Part 1 - Poets mentioned in the Yasastilaka

CHAPTER XVIII QUOTATIONS AND REFERENCES A remarkable feature of Somadeva's Yasastilaka is that it quotes or refers to a large number of earlier authors and works, many of them otherwise unknown or but insufficiently known. These references have thus a great chronological value, forming as they do a definite landmark in Indian literary history. There are indeed few writers who have enriched Kavya literature with so great a variety of well-stocked scholarship as the author of our romance. POETS In Book IV Somadeva refers to the following poets as Mahakavis, and claims that their kavyas testify to the great reputation of the Jaina religion: Urva, Bharavi, Bhavabhuti, Bhartrhari, Bhartrmentha, Kantha, Gunadhya, Vyasa, Bhasa, Vosa, Kalidasa, Bana, Mayura, Narayana, Kumara, Magha and Rajasekhara. These names are followed by a reference to what Somadeva calls the Kavyadhyaya composed by Bharata', probably the 17 th chapter of Bharata's Natyasastra which deals with 'the adornments of poetry' (kavyavibhusanani), figures of speech and similar topics. While some of the above names are well-known, we know practically nothing about the others. Narayana may be Bhattanarayana, the author of Venisamhara, but we cannot be sure about this. Kumara is very probably Kumaradasa, the author of Janakiharana. The reference to Gunadhya seems to suggest that the lost Brhatkatha was extant in the Deccan in the 10 th century. The reference to Bhasa is not clear, and may not have anything to do with the dramatist of that name. In any case, Bhasa is again mentioned as a Mahakavi in a subsequent chapter (Vol. II, p. 251), and the following verse quoted therein shows that he was a follower of the sensual aspect of the Saiva cult. 1 imameva ca margamasrityabhasi bhasena mahakavina- peya sura priyatamamukhamiksaniyam prahyah svabhavalalito'vikrtasca vesah | yenedamidrsamadrsyata moksavartma dirghayurastu bhagavan sa pinakapanih || "One should drink wine and gaze at a beloved woman's face and assume a garb that is beautiful by nature and unspoilt. Long live Siva, the Exalted It may be noted that the One, who discovered such a way to salvation." verse occurs in the Pallava king Mahendravarman's Mattavilasaprahasana where it is declaimed by a drunken Kapalika, after salutation to Siva. 1 See Chap. VIII. Ms. A remarks vikararahitah nagna eva .

With regard to the other poets mentioned in Somadeva's list no early poet of the name of Kantha is known, but a. writer named Kantha is cited several times as an authority on Sanskrit roots in Ksirasvamin's Ksiratarangini. Combination of grammar and poetry is not rare in Sanskrit literature, but we do not know whether this Kantha was also a Mahakavi. As to Urva, two of our Manuscripts (B and C) give the name as Utsavva, but the reading of the printed text is supported by the other two Manuscripts (A and D) which seem to read Urva. There seems no doubt that Urva is the correct reading which has also the merit of being adopted in Srutasagara's commentary. Urva is probably the same as the poet Aurva cited in Vallabhadeva's Subhasitavali which attributes the following verses to him: bhrasyaddhanandhakare'tha prapte varsanisaksaye | sarat prabhata veleva prakasamanayaddisah || rikta vipanduratmano nihsabdah praptalaghavah | tvatsapatta iva ghana nyastacapa diso yayuh || The second verse is evidently addressed to a king, and Aurva seems to have been a court-poet. Of the remaining poets, Bana is mentioned in another place, the reference being to his Kadambari. Magha, too, is mentioned twice, Yasodhara being addressed as a Magha in poetic appreciation. As regards Bhavabhuti, a reference to the plot of his Malatimadhava occurs in Somadeva's Nitivakijamrta (Yuddhasamuddesa). In Book V Somadeva quotes verses from two other poets about whom we know nothing. They are Grahila, who sings the glory of Siva, and Nilapata, who heaps scorn on those who deny themselves the charms of women to seek the bliss of salvation. The following two verses are by Grahila: astam tavanyadapi tavadatulya kaksa maisvarya misvarapadasya nimittabhutam | svacchephaso'pi bhagavanna gato'vasanam visnuh pitamahayutah kimutaparasya || iti, rathah ksoni yanta satastatiragendro dhanuratho rathane candrarkau rathacaranapanih sara iti | didhaksoste ko'yam tripuratrnama dambara vidhirvidheyaih kridantyo na khalu paratantrah prabhudhiyah || iti ca grahilabhasitam | ( Vol. II, p. 55 ). The following verse is attributed by Somadeva to Nilapata (Vol. II, p. 252 ) . idameva ca tattvamupalabhyalapi nilapatena-- 1 Ed. Liebich, Breslau, 1930. 2 See Chap. IV. 3 'sukavikavyakathavinodadohadamagha ' Book II. 4 'srayate hi kila durastho'pi madhavapita kamandakiyaprayogena madhavaya malatim sadhayamasa | ' 5 The second verse occurs in Puspadanta's Mahimnastotra. It is possible that Somadeva's remark cf might simply mean "an obstinate utterance,' as the verses in question are cited to illustrate certain alleged contradictions in the concep tion of Siya. See Chap. VIII.

