प्रियदर्शिका नाटिका (सम्राट हर्षवर्धन - चतुरङ्क शास्त्रीय नाटिका सान्वय सटीक)

XVII 'Subhāshitāvalī' and 'Sādhūktikarṇāmṛta' stanzas under the name of Harsha are quoted. Seventhly, there are epigraphic records which prove that Harsha was an author who not only wrote dramas, but also stray verses. The inscriptions on the well-known Banskhera and Madhuban plates are indisputably his own compositions. In the Banskhera plate (628 A. D.) which bears Harsha's own signature we find— "It is the own hand of me, the Paramount Lord, the Glorious Harsha ( स्वहस्तो मम महाराजाधिराज-श्री-हर्षस्य )." Among the verses inscribed on the plates, there is one which is very beautiful and runs thus :—कर्मणा मनसा वाचा कर्तव्यं प्राणिने हितम् । हर्षेणैतत् समाख्यातं धर्मार्जनमनुत्तमम् ॥ Lastly, two short Sanskrit poems on Buddhistic spirit are attributed to Harsha. One of these is named, सुप्रभातस्तोत्र, a morning hymn in praise of the Buddha and the other is called अष्टमहाश्रीचैत्यसं- स्तुतं स्तोत्र, a hymn to the eight Great Buddhist Shrines. These poems thoroughly harmonize with Harsha's acceptance of Buddhistic doctrine in the latter part of his life. It is, however, necessary, to mention and refute the theories started by some scholiasts that Harsha did not himself write these plays but got them written for him by a court poet of his, who was amply rewarded for his labour. This theory is based upon a sentence in the Kāvyaprakāsha of Mammaṭa, who lived about 1100 A. D. Mammaṭa speaking of काव्य or poetry says that it leads to the acquisition of wealth, as in the case of Dhāvaka and others from Shri Harsha and the like— श्रीहर्षाद्धावकादीनामिव धनम् ।. Several commentators have interpreted this text to mean that a poet, Dhāvaka wrote a play by name Ratnāvalī for Shri-Harsha and obtained wealth from him. The commentator Nāgoji Bhatta comments on the sentence thus:—धावकः कविः । स हि श्रीहर्षनाम्ना रत्नावलीं कृत्वा बहु धनं लब्धवानिति प्रसिद्धम् । " In the manuscripts of काव्यप्रकाश found in Kāshmir, the passage is read thus:—' श्रीहर्षाद्वाणादीनामिव धनम् " The original text of Mammaṭa, "श्रीहर्षाद्धावकादीनामिव or "श्रीहर्षाद्वाणादीनामिव धनम्" if interpreted naturally without reading into it any pre-con- ceived idea, would mean that poets like Dhāwaka or Bāṇa obtained wealth from their patron, Shri Harsha, for their literary works. In other words these poets were liberally rewarded by their patron, King Harsha. This interpretation is natural and correct and is in conformity with the tradition which ascribes Ratnāvalī and its sister plays to Shri Harsha. The interpretation of the commentators, who lived several