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SANSKRIT AUTHORS.

Oct. 4, 1872.]

of the greatest of the sovereigns of India. He was distinguished for his learning, his patronage

ascertained that Sangråma ascended the throne in 1027 A.D., and his son Ananta in 1052, and

of Sanskrit literature, and liberality to the poor.

Harsha the grandson of the latter in 1059. This last prince reigned only twelve years and consequently Somadeva must have written the Kathasarit Sāgar between 1059 and 1071. (Wil son on Hindu Fiction). From this it may be in ferred that the Vasavadatta was posterior to the

Several marvellous stories are related of him in the account of him called the Vikramārkacha

rita. He is there figured somewhat as Charle maigne and Arthur are in the romances of the Middle Ages. Whatever may be the authenti city of the Vikramacharita and other books which give accounts of him, they prove beyond all doubt, that this sovereign was most popular, that his reign was a long one and was distinguished by many great deeds and that he was very religious and protected the Varnas ramadharma or duties of caste and the religious orders. He is said to be the author of a kosha or

lexicon; but of what kosha, we cannot ascertain. From a catalogue of books sent by a Brahman from Kadappa, it would appear that this book is

Brihatkatha and that its author must have

flourished in the twelfth century. We learn the following from tradition. Subandhu, the author of the Vasavadatta, wrote the poem with a view to be rewarded by Vikramārka, and be fore he completed it that sovereign died. The author finding a new sovereign on the throne who was destitute of the learning, taste, and judgment necessary to appreciate his poem, be came hopeless and vented his despair in the stanza quoted above.

From this it follows that

the Saúsaravarta; but this statement is contra

Subundhu was a contemporary of Vikramārka.

dicted by Medinikara,” who in a list of lexico– graphers, enumerates most of the koshas which are prior to his book, and there mentions the

Who this Vikramārka was we cannot determine.

kosha of Vikramārka as a separate book. While from the Haravali it appears that the Sañsara

According to Major Wilford's Essay on Wi kramārka and Salivāhana, there were three Vikramārkas who were all alike celebrated for

their power, greatness, and good government. The first of them was the Vikramārka who

varta was written by Vikramārkat He is also said to be the author of a treatise on music.

The name of Vikramāditya was assumed by several kings and this, as remarked above, oc casions some confusion.

Subandhu in his Wā

savadattà says—

Sărasavattà vigatà navakā vilasanti , charati no kankah. Sarasiva kirtiseshum gatavati bhuvi Vikramāditye

flourished before Christ and is said to have been killed by Salivāhana. The second was the same with Srikama Deva. This prince is said to have reigned A.D. 191. The third Vikramā ditya commenced his reign in 441. The second of these three princes was also called Sūdraka.

In the Skanda Purāna, Kumarika Khanda it is said that a great king named Südraka will reign in the year of Kaliyuga 3290, that is in 198 A.D. This agrees well with the former

Now Subundhu quotes the Brihatkatha which

date. But we are not certain about the identity

is believed to be the same as the Kathasarit

of those kings, for the Skanda Purāna does not specify the Sudraka of whom it speaks.

Sāgara. But the author of this book says he compiled it for the recreation of the grand mother of Harshadeva; and this prince is said in the Rājataringini to have been the son of

There is a short grammatical

treatise in

Sanskrit containing about 700 anushtup stanzas divided into four chapters, and called Prayoga

Kulasa, the son of Ananta, the son of Sangrä

chandrika.

marājā.

bhupati, the ornament of the Chogan dynasty.

From a reliable source it has been

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