18. QUOTATIONS AND REFERENCES payodharabharalasah smaravighurnitarveksanah kvacit salayapancamoccarita gitajhankarinih | vihaya ramaniramuraparamoksasauravyarthinamaho jadimadindimo viphalabhandapakhandinam || Nilapata seems to be the same 441 as the poet Nilapatta cited in Saduktikarnamrta which quotes from him the following playful verse on the irony of Siva's burning the god of love. It would seem that Nilapata or Nilapatta was a poet who laid stress on the pleasures of love. bhayam sa bhuvanatrayaprathitasamyami sankaro bibharti vapusadhuna virahakatarah kaminim | anena kila nirjita vayamiti priyayah karam karena parilalayan jayati jatahasah smarah || The following verse is attributed in Book IV to Vararuci (p. 99): pranaghatannivrttih paradhanaharane samyamah satyavakyam kale saktya pradeyam yuvatijanakathamukabhavah paresam | trsnastrotovibandho gurusu ca vinatih sarvabhutanukampa samanyam sarvasastresvanupahatavidhih sreyasamesa margah || The verse is found in the Nirnaya Sagara edition of Bhartrhari's Nitisataka, but seems to be an interpolation. It is not included in Jivananda's edition of the work in Kavyasamgraha, vol. II. Somadeva refers to Bhartrhari in the above list, and must have been acquainted with his work. It is hardly possible that he would have missed the verse in Nitisataka if it had formed part of the text. The verse in question is put in the mouth of Vararuci in a story in Durgasimha's Kanarese rendering of the Pancatantra, based on Vasubhaga's Sanskrit version of the work; but as the latter recension is no longer extant, it is difficult to say whether Somadeva borrowed the verse from Vasubhaga.¹ Two verses of Bhartrhari are quoted by Somadeva in Book V without mentioning their author, one from Srngarasataka and the other from Nitisataka, the printed text of the S'atakas showing slight variations: strimudram jhasaketanasya mahatim sarvarthasampatkarim ye mohadavadhirayanti kudhiyo mithyaphalanvesinah | te tenaiva nihatya nirdayataram mundikrta luncitah kecit pancasikhikrtasca jatinah kapalikascapare || namasyamo devannanu hatavidheste'pi vasaga vidhirnindyah so'pi pratiniyatakarmantaphaladah | phalam karmayattam yadi kimaparaih kimca vidhina namah satkarmabhyah prabhavati na yebhyo vidhirapi || 2 As pointed out elsewhere, Somadeva quotes a large number of verses on the ministers of kings from various poets, but it is doubtful whether they are historical names. There is a similar reference to a poet named Ganapati in the verse quoted below: vrtticcheda stridasa vidusah kohalasyartha ha nirmana glanirganapatikaveh samkarasyasu nasah | dharmadhvamsah kumudakrtinah kekatesca pravasah papadasmaditi samabhavaddeva dese prasiddhih || It is stated in the verse that the wicked minister Pamarodara insulted the poet Ganapati. Srutasagara in his commentary takes Tridasa, Kohala 1 The Poona Orientalist, Vol. II, p. 181. 2 See Chap. VII. 56

and Kekati also as referring to poets, but the verse mentions only Ganapati as a poet. We cannot but regard these names as fictitious, but it is noteworthy that there was actually a poet named Ganapati earlier than the tenth century. Rajasekhara praises him in a verse cited in Jalhana's Suktimuktavali, which also quotes another verse wherein he is mentioned along with several well-known poets.' Verses from Ganapati are cited in Saduktikarnamrta and Subhasitavali, and he seems to have composed a work named Mahamoda. The following verse is quoted by Somadeva from an unnamed work on poetics. (3. 274): trimulakam dvidhotthanam pancasakham catuschadam | yo'gam vetti navacchayam dasabhumim sa kavyakrt ||