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

XI

bed-side of his dying father. Harsha's mother, Queen Yaśomatī immolated herself on the funeral pyre of her husband. Rājyavardhana who had defeated the Hūņas, returned as soon as he heard of his father's death. He was at once proclaimed king though his own desire was to turn out an ascetic, leaving the throne to his younger brother. Misfortunes still dogged the footsteps of the two brothers. Their brother- in-law, Grahavarmā, the ruler of Kanauj, the husband of their sister Rājyaśrī, was slain in battle by the king of Mālwa. The widowed queen was most cruelly treated and kept a prisoner at Kanauj. Rājyavardhana at once marched with a picked force against the king of Mālwa and succeeded in his campaign of vengeance by inflicting upon him a crushing defeat. But Rājyavardhana was lured into a private conference and treacherously murdered by Saśāṁka, the King of Gauḍa (Central Bengal), the ally of the Mālava King. The nobles unani- mously chose Harsha as their sovereign and he assumed the reins of government in 606 A. D., a date which is marked as the beginning of the 'Harsha era.' Harsha, who was in deep grief owing to a succession of domestic misfortunes, accepted the throne with great reluctance. He did not assume the title of 'king' for some years, but called himself simply Rājaputra Śīlāditya (Sun of Virtue). Mr. C. V. Vaidya says that Harsha was not reluctant to ascend the throne of Thaneshwar but he had scruples to accept the throne of Kanauj, since the rightful heir to that throne was his widowed sister, Rājyaśrī. Harsha was only sixteen when he assumed the responsibilities of governing a large kingdom. He had first two great duties to accomplish, the recovery of his widowed sister and avenging the murder of his elder brother. He succeeded in rescuing his sister who had fled into the Vindhya forests and was at this time contemplating suicide. She afterwards assumed the yellow robe and became the devoted companion and counsellor of her royal brother. As regards his second object of punishing Saśāṁka, king of Gauḍa, he seems to have succeeded in so far that he forced him to acknowledge his suzerainty. For nearly six years after his accession Harsha was engaged in incessant warfare with a view to bringing the whole of northern India under one domination. When Harsha had subjugated the whole of upper India, except the Punjab, he was formally crowned and