101. 98 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

98 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

kumāracarita point to the inference that Dandin must have flourished not long after 550 AD. After the publication of the भवन्तिसुन्दरीकथा controversies arose about its being a work of Dandin. Vide I. H. Q. vol. III pp. 169-171 (Harihar Shastri) and pp. 395-403 (Dr. De) and I. H. Q. vol. I. p. 31 ff. It was pointed out that, though aRfa is called a महाकवि in the work, there is no reference to the किराताजुनीय, which is somewhat surprising, since दएडी is said to have been the great-grandson of दामोदर who was a friend of भारवि. In a paper on 'Problems of Identity' the great scholar, the late M. M. Prof. Kuppuswami, in J. O. R. Madras vol. I. pp. 191- 201 appears to have entertained doubts about दएडी being the author of the अवन्तिसुन्दरीकथा (pp.200-201 and n 5). 'In J.O. R. Madras vol. V. part 2, p. 4. Dr. Raghavan points out that in a ms. of नामसंग्रहमाला of अप्पय्यदीक्तित (different from the famous Vedantin) it is stated 'निरस्ता पल्लवेषु कान्ची नाम नगरीत्यवन्तिसुन्दरीये दरिढप्रयोगाव्'. In J.O.R. Madras vol. XIII. part 4 at p. 294 Dr. Raghavan states that in some mss. of the सूक्तिरत्नहार of कालिशराय (published in the Tri. S. Series) the verse मर्त्ययन्त्रेषु (which is the 3rd Intro. verse of अवन्ति० praising the महाभारत) is ascribed to दएडी. I find that the com. called श्ुतानुपालिनी on the काव्यादर्श (D. C. ms. No. ll1 of 1919-24 entered in Des. Cat. vol. XII. No. 125 p.137) while explaining काव्यादर्श I. 81 remarks (on folio 3) 'भाख्यायिका शद्रकचरितप्रभृतिः सा आदिः येषां (यास।?) भवन्तिसुन्दर्यादिकथानां तास्वित्यर्थ:' For the genealogy of Dandin and further information about the Avantisundarī-katha, vide vol. I. of the New Catalogus Catalogorum edited by Dr. Raghavan pp. 308-310 under Avantisundari. Considering all that has been said by many scholars I am inclined to hold on the whole (though with some hesitation)1 that the Avantisundarīkatha is a

1 The hestitation is mainly due to four circumstances viz. (1) non-mention of the किरातार्जुनीय or any other work as composed by भारवि; (2) the meagre extent of the printed भवन्तिसुन्दरीकथा as compared with the दशकुमारचरित; (3) the super- natural element about a गन्धर्व singing an भार्या verse of दामोदर; (4) difference between the style of भवन्तिसुन्दरीकथा and of दशकुमार- चरित. The अवन्तिसुन्दरीकथासार must have.been composed by some other person who based the story on the भवन्तिसुन्दरीकथा, as भभि- नन्द wrote his कादस्वरीकथासार on वाख's कादम्वरी.