CRITJCAL EXAMJNATlON OF SOME READINGS OF

BANABHATIA' S KADAMBARI
By
R. C. HA Z RA, Calcutta

Bal)abhatta's success as a writer of ornate prose has earned for him a meed
of praise from his successors and also a very high position among the writers of
Sanskrit prose romance. Consequentl y, his works have been studied widely and
edited more than once. But in spite of the best attempts of th e learned editors
t0 present the genuine and faultless tcx t of his works, there are readings, retained
even in the most respectable editions, which are not beyond objection. As these
readings stand in the way of our correctly understanding the meaning intended
by Bal)abhatta and thus forming a proper estimate of his learning and creative
art, we examine below a few of them from the early part of the Kiidambari, of
which we have used the following editions:
( i ) The Nirl)aya Sagara Press edition ( referred to below as 'NSP
edition ').1
( ii ) P . Peterson's edition. 2
( iii ) P. V. Kane's edition. 3
( iv) P. L. Vaidya's edition}
( v ) The Banaras cdition. 5
(vi ) M. R. Kale's edition. 6

1 Prepared by Kashinath Pandurang Parab with the commentaries of Bhiinu-candra and

his disciple Siddha-candra on the l>urva-bhaga and the Uttara-bhiiga respectively and published
from Bombay for the seventh time in 1932 A .D. after revision made by Viisudev11 LaksmaQa
Siistrl PaQasikara.
2 Published for the third time in 1900 A .D. in the Bombay Sanskrit Series (Bombay).
3 Containing a part of the Piirva-bhiiga ( up to the end of the description of the lake
Acchoda, i.e. up top. 234 of the NSP cd. ); published from Bombay in 1920 A.D. with intra·
duction, notes and appendices.
' Containing the Katha-mukha only; published for the second time in 1959 A.D. in the
Poona Oriental Series ( Poona) with J. N. S. Chakravarty's English translation and P. V.
Kane's notes.
6 Containing the Piirva-bhiiga only; published in 1953 A. D. in the Chowk.hamba Sans-
krit Series ( Banars) with Kr~ J):t-mohana Siistri's commentary ' Candra-kalli' and Hindi
translation ' Vidyotini ' .
° Containing the Piirva-bhiiga only; revi sed and published, for the third time in 1928
A.D., by Gopal Narayen and ·Co. (Bombay), with Kale~s commentary Biila-bodhini and
English notes.
 1
CRITI CAL EXAMINATION or SOMT: REAblNUS OF JJANABHATJA S KADAMIIARl 35
(vii) Haridasa Siddhanta-va gisa's edition. 7
( viii) Jivananda Vidyasa gara's edition.8
( ix ) Girisa-cand ra Vidyftratna' s edition. 9
Besides the editions mentioned above there wa~ another published from
Calcutta under the editorship of Pan.d it Taraniitha Tarka-vacaspati, but being
unable to procure a copy of this edition we could not utilise it in the following
pages. As we have used as many as three Calcutta editions, this omission, we
are sure, will not create any detlciency in our study.
It is a fact that in our critical exa mina tion of th e readings mentioned below
we have not consulted any manuscript o f the f(ddamhari other than those used
in the said editions o f th is work, but we ha ve taken into consideration, for test-
ing the genuineness of a reading, scv\:ra l o ther factors which cannot be set aside
as irrelevant, unscientific or indecisive. As our resources are thus rather limited,
we have confined our study o nly to; those select readings from the said part of
the Kddambari which , for their authenticity, depend no t so much on ma nuscript
evidence as on other fact ors. Th~se readings are stated and examined below.
I. The sixteenth introd uctory verse of this work runs as follows in the
NSP edition as well as in those of Peterson, Kane and Va idya:
B f~'n:i n<l ~ +n;:r~li<IT Wfl'elH<lt ~fclt~T~~ TW-<;1~ 1
3l'9Tif <J't.~ ~m-liT't~rq~ ,.;1\tTJ %<.>~ref<J9 ~<JT"'l<n*l:_ 11
In this verse th e reading '<:·.fi~<i"trt€t!:!+! i!._', which was accepted by the famous com-
mentator Bhanu-candra, ha s been replaced by '<:'fi~~!fi.'lllii!li!._' in the Ba naras ed.
and also in those of Kale, Siddh a nta-viigi5a, Vidyasiigara and Vidyaratna. As
neither of these two readin gs can be said to be g rammatically incorrect or non-
sensical, we a re to choose between them very carefully by taking into considera-
tion all kinds of evidence, internal and exte rnal.
Although, as Peterson's ed. shows, be1tcr manuscript evidence appears to
be in favour of the former reading ( ~'fif~-.@q~llf+ri!._), there are other factors, stated
below, which go definitely against it.
( 1 ) In the said verse ' Citrabha nu ' is the Upameya (object of compar-
ison) and' Kailiisa' is the Upamiina (standard of comparison), but there is no
word which makes a clear a nd definite mention of their sadhiirm:ta·dharma (com-
mon property), which one may feel inclined to lake to be implied by the word
'sphatikopalopamam ' , in which ' sphatikopala ', again , is the Upamana for
' K ailiisa '. But what particular quality of sph atikopala are we to take here as
the basis of comparison ? The Garur/apurcif:w ( I. 79) descri bcs th e origin and
• Containing the P iirva·bhaga only; published from Calcutta for the third time in Saka
1857 with the editor's own commentary Kalpcrlata and Bengali translation.
s Published from Calcutta in 1889 A.D. with his own commentary.
9 Published from Calcutta in l 885 A.D. ( 1292 B. S. ) with his own brief commentary.
36 R.. c. l·iAZRA

