North Indian Inscriptions

LITERARY HISTORY

than 120 syllables.” If the Allāhābad pillar praśasti answers to Vaidarbhī Rīti, the chief characteristic of which is small compounds, at any rate, absence of long compounds, how is it that the prose portion of the praśasti contains big compounds, one of which again is so big as to comprise 120 syllables? He explains the difficulty as follows: “There cannot be any doubt that this contrast is intentional. Because all the manuals of poetics are unanimous on the point that the essence of elevated prose to be used in romances and stories consists in the length of compounds; while the different schools are not unanimous regarding the admissibility of long compounds in verses.” In support of this statement Bühler quotes the authority of Daṇḍin’s Kāvyādarśa, I. 80-81. But we have just seen that the present praśasti is neither a Kathā (Tale), nor an Ākhyāyikā (Narrative) and that consequently there is no good reason why length of compounds should constitute the essence of its prose. Secondly, it is not quite correct to say that long compounds do not occur in the verses of this panegyric. Thus stanza 7 beings with Udvēl-ōdita-bāhu-vīryya-rabhasāt, and stanza 9 with pradāna-bhuja-vikrama-praśama- śāstra-vāky-ōdayair. Are these not long enough compounds to bear comparison with those in Vatsabhaṭṭi’s praśasti? But mere length of compounds does not constitute the essence of Vaidarbhī or Gauḍī-Rīti. There are other characteristics also of these styles, which Bühler has apparently forgotten. The Sāhityadarpaṇa (IX. 2-3) thus describes the Vaidarbhi Style:

(Text)

....................Mādhurya-vyañjakair=varṇai rachanā lalit-ātmikā || 2 ||
....................avṛittir=alpa-vṛittir=vā Vaidarbhī Rītir=uchyatē |

(Translation)

       â€œA dulcet composition with letters manifesting Sweetness with few or no compounds, is designated the Vaidarbhi Style.”

       One characteristic of the Style then is absence or paucity of compounds. But the other characteristic that is here specified is the presence of letters manifesting Sweetness or Mādhurya. And what are those letters? In reply to it, the Sāhityadarpaṇa (VIII, 3-4) has the following:

(Text)

....................Murdhni varg-āntya-varṇēna yuktāsh=ṭa-ṭha-ḍa-ḍhān=vinā |
....................ra-ṇau laghū cha tad-vyaktau varṇāḥ kāraṇatām gataḥ ||
...................avṛittir=alpa-vṛittir=vā madhurā rachanā tathā |

(Translation)

       â€œAll letters, excepting ṭ, ṭh, ḍ, ḍh, which are preceded by the last of every series, and by r and ṇ with short vowels, cause the manifestation of Sweetness, as also a negation or scarcity of compounds.”

       The very next Style defined in the Sāhityadarpaṇa is Gauḍī. It is of the following nature:.

.................................................(Text)

....................Ōjaḥ-prakāśakair=varṇair=bandha āḍambaraḥ punaḥ || 3 ||
....................samāsa-bahulā Gauḍī ...............................(IX, 3-4)