94. KĀVYĀDARŚA 91

KĀVYĀDARŚA 91

which will be discussed below, it has not been possible to point out that he borrows his examples from others. The काव्यादर्श mentions the following works by name: छन्दोविचिति (I.12), बृहत्कथा (I. 38 भूतभाषामयीं प्राहुरद्भुतार्थां बृहत्कथाम्), सेतुबन्ध (I. 34 'महाराष्ट्राश्रयां भाषां प्रकृष्टं प्राकृतं विदुः। सागरः सूक्तिरत्नानां सेतुबन्धादि यन्मयम् ।।).1 The बृहत्कथा occurs in the verse 'कथा हि सर्वं- भाषाभि: संस्कृतेन च बध्यते। भूतभाषामर्यी प्राङ्कुरद्मुतार्थां बृहत्कथाम्।.' This means 'A katha may be composed in all languages (Prakrits) and in Sanskrit, they say that the Brhatkatha which contains wonderful matter (stories) is composed in Bhūtabhāsā'

1 Dr. Manomohan Ghosh tries hard to establish that no Prakrit called Mahārāștrī existed before 1000 A. D. and that 'Dandin's praise of Maharastrī was a patriotic exaggeration' (vide pp. 67, 75-76 of his Introduction to Karpūramañjarī, 1948). It would be irrelevant in this work to go into the que- stion of the relation of Maharastri to Saurasenī. But the 2nd remark about Dandin's patriotic exaggeration must be dealt with here. No one would agree with Dr. Ghosh that Dandin was an ignoramus in the matter of Prakrits. Dandin deftnitely names (I. 34-35) महाराष्ट्री, शौरसेनी, गौडी and लाटी as different Prakrits and it is too much to say that a genius like Dandin was not able to distinguish between शौरसेनी and महाराष्ट्री. Patriotism and false propaganda are a marked attitude of the last two hundred years or so. If the अवन्तिसुन्दरीकथा and its सार are to be believed, the family of दएडी migrated from आनन्दपुर in the north- west of Aryadesa (in modern north Gujarat) to अचलपुर in नासि- क्यभूमि and दामोदर, great-grand-father of दएडी, came to कान्ची and acquired lands there. So four generations including aust dwelt in काञ्ची. Which was the country about which दएडी was to be patriotic, आनन्दपुर or अचलपुर or कान्ची ? There is nothing to show that महाराष्ट्र ever extended up to आनन्दपुर or down to कान्ची. He should ordinarily be supposed to love the country where four generations of his family lived i.e. aroat. He could hardly feel warmth about नासिक्यभूमि which was only the stepp- ing stone or second home of the family three generations before him. Therefore, the theory of patriotic exaggeration is absurd and if the facts do not fit in with one's theories or one's present knowledge, the theories must be given up and more knowledge awaited.