characteristics of a ' Taila ' spha!ika in three verses, and from these we learn that
this variety of sphatika ' is white like a lotus-fibre and a conchshell, is slightly
tinged with some other hue', and is the most sanctifying of all gems. 1° Accord·
ing to a few more verses quoted in the Yukti-ka/patarutl spbatikas growing in
differ~nt places differ remarkably in colour and brightness. Thus, the spbatikas
growing in the Himalayas are white and bright like ·the moon and consist of two
varieties called Surya·kanta and Candra·kiinta which pour out fire and nectarine
water at the very touch of the rays of the sun and the full moon respectively ;
those growing in the Vindhyas 'have the colour of a fresh sprout of an Asoka
tree ', ' are very similar to pomegranate-seeds ' and ' have dull beauty ' ; and
those of Ceylon are black. 12 Some of these verses de~cribe other kinds of
sphatikas too, viz., those which are 'extremely clear and transparent aml appear
to p.:>ur out clear water ', those which, being red, are called 'Rajii.varta ,' those
which are slightly blue and go by the name 'Raja maya', others which bear
marks resembling a sacred thread and are called 'Brahmamaya ', and so on. 13
- - - - --·- -
~T~~t>lcri5 f'1'if"''~IJ!T«:fUf'~cr~ I
10

01" i'f~~<i f1; vi'! ~ 3ll!.l"CfT liW<if~Ol~ :I

Garu1la-purcl!ta ( ed. Yangavasi Press, Calcutta, 1338 B. S.) I. 79. 2b-3a ( = ed. Jivananda
Vidyasagara, Calcutta, 1890 A.D., J. 79. 2b-3a c. cd. Venkatesvara Press, Bombay, I. 79. 2b·3a).
This verse, as quoted in the Yukri-kafpararu ( cd. isvar-candra Siistri, Calcutta, 1917 A.D.),
reads ' ra.tmincim ' for 'ratiWI?I ca '
11 That this work was compiled not by Bhoja of Ohara as is generally believed but by
somebody from Eastern India, most probably frorn Bengal, has been shown by us in our article
(entitled ' Js the Yukti-ka/pataru a Work of Bhoja ?' ) published in Professor P. K Gode
Commemoration Volume ( poona, 1960 ), Part ll, pp. 161-J 68.
u fu:11~"'f "Fl\~ifil~ ~'li~<ii i'f' fi:'<IT ~~('[.I
~il<iiF9" ~ q~ ~•J:;<flfi;=f Cfl!.l"Tli\~ il
li.<~T~~'l~l1~ crit cr11ffi 7.1~ ~~~ 1
~~F-t 0?.:1<?1-IT~ ~~<t; \~<lifrtfil: II
·t:i1~'1'i•*q~t~l'l~ ~crfu ~IJ!Ti'l. 1
vi=;<J>Fff i'f~l~7.il~ ~~+l crq_ <ii~T ~il II
3lW<fili'M"'m<i ~~~ofi'"fttfiiwr_ 1
fet;o.<nz<fief2: ~~ ;;;orllet li•?.:Cfllf<o~+~:,ll
ff:l~ ~~l!~ 'li'llJGT<i( ili'<l";:fr~'t; I
Yukri-kalpararu, p. 137.
