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

different topics of the Kāvyamīmāṁsā, Rājaśekhara cites examples and verses from earlier works, which throw a flood of light on the problems of political history. And, here, it is proposed to give a few examples which definitely show that the Kāvyamīmāṁsā is able to help historical studies. The verse दत्त्वा रुद्धगतिः etc. occurs on p. 47 of this work, and this is given manifestly as an example of Muktaka or a detached verse. But the verse alludes to a very important historical fact. On information obtained from this verse and other sources such as the fragments of the Devīcandragupta¹ of Viśākhadatta, the Sañjan Copper-plates of Amoghavarṣa² I, (A. D. 873), Bāṇa's Harṣacarita,³ Śṛṅgāraprakāśa⁴ of Bhoja, the Cambay plate of Govinda⁵ IV, the Nāṭyadarpaṇa of Rāmacandra and Guṇacandra,⁶ scholars have come to certain conclusions regarding the history of the Gupta period, and these may be summarised as follows. There was a king called Rāmagupta who succeeded his father Samudra- gupta and preceded his brother Candragupta II, and ruled for a short time. Dhruvadevī was the queen of Rāmagupta originally. This king encountered a certain Khasa or Śaka king in the Himālayas and was defeated. He saved himself and his kingdom by entering into an ignominious treaty with the victor. According to the terms of the treaty he was to surrender his queen Dhruva- devī to the Khasa or Śaka king in return for the liberty of himself and his kingdom. The humiliating treaty enraged his brother Candragupta, who, disguised himself as Queen Dhruvadevī, went to the enemies' camp at Alipura and killed the Khasa or Śaka king. On his return, he killed his brother Rāmagupta also and married his widowed queen Dhruvadevī. There is a general agreement amongst scholars regarding the historical facts just mentioned, but on certain details there still rages a great controversy. The controversy centres round the

1. Portions from this drama are found quoted in the Śṛṅgāraprakāśa and the Nāṭyadarpaṇa (G. O. S. edi. ).
2. E. I. Vol. XVIII p. 248.
3. अरि(लि)पुरे च परकलत्रकामुकं कामिनीवेषगुप्तश्चन्द्रगुप्तः शकपतिमशातयत् ।
4. स्त्रीवेषनिह्नुतश्चन्द्रगुप्तः शत्रोः स्कन्धावारं अलिपुरं शकपतिवधायागमत् ।
5. E. I. Vol. VII, p. 36.
6. G. O. S. edi.