काव्यमीमांसा (महाकवि राजशेखर - कवि-रहस्य एवं देश-विभाग सटीक)

INTRODUCTION. XIII dynasty and was a junior contemporary of Rājaśekhara; and very probably joined the court of king Mahīpāla after the death of Rājaśekhara. There are good reasons to identify the Mahīpāla of Kṣemīśvara with the king Mahīpāla of the Gurjara Pratīhāra dynasty. Kṣe- mīśvara mentions that Mahīpāla defeated Karṇāṭas, and thus followed Candragupta Maurya of old in his foot-steps, who up- rooted the Nandas with the lead of Cāṇakya.¹ This, in all pro- bability, alludes to the incidents to which a reference has been made in the Cambay Plates of Govinda IV and the Khajuraho inscription (E. I. Vol. VII, pp. 26-47). From these we learn that the Rāṣṭrakuṭa king Indra III (c. 915-917) defeated king Mahīpāla of Kanauj in battle, and that the latter had great diffi- culties in regaining his throne; he could succeed only through the kind offices of one Chandēlla king Harṣadeva. Ārya Kṣemīśvara apparently alludes to this victory of his patron king over the Rāṣṭrakuṭas with the help of the Chandēlla king, and rightly compares this with the victory obtained over the Nandas by Candragupta through the assistance of Cāṇakya.² But it may, however, be noticed that this incident is not alluded to by Rāja- śekhara, and this fact makes it probable that the fight with the Rāṣṭrakuṭas took place much later in Mahīpāla’s reign. On the other hand, Kṣemīśvara who mentions this incident in his drama, in all probability belonged to the court of Mahīpāla when Rāja- śekhara was either dead or no longer there. There are further literary evidences in support of the period 880-920 A. D. assigned to Rājaśekhara. Ānandavardhana who flourished in a period between 857-884 A. D. is quoted by Rāja- śekhara,³ while Rājaśekhara is quoted by Somadeva,⁴ Soḍḍhala⁵ and Abhinavagupta⁶ who flourished in the later half of the 10th century.

1 यः संश्रित्य प्रकृतिगहनामार्थचाणक्यनीतिं जित्वा नन्दान् कुसुमनगरं चन्द्रगुप्तो जिगाय । कर्णाटत्वं ध्रुवमुपगतानद्य तानेव हन्तुं दोर्दर्पाढ्यः स पुनरभवच्छ्रीमहीपालदेवः ॥ Caṇḍakaus’ika, I 2 See J. O. R. Madras, VI. pp. 191-198. 3 See Kāvyamīmāṁsā, p. 16. 4 See Yas’astilakacampū, IV. 11. p. 113. 5 See Udayasundarī Kathā, VIII. 6 See Abhinavabhāratī, p. 42. G.O.S. ed.