13
q~UlFI~ ~:!.IT~ f~fel-..j' ~q:;ft<i; ~it(f, II
~(l!~frl4~ ~Cf~ ~'ltfi<r ;;;-~ ~f~ I
;:;~rfif;;<fl!5<1 mWi~ !}'ffir ;;~r~zB" fit:o! 11
o't<r ~~CfT<iiT't ~TO'IT<rc1"!}t:::JS(1+1:, I
<11Ffr~ (f~ !!Iliff'~ sfRfi ~~:oflf~ ~~~ I I
'~~'l'lllf-4 <r~ !lr~ ifii!l{<i ~:of 1
ibid., p. 137 .
 CRlTICAL EXAMINAIION OJ SOM E 1tlADINGS OF BANABHATTA's KADAMBARI 37

Besides the' Taila-sphatikas' there are also the' K~ira-sphatikas • which must be
very white in colour. 14 ln Sanskrit works a sphatika is variouly named as
' fa~q~ ', ' f<ttt~llfiii ', 'f<lii~)q~ ', ' ~'~'""' ' , ' <''1"<3ftiUt' etc. in accordance with its
prominent characteristics. 15 Thus, sphatikas being of different hues and shades
of beauty, one cannot be definite about the nature and quality of the' sphatiko·
pal a' mentioned in the word ' ~'li~qilq11~,'. Consequently, the use of' Kailasa'
as an Upamana for · Citrabh:lnu' becomes indecisive and consequently useless.
J n explaining this word ( ~'li~iT'F~tql1~.) Bhanu-candra says :
" ~~q~: e,iT{~<11~'li~~!'l'i!!Ttt•l!: ~<~"3~fu!ier~qm l!~i!l tt -t~r Cfll.l ~fif~t\: 1"
But we do not understand why the word 'sphatikopala' should be taken here
to mean only a ' svaccha-sphatika' and not a white one, although, as we shall
sec below, the Kailftsa mountain is widely known not for its' svacchatva' but for
its white colour and the sphatika stones growing in the Himalayas or constituting
the peak of the Kailasa mountain are said invariably to be white. Moreover,
the Kailasa mountain may be spotless ( nirmala) but is certainly not transparent
( svaccha) , and as the sphatika stones constitutiug this mountain are said to give
out streams of clear water with the rise of the full moon, they must be of the
variety called 'Candrakiinta-ma1.1i' and consequently white and bright.
( 2 ) The Kailasa mountain is traditionally said to be 'made of ( or,
abounding in ) sphatika~ ' ( evidently because of the eternal snow collecting on
it) . In the Kumiira-sarf1bhm•a it is described (or rather named) more than once
as' ~'l'i~ilif~'il' and' ~q;rP.:'li~Z'- •• 16 The Sanskrit lexicons also give' ~~ilif"'f"~' as
a synonym for '~Z'-Ttl ' . 17 lu commenting on Meghaduta 1.61 ( lli'<n m..~ ~~:!~~m­
"~lffioq~~~:t: etc. ) Mallinfttha takes this mountain to be made of spha{ika or

rajata (silver ) . Js According to the Harivat!1Sa it is ' covered by spbatika gems'

