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The Indian Analyst
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North Indian Inscriptions |
LITERARY HISTORY where Kālidāsa describes Alakā, the capital of Kubēra, and to which our attention was first drawn by Bühler. It runs as follows: ..........Vidyutvantaṁ lalita-vanitāḥ s-ēndrachāpam sa-chitrāḥ âWhere the palaces can stand comparison with thee in various particulars: these, with beautiful women, with thee possessed of lightning; these with paintings, with thee accompanied by the rainbow ; these with tabors struck for music, with thee possessed of charming and deep-sounding thunders; these with crystalline floors, with thee filled with water; (and) these, as sky-scrapers, with thee occupying a high altitude.â Now, in verse 10 of the Mandasōr inscription, Vatsabhaṭṭi is evidently at great pains to bring out the best possible resemblance between the clouds and the buildings of Daśapura. And it is perfectly reasonable to say that he was indebted to Kālidāsa in this respect. The words taḍil-latā, abalā, atyartha-śuklāni, and adhik-ōnnatāni of this verse correspond, roughly, and, as would be expected of a third-rate poet, with vidyutvantaṁ, lalita--vanitā, maṇi-maya-bhuvaḥ, and abhraṁlih-āgrāḥ respectively of the stanza from the Mēghadūta. Only sa-chitrāḥ, saṁgītāya prahata-murajāḥ, etc., of the latter remain unaccounted for ; and, to our agreeable surprise, we find similar expressions used in the very next verse, namely, gāndharva-śabda-mukharāṇi and nivishṭa-chitra-karmāṇi. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that Vatsabhaṭṭi is here imitating Kālidāsa as the ensemble of thought and imagery is complete. Of course, Vatsabhaṭṭi says something more which is not traceable in the stanza from the Mēghadūta. Whether he does it with a view to excel the prototype as Bühler thinks, or to imitate, along with it, another parallel from some other poet as we suspect, it is very difficult to say. If any further proof is required in support of the conclusion that Vatsabhaṭṭi was acquainted with the works of Kālidāsa, it is furnished by verse 31 of the Mandasōr inscription. It is as follows:
....................Ramā-sanātha-bhavan-ōdara-bhāskar-āṁśu- â(In the season) which is pleasant in consequence of the interiors of the houses being crowded with young women (and) in consequence of the rays of the sun, (and) the warmth of fire, during which the fish lie deep in water and which is destitute of the enjoyments (caused by) the rays of the moon, flat roofs of houses, sandal paste, palmleaf fans, and garlands; and when the water-lilies are bitten by the frost.â The above stanza is an undeniable imitation of Kālidāsa’s Ṛitusaṁhāra, chap. V, verses 2-3, as was first pointed out by the late F. Kielhorn. These verses run thus: ...........................Niruddha-vātāyana-mandir-ōdaraṁ ...........................Na chandanaṁ Chandra-marīchi-śītalaṁ
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