246
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[AUGUST 2, 1872.
Rām a as a demi-god in Varāhamihira (505–
for the subject of two of his dramas the story of Rāma with special reference to Vālmīki's Rā māyana, (see my Abh. aber die Rāma Táp. Up. p. 279). And indeed one of these, the Uttara rámacharita, possesses in this respect a deep and special interest from the circumstance that it directly quotes some verses from the Rāmā yana,and thus provides a means of critically verifying the then existing text of the work. There are three passages in which this test can be applied. The first of these occurs in the second Act (ed. Calc. 1831, p. 27 ; ed. Cowell, Calc. 1862, p. 26), where the Rāmāyana I. 2, 18 (Schl., Ser., 17 Gorr. 15 Bomb., also in ABC), is quoted word for word, and as being (just as in that passage) the verse which prompt ed Val m i ki to enter upon the composition of
587), which takes for granted at least that he
the entire work :—
was at that time specially honoured (see my Abh. iiber die Rāma Táp. Up. p. 279), we in
mä nishāda pratishthām tvam agamah sás vatih samāh yatt krauñchamithunad ekam abadhih kā mamohitam|| The other two passages occur in the sixth Act (p. 115-116; Cowell, p. 157-158), the one closely following the other. The first consists
regard king Pravarasena II." as contemporary with, or perhaps as the immediate predecessor of the Chinese pilgrim, and therefore as belong
ing to the beginning of the seventh or the se cond half of the sixth century.f
Besides, we do
not need this identification in order to make good
that the Setu b and h a belongs at the latest
to this period, seeing that besides being referred to by Bána, it is expressly mentioned also in Dandin's Kāvyadarsa, I. 34; and the date of Dandin’s works ought no doubt also to be as signed to the sixth century (see Ind. Streifen, I. 312 ft.) Now, for this period the testimonies to the existence of the Ramāyana flow in upon us in
great abundance. Passing over the mention of
stance the following as referring to the poem itself:—the Bhattikāvya, writtent in Valabhi under king Sridharasena (530—545 according
to Lassen); the Satrunjaya-Māhātmya, written
in the same place under king Silāditya about 598.S.; the Văsaradattá of Sub and hu, written about the beginning of the seventh century, in which, among other evidence, express mention is made of
the Sundarakánda as
even then
known as a section of the Rāmāyana; and lastly the Kādambart of Bă n a, which dates from about the same time or rather a little later,"
and in which also repeated reference is made to the
Rāmāyana (see I.
36, 45, 81).
The
Saptas'ataka of Hāla (see v. 35, 316) may perhaps be also mentioned in the same con nection (see my Treatise on the same, p. 6 ft.). —And in the last place, last not least, we have
of two verses which, according to the statement
there given, should be found—bālacharitasyā 'nte ('ntye 2) dhyāye' (sic / not sarge (), conse quently at the close of the Bālakānda; they read thus:–
prakrityaiva priyā Sità Râmasya "sin mahāt manah | priyabhāvah sa tu tayå svagunair eva var dhitah| tathaiva Rāmah Sitāyal, prāyebhyo 'pi priyo 'bhavat
hridayam tv eva jānāti pritiyogam paras param||
to mention here also the name of Bh a v a b h
And corresponding herewith, the last chapter
fiti, whose date appears to be fixed by the Rājatarangin?, IV. 145, as belonging to the reign of Y a $o v arm a n, the contemporary of Lali tà dity a, and therefore, according to Lassen, 695–738.*.* It is well known, that he has taken
of the Bālakānda in BC, in Schlegel's and in
ºn the upper Narmadá valley, we learn that there were besides two other kings called Pra v ar a sen a who reigned there over a region that bore the name, Wakātaka.: see Prinsep, Journ. As. S. B. 1836, p. 727, ff.
Lassen, Ind. Alt. III. 65-4.
Pravarasena II. appears
in these inscriptions as the grandson, by his mother's side, of a Mahārājādhirāja Dev a g up ta, whom Lassen places at about 380-400. The seal impressed upon the corres grant bears the inscription (in sºloka):— Vrâkātakalalāmasya kramapráptanripas'riyah | rājnah Pravarasenasya såsanam ripus'asanam ||
- The grandfather of the same name, Pravarasena I, died
according to the Rāja-Tarangini, thirty-six years be fore the king mentioned in the text ascended the throne.
- ś.
the Bombay editions, and the last chapter but one in the Serampore edition, contain respec tively two verses (LXXXVII, 26, 27, Schl.,
LXIII, 72,73, Ser., LXXVII, 26-28, Bombay), f. In Bâna's Harshacharita, Pratāp a sºil a appears as the father of H a r s h a v ar d h an a and the king who,
according to Hiwen Thsang, corresponds with the latter himself bears the name Silāditya ; see Hall, Vásava datta, p. 17, 51 ; Ind. Streifen, I. 354-5. I See Lassen, Ind. Alt. III, 512.
...” my Abh.
iiber das Satrunjaya-Māhātmya, p. 8, 12
, ºv
| See Ind. Streifen, I. 373, 380.
- See Ind. Streiſen, I. 354ff.
- It is not clear what reason Hall has for placing Bha
vabhuti before Subandhu (Introduction to the Văsaradatti p. 27, 37); see Ind. Streifen I. 355.
+ yah B. (fol. 65)