11 Sec, for instance, Hcma-candra's Abhidhiina-cintiimaui ( ed. Kalivara Vedanta-vagisa

and Ramadasa Sena, Calcutta, 1934 ), 4.134 ( p. 158 )- Kviratailasphatikabhyiimanyau khaspha-
!ikiivimau and Bhiinu-candra's commentar·y (on verse 16 of the Kiidambari)-Sphatikopalab
K!iratatiasplratikiibhyiimanya!z sracchaspha!ika~z . .••...•.•
I$ Sec, for instance, Riija-nighauru ( published, with the Dlzanvantariyanigha(lfu, in the
Anandasrama Sanskrit Series, No. 33, Poona, seconded. (1929). p. 380-
~'l'iR:il\: fu-i!q~: ~IC::lli11 1lfUlfM<?itq<15: ~or.:~: I
~<f.:~qf1il\ll<"R<'~ f?.<:g'Hiot ~<rfli4 <FP'IT li
See also Sabda-kalpaclmma ( s . v. 'sphatika ' ).
,. Kumiira-smrzblwva Y.39 ( .• . . spha{ikiicalendra/r kailiisaniimii . . .. ), 12.21 ( ntrajyam anc
spha{ikacalena . . .. ), 9.46 ( . . . sphatikaS:ai/as,-,ige ), 14.5 ( airiil'afm!l sphiitika5ailasodaram ).
1' See, for instance, Hema-candra' s Abftirlluinn-cinliima{zi 4.94 ( p. 153 ),-Rajatiidristu·
kailiiso',v{dpada(l splw!ikiicala/r.
'" Kailiismya sphiitikatrtid riijutat•'iidvii bimbagriihitvenedamuktal/l-( Mallinatha's
commentary ).
38 k. C. HAZR.\

( ~~12'%-tfUl~f~o: ).
Even 13ii~:t<lbhat(a himself says both in his llar,w -carita and
19

Kddambari that this mountain consists of sphatika stone, so much so that with
the rise of the moon streams of water run down its slopes. 2o So, this mountain,
being 'sphatika' or spha(ikamaya ' ( i. e. made of, or abounding in, sphatika ),
can by no means be said to be 'spha~ikopalopama '; and thus there remains no
sadhara~:ta-<!harma (common property) to justify the usc of 'Kailiisa ' as an
Upainana for' Citrabhiinu '.
Curiously enough, Bhiinu-candra applies the word '~q;f:::-f)'1~1'11l+t._' to Kailasa
also and explains it saying: "~'lif?:i.T~Ilmf;'ffllrr ~T.fi'f.li~f"'F'l ~.~!"H":!R ". But it is
hardly necessa ry to say that this explanation is highly arbitrary and consequently
quite unacceptable, the sa id word mean ing co mparison with sphatikopala and
not constitution of the Kail;ba mountain with this stone.
( 3) If, in the word' ~q;f.h~ir'lil'll1~', the quality of purity or spotlessness
( vimalatva, nirma!atva) of sphatikopala is meant, then thio; word, when taken
as an adjective to ' fu'!!'~'~T:'!;(, fully expresses the idea of Citrabhanu's purity by
comparing him with sphatikopala and thus makes the employment of the second
Upamiina (viz., Kailiisa) perfectly unnecessa ry and redundant. Moreover, as
this compound word (' ~8-ifq~ql:Pl, ') cannot be dissolved in a different way in
the case of' Kailasa' and as it does not mention any particular quality for which
'sphatikopala' may become the Upamana for 'Kail:lsa ', the comparison of
Citrabha nu \vith this mountain become~ queer and a bsurd and serves no purpose.
1t is a fact that both Citrabhanu and Kailasa are sa id to be 'a:~•nlFl,', although
this word means 'possessing forgiveness' in the case of the former and 'supporter
of the earth' (i.e., 'mountain ' ) in the case of the latter, but it cannot be taken
as a common property for instituting comparison between the said two indivi-
duals, because this property is common to all of Arthapati's sons (including
Citrabhanu) as well as to all mountains (including Kailasa) and is not limited
to the said two individuals only.
( 4) The Kailasa mountain is widely mentioned in Sanskrit \Vorks as being
white in colour. 21 Consequently, it is also called 'Svetadri' or 'Sveta-giri'

