rect state in which the text of it was edited and published by Dr. Tullberg, has in my humble opinion, not a little contributed to the neglect into which the play has hitherto been thrown by the public, to the fact that by some ‡it is regarded as a production not of that Kâlidâsa of antiquity, who has presented us with the immortal plays of the Śâkuntala and the Vikramorvas'i, but of an inferior namesake of him, who belonged to a very modern time. But how far the drama in question deserves that it should be denied the honour of coming from the hands of the celebrated author of the Śâkuntalaand how far he himself deserves to be deprived of the credit of writing it, seems to require some examination.
<ref> ‡ Thus Dr. Hall (Vâsavadattâ, preface, page 15) not only believes that the play does not belong to the author of the Śâkuntala, but that it does not belong to any Kâlidâsa at all. He says, " I will add that the frequent omission in MSS. of this drama of the words attributing it to Kâlidâsa furnishes a strong presumption that they have been foisted into the original composition. " I do not understand what words are those that Dr. Hall says are omitted in the MSS. of the play that he examined. It is difficult to see how the prologue can possibly stand without the words attributing the drama to Kâlidâsa. Indeed, the name of Kalidasa is twice repeated in the prologue and unless the name of some other author is — foisted" into the text in place of that of Kalidasa in the MSS. of the play that Dr. Hall collated, it is impossible to suppose that they contain the prologue. None of the seven MSS. of the drama, all of them highly trustworthy that I have collated, omit the words attributing it to Kâlidâsa, and do not furnish any – presumption that they have been foisted into the text. It were very much to be wished that the learned editor of Vâsavadattâ had been more explicit in his note, and stated what particular words are omitted in his MSS.and how the prologue stands therein, if it does stand at all. It may not be improbable that his MSS, are not much superior to those on which Dr. Tullberg based his text of the drama. .
