125. 122 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

122 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

भाता मम पुत्रः पिता नम। मातुलो भागिनेयश्च रुषा संरग्घचेतसः । भस्यन्तो विविधान्याजावायुवान्यपराधिनम्। एकाकिनमरएयान्यां न हन्युर्वहवः कथम्॥ नमोस्तु तेम्यो विळव्म्यो येऽभिप्रायं कवेरिमम्। शास्त्रलोकावपास्यैवं नयन्ति नयवेदिनः। सचेतसो वनेभस्य चर्मखा निर्मितस्य च। अन्तरं वेद वालोपि कष्टं कि नुकथं नु तत्।' IV. 41-47). Mr. Ganapati Sāstri thinks that this is an attack against the प्रतिश्ञायौगन्वरायण of भास. His theory is that भामह preceded कालिदास and followed भास and he relies upon the fact that in the speech of ran (I Act p. 13) the words 'अरेष मम भादा हदो अेष मम पिदा अशेष मम सुदो मम वभ्रस्सत्ति अएयहा भट्टियो वएणभ्रन्ता .etc.' are almost the same as the words 'हतोनेन मम भ्राता &c' (from भामह). This looks a plausible theory at first sight; but on closer examination it will be found that it is based on a very weak foundation. Several points in the passage from arHg have escaped the learned Śāstri's vigilance. For want of space, all the points cannot be set out here. But the most important thing to note is that in the प्रतिज्ञा० उदयन is accompanied by twenty foot-soldiers who are all killed in the ambush except हंसक; while भामह uses the words एकाकिनं in IV. 44. Besides, the cries of the attacking party are not identical in both. In the प्रतिशाo there is no reference to मातुल and भागिनेय which occur in भामह's work. It appears to me that the words of भामह 'नमोस्तु तेम्यो &'c. amount to this that some poet first narrated the story of उदयन and then others (referred to as विद्ङ्भयः) adapted (नयन्ति) the story for their own purposes (in a mahākāvya or drama), wherein they made the king unable to distinguish between a real elephant and a sham one and made him start on an adventure ' single-handed. Therefore, it seems that the original story is probably that of the Ea4T (referred to as कवे:) and भामह is criticizing some drama or poem based thereon. In the बृहत्कथामअरी (II. 2) where this adventure of उदयन is narrated, we are told that उदयन started alone with his वीखा (गजेन्द्रबन्धकुशलो विवेशको महदनम् । verse 34) and the author केमेन्द्र makes the sage reflection 'प्रायेश व्यसवासक्तिर्मोहाय महतामपि.' This is the real purport of the story to which probably भामह refers in the words (कवेरभिप्रायमिमम्). The कथासरित्सागर gives more details. But there also we have these statements that saqa's detectives reported to him the discovery of a wonderful elephant (taking it to be real),