1• Hariva'!1Sa ( cd . Vangavasi Press, Calcutta, Saka 1827 ), iii. 27.10-lla.

2u See Har.Ja-carita ( ed. Nirf)aya Sagara Press, Bombay, 1946 ), l/cchl'cisa ll ( p. 73 )-
, . Kailasam-im mahatc'i splwtikata{ena uru~u'i ural,lkaplitena rcljamc'inam .. .. ; and Kc'idambari
(NSP ed.), p. 110-sitakusumagrathitr'ib/iil,l .... indukarakalc'ibhir-raikakyasragbir-nirantonmicita-
Sarirataya dharalave,mparigrahataycl ca . . . . kailasa im sraratsrotasvinisrotorcisi(t . ... , p. 303-
tatra ca .. . . cara1wyugalmJI kailtisatatcic-cmulrodayaprasrtacandra/a'illlwna(liprasrava(re k,fcilayami
... . , p . 326- . . . . prasra1·atsu ca kailiisa!;asima11isitiinii1!1 sarvatab srota/:lsrciviytr prasmva(te~·u . . .•
21 See, for instance, Riirnclya(la (eel. Vangav;isi Press, Calcutta, .1294 B.S.) vii. II. 50a
( jn which the Kaitasa moun lain is described as ' moon-while ' - sasi-vimala ) ; Harh·wrtsa iii.
35. 4S ( SubllratJI pc'i(l(larameglu'ibltw?t kailiiSIIIJ1 ca nagnttamaf!l ) ; Viiyu-purii~ta ( ed. Ananda-
srama Press, Poona, 1905) 41. l ( ...... smikhavarcasam kailasam .. . ... II); Skanda-purii(lO
 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF SOME READINGS OF !lANATHIATTA'S KADAMBARI 39

(White Hill ), 22 and ' Rajatadri' (a mountain of silver ) or ' Rajata-prastha •

(a mountain with silvern peaks ). 23 The great prominence of its white colour is
evident from the fa ct that in the great majority of cases this colour forms the
basis of the use of this mountain as a standard of compariso n ( upamana ).
Thus, Balarama (also called Balabhadra and Sai]1kar~al)a ), who is said in the
Mahabharata and other works to be very tall and white24 and who, for his white
complexion, is given out in the M aluibhtirata ( i. 197. 32-33 )2S and the Vi§!!<~·
puratta ( v. I. 59-60} to be the incarna tion of a white hair of Vi~t) U, is often
compared to the peak of the Kailasa mountain 26; Indra's elephant Airavata,
------ - -·- ·-
( ed. Vm'lgavasi Press, Calcutt~ . ()18 B.S. ), Mahesvara-khaQda, i ( Kedara-kha1,1Qa ). 34. 9b
( .. .. parvata.vre,~(hal!l kailcism11 candrapiitJ<furam ) ; Meghaduta 1. 61 ( gatva cordflvm!l dasa-
mukhabhujochhvcisita etc. , in which the Kailasa mountain, with its lofty and lily-white peaks, is
said to be, as it were, Siva' