स्वप्नवासवदत्तम् (महाकवि भास - संस्कृत मूल एवं हिन्दी अनुवाद)

xxviii INTRODUCTION. ' नवं शरावं सलिलस्य पूर्णं सुसंस्कृतं दर्भकृतोत्तरीयम् । तत् तस्य मा भून्नरकं च गच्छेद् यो भर्तृपिण्डस्य कृते न युध्येत् ॥' इति मन्त्रिपुरोहिताभ्यामुत्साहयेद् योधान् ” (Kautilya's Arthasâstra, Adhikarana 10. Adhyâya 3.) The substance of the passage is : that to the brave is reserved a happy end; those who lose their life in battle attain that which is won by long penance and sacrifices. The victorious are ever honoured on earth but he who shrinks from fighting for the royal master by whom he is fed is a sinner destined for hell. The sloka “नवं शरावं” which is quoted above is found in the fourth Act of Pratijnâyaugandharâyana addressed to soldiers to stimulate them to fight. Now we have to see whether this sloka is borrowed from the nâtaka by the author of Arthasâstra or the other way. When a minister out of policy addresses soldiers on the nobility of death in battle and the sinfulness of shrinking from fighting in the cause of one's master, his works are not likely to be credited, unless backed by authority. Hence, the first quotation, “सा ते गतिर्या शूराणां” from the sacred sruti. This is followed by two slokas which read as cited from a source which, in importance is of equal force with the smritis. Hence the sloka “नवं शरावं”— could not be the words of the author of the Arthasâstra. Further, the fact that it immediately follows another quotation also proves it to be a quotation. For, the previous sloka “यान् यज्ञसङ्घैः” is obviously a quotation as the word to which both यान् and तान् refer is not in the sloka, but has to be gathered as shown by the construction, from the passage preceding it in the work from which it is quoted. Again, Kautilya introduces the two slokas with “अपीह श्लोकौ भवतः” (meaning “here are the two slokas on the sub- ject”) which he never does in cases of his own slokas. Such a state- ment has significance only as referring to a quotation. Further, in Kâvyas, the authors having an easy and graceful command over words express their ideas, scientific or popular, naturally in their own words. But if ever they quote from others' works, they do so with an un- mistakable indication. As there is no such indication in Pratijnâ-