KADAMBAR . XX It is believed by some Sanskrit scholars that Bana rote before Sanskrit rhetoricians had done their best to degrade the sublime art of poetry to a pedantic enumera tion of set similes and metaphors (vide Dr Peterson's Introduction p. 48). We hold, with the greatest de ference, that this is, to a great extent, fallacious. We possess ample evidence to establish that long before Bana fourished, the science of Rhetoric had made great progress. We find that an inscription of Rudradaman (150 A.D.) exhibits a prose containing very long compoundsallitera @ion ( Anuprasa) and other figures*. In the same inscrip tion reference is made to “prose (Gadya) and poetry Padaya ) that are ornate, fine on account of the (poetic) conventions observed in them and that contain perspic ous, short, sweet, striking and charming words. An inscription of the time of Samudragupta (4th century A.D.) contains a prose that vies with that of Bana himselft. The Mandasor Inscription dated in the Malava era 529 (2. e. 473 A. D. ) contains verses that rival in diction and imagery the best efforts of Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti and other masters of classical Sanskritk. Dandin who, as we said above, is not placed later than the 6th century A. D., gives a See Archaeological Survey, Western India, vol. II ( about Kathiawad ) p. 128.
- स्फुटलघुमधुरचित्रकान्तशब्दसमयोदारालंकृतगद्यपद्य
- Dr. Fleet's Corpus Inscriptionum TIndicarum vol. III
p. 8. Mark the following ‘कृपणदीनानाथातुरजनोद्धरणसमत्रदीक्षाद्युपगतम् नसः समिद्धस्य विग्रहवतो लोकानुग्रहस्य धनदवरुणेन्द्रान्तकसमस्य स्वभुजबल विजितानेकनरपतिविभवप्रत्यर्पणनित्यव्यापृतायुक्तपुरुषस्य निशितविदग्धमतिगान्धर्वल- लितैर्दाडितत्रिदशपतिगुरुतुम्बुरुनारंदादेर्विद्वज्जनोपजीव्यानेककान्यक्रियाभिः प्रतिष्ठित कविराजशब्दस्य' &c. 8 See Dr. Fleets Corpus Inscriptionum vol. III p. 79f.
- We shall quote only two verses. ‘चतुःसमुद्रान्तविलोलमेखलां सुमेरु
कैलासवृहत्पयोधराम् । वनान्तवान्तस्फुटपुष्पहासिनीं कुमारगुप्ते पृथिवीं प्रशासति । सरवशगतरुणजनवछभाङ्गनाविपुलकान्तपीनोरुस्तनजघनघनालिङ्गननिर्भर्तिसततुहिन हिमपात ॥ ’ Tt will be noticed that the second verse ( an Arya } forms a single compound
