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

xv Ratnávalí, quotes the 24th verse of the 1st Act and praises it as a work of great merit.* Now this Damodar Gupta lived under Jayápída of Káshmír (A. D. 779–813). The play of Ratnávalí seems to have been widely known at this time, that is, the eighth century. It is impossible, therefore, that a king who lived in the 10th century could have written a play which had become fairly old and attained celebrity in the 8th century. This argument can be advanced with equal strength against the authorship of Harsha-Deva, king of Kashmir. (3) Vikramaditya Harsha of Ujjain cannot be the same as Shri-Harsha, the author of the three plays, because the latter is uniformly known as Harsha without the title Vikramáditya. If the author of the plays had possessed the title he would surely not have neglected to assume it. Besides Harsha Vikramáditya was an orthodox Bráhmana, while the author of the three plays shows a strong Buddhistic leaning in the Nágánanda. (4) (5) With regard to Shri Harsha, the author of Naishad- híya Charita, and Harsha, the author of Kávyapradípa, Mr. Pannikar dismisses them summarily on the ground that time places them out of the controversy. Harsha, the author of Naishadhíya Charita, who flourished under Jayachandra of Kanauj, lived about 1150 A. D. Among the works which he mentions as being composed by himself he does not mention any of these three plays. Besides his style, which is marked by crookedness of expressions, overstraining of words and distressing artificiality, is a marked contrast to the simple and elegant style of Ratnávalí and its sister plays. Besides Harsha of Naishadhíya-Charita was not a king but simply a poet who flourished under the patronage of the king of Kashmir and afterwards of the king of Kanauj; while the Harsha of Ratnávalí and its sister plays was a Sovereign Lord, 'with princes from various kingdoms dependent on his lotus-like feet.' See note on राजसमूहेन &c. p. 2. Now there remains Shri Harsha or Harsha-vardhana of Kanauj (606–648 A. D.) A careful examination of both the external and internal evidence leads us irresistibly to

• आश्लिष्टसन्धिबन्धं सन्पात्रसुवर्णयोजितं वृत्तम् । निपुणपरीक्षकहृदयं राजति रत्नावलीसदृशम् ॥