, who was the son of Salavahana, the founder of the line." The genealogy indicated in the above comments is presumably based on the following verses appearing at the beginning of Ms No 101 of A 1883-84 now in the Govt. Mss Library at the B. O. R. Institute, Poona :- * " vamsah kamsadvisa iva jayati vaghelasya bhubhujam manyah | ajaghanyosti jagatyam yasmadanyo na bhupalah || 4 || pradu (ba) bhuva vamse tatra srisalavahano nrpatih | indurmarandavinduryyasya yasah pundarikasya || 5 || bhinnasya sitamahasah susiram laksmeti manyate lokah | vidhuraiyyadiyavidhurairnnisi nihatairbhaskarabhrantya || 6 || pradurbabhuva tasmadvirah srivirasimhayyah | yasya yasombujakose sphara makarandabindavastarah || 7 || yasya karena karadiha samare ripubhupavaranadhipateh | danambusamgasobha satisaya lumthita jhatiti || 8 || Culcutta Oriental Journal, II, pp. 254-558. 1. Second Report, p. 66. (27) E

virastadangajanma pratibhataprtanatamasvinibhanuh | srivirabhanunamadhipatirabhubhujajjagati || 9 || srutvapi virabhanordanakatha neha jatalajjani | vrksopalapasubhavaddaivatata runurasnani || 10 || kamadapyabhiramo bhimadapi bahusalinam manyah | karnadapi ca vadanyo jayati suto ramacandro'sya || 11 || sriramenahavve (rabdhe dane gajavajinormukhaikyena | vakranano ganapatirbhityabhuttumburah khacarah || 12 || rajocitagunasima bhimavarajadihadhiko dhanusi | tanayo vinayasamudro jayatitaram virabhadro'sya || 13 || " On the strength of the genealogy recorded in the above extract and the date of composition of this work Kandarpa-Cudamani recorded in the colophon viz. the (Samvat) year 1633 indicated by the chronogram "haralocanaharalocanarasasasi ' (phalgunasuklapratipadi ) correspon ding to A. D. 1577 I was inclined to identify king Virabhanu with the king Virabhanu, the patron of the poet Bhanukara, who according to Dr. Hara Datta Sharma' was a "contemporary of Sher Shah (1540-1545)." Accordingly I wrote to Dr. Sharma indicating the nature of my hypothesis. In the meanwhile Dr. Hiranand Shastri, Director of Archaology, Baroda, to whom I had sent a copy of my note on Virabhanu was kind enough to write to me as under in a private communication dated 15-5-35:- "Re. Virabhanu I draw your attention to my Memoir on the Baghela Dynasty of Rewa which will show that this Virabhanu is identical with the hero of the Virabhanudaya Kavya noticed there. This Kavya is now being published by the Rewa authorities with my critical analysis." I have since studied Dr. Shastri's above Memoir published in 1925 and am convinced that king Virabhanu, the patron of the poet Bhanukara is none other than Virabhanu of the Vaghela dynasty mentioned in Peterson's comments on the Kandarpa-Cudamani composed in A. D. 1577 by Virabhanu's grandson Virabhadra. As pointed out by Dr. Shastri this Virabhanu is identical with the hero of the Virabhanudaya-Kavya, the subject of his Memoir under reference. I am further informed by Dewan Bahadur Pandit Janaki Prasad of Rewa that there is also a MS of a work called Viracampu bearing 1. IHQ, Vol. X, 1934, pp. 478-485.

on the life of Virabhanu. I hope the Rewa authorities will publish this work and make it available to scholars. The genealogy of Virabhanu as recorded in the extract from the Kandarpa-Cudamani given above is only partial but is confirmed by the following complete genealogy found in the Virabhanudaya-Kavya and recorded by Dr. Shastri on p. 10 of his Memoir:- (1) Bhima (2) Raningadeva (3) Valanadeva (4) Vallaradeva Simhadeva (predeceased his father) (5) Viramadeva Bhaida (7) Bhaida Chandra (6) Naraharideva Vahararaya (predeceased his father) (9) Virasimha 1 (10) Virabhanu (8) Salivahana (Succeeded No. 7) Udaya Karna (went to Utkala and settled there) (11) Ramachandra (12) Virabhadra When the edition of the Virabhanudaya Kavya is published with Dr. Hirananda Shastri's critical analysis it will throw a flood of light on King Virabhanu and his personality. In the meanwhile I note here some historical information from Dr. Shastri's Memoir under reference :The date of the MS of the Virabhanudaya Kavya is Samvat The first 1648 (A. D. 1591). This poem consists of 12 cantos. and last page of the MS are marked with seals, containing the date of the seal viz. 965 (=1558). Virabhadra was at Delhi when his father Ramachandra died in 1592, and he died in 1593 A. D. i. e. one year after his father's death. Virabhanudaya Kavya informs us that Virabhadra was born in the lifetime of Virabhanu

and that on the occasion of his birth Humayun sent suitable presents and congratulations to his grand-father Virabhanu, whom he regarded as his brother. Virasimha, the father of Virabhanu was also regarded as brother by Babur. Ramachandra succeeded to the throne when Virabhanu expired in 1540. The poem Virabhanudaya Kavya was composed by one Madhava, son of Abhayachandra after the birth of Virabhadra and in the lifetime of Virabhanu, his grand-father as also of Humayun, the Mogul Emperor. As Virabhanu died in 1540, this poem must have been written about that very year. The MS of the poem was written 51 years after the date of composition of the poem. The poem also contains the genealogy of the Vaghela dynasty as recorded above. King Virabhanu had a long reign and Ramachandra continued to rule as a Yuvaraja till the former retired to Prayaga after the death of his grand-son Virabhadra. chandra was very much enamoured of Tansen, the renowned musical prodigy who attended Akbar's court in 1562 and passed his days with him in happiness. RamaThe date of composition of Kandarpa-Cudamani of Virabhadra viz. A. D. 1558 agrees with the date of Virabhadra's seal referred to above viz. A. D. 1577 as also the date of his death viz. A. D. 1593. It remains for us now to identify the reference to Virabhadra's exploits at a place called Lanka described in the following verse appearing in the Rasikajivana of Gadadharabhatta' :- " lankadhamani virabhanunrpateh preksya pratapodayam pratyagaramadhiranirajadrso bhuyo hutasabhramat | ksubhyadvani vidhutapani vigala (nivisthala -- 1 ) praskhalad - baspasreni vilolaveni dayitam kanthasthale bibhrati || " In the absence of the text of Virabhanudayakavya I am unable to identify or verify the above reference to Lanka and Virabhanu's exploits at this place, in case the verse has a definite reference to a historical event in the career of King Virabhanu, the hero of the Virabhanudayakavya. I, therefore, await with eagerness the publication of this historical Kavya, which as Dr. Hirananda Shastri informs us, "possesses considerable literary merit evincing high descriptive power." 1. IHQ, Vol. X, p. 483- Dr. Sharma quotes two verses of the poet Bhanukara in which King Virabhanu, his patron, is referred to. The verse quoted above is one of these two verses.