316

[Oct. 4, 1872.

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.

In the beginning of the book there is a stanza which runs as follows:–

Chandrāvati vadana chandra chakora vikra māditya bhūpathanayonaya tantravettä. “The son of Vikramārka who was as fond of

the face of (his wife) Chandravati as the Cha kora is of the moon.”

I think that there is a

stanza at the end of the book concerning the age of the author, but as the book is not at hand I cannot quote it. BHOJA.

This prince was the son of Sindhula, King of Dhārā in Malwa, and his uncle was called Munja. While he was very young his father died, and on account of his minority his uncle ascended the throne. The young prince made great progress in learning various arts and sciences. His popularity gradually in creased and excited the envy of his uncle, who apprehended that the young king would soon depose him. He wanted therefore to secure his position and contrived how to put his nephew to death. He sent for Vatsarāja, one of his tributary princes and, having communicated to him his design, asked him to murder the young Bhoja in a solitary wood. The latter, though unwilling to execute such an odious commission,

could not refuse, and accordingly he took the young prince to the place appointed. But when he went there and contemplated what he was going to do, he was seized with horror and his

own conscience prevented him from doing it. Instead of murdering the prince he took him privately to his house and presented to the king his sword besmeared with the blood of some wild animal which he had killed. When the

king asked him what his nephew said before his

death Vatsarājā gave him a leaf on which the young king had written a verse.

He read as

follows:–

Mândhātā samahipathih kritayuga lankāra bhūto gatah. Sethuryena mahodadherwirachitah kuäsan dasāsyāntakah. Anyechâpiyudhishtira prabhritayo yātādivum bhūpate Naikenäpi sa mangatā wasumati nunam turayå yāsyati. “Mandhāta, that king who was the ornament

of the kritayuga died.

Where is the enemy of

murder his nephew as he was ordered to do, but took him to his house and concealed him there. As soon as Bhoja was brought before him he embraced him and humbly asked his pardon. Soon after this the king placed his nephew on the throne and retired to the woods to perform ascetic ceremonies. The young Bhoja having thus got the throne of his father, invited poets and philosophers from all parts of India. The book from which I have taken the foregoing account makes the following poets his contemporaries:– Karpfira

Dhanapāla.

Kalinga

Bān a Bhavabhūti Bhāskara

Kāmadeva Kālidasa. Kokila

Sridáchandra

Gopāladeva Jayadeva Tärendra Dāmodera Somanātha

Harivansa Lakshmidhara

Vidyāvinoda

Visvävasu Mayúra Vishnu Kavi Mallinatha Sankera Maheswara Sāmbadeva Māgha Suka Muchukunda Sītā Rāmachandra Simanta Rāmeswarabhatta Subandhu

There are gross anachronisms here, but the author, Wallalasena who is said to have written the work in the 12th century, did not perceive

them, and his object was to eulogize the patron age of Sanskrit literature by this prince. This King of Dhāra is said to be the author of the Champurāmāyana. There is internal evidence at least to show that it is not the Brahman.

work of a

-

It contains a stanza in the beginning which is as follows:—

Uchairgathirjagati sidhyati dharmataschet tasya pramācha vachanaih krita ketaraischet teshåm prakāsana dasāpi mahi Suraischet. Tănantarena nipatet kwanu matpranāmah. “If salvation comes from virtue, if the au

thority for virtue (is given) by words not com posed (the Vedas) and if the work of spreading them is (to be done) by the Brahmans, whither will my homage go but to them 2 This verse could not have proceeded from the mouth of a Brahman.

At the end of each Kanda it is said

to have been written by Bhoja. Other works are ascribed to him, viz., the Sarasvati Kanthā bharana, a treatise on rhetoric, a commentary

Rāvana (Rāma) by whom a bridge was built to

on the lexicon of Amarasińha, a treatise on

the ocean

music, Rājavārtika, a commentary on the Patanjali sutra, and the Charuchārya. But there is no mention of these works in the Bhojacharitra. In the Vikramārka charitra it is said that Bhoja who was the King of Ujjayani and was the de

to heaven.

Others such as Yudhishthira went

The earth followed none of them;

but it will certainly follow you.” No sooner did the king read this verse than he fell down thunderstruck, but was soon consoled by Vatsarājā, who told him that he did not

scendant of Vikramārka wanted to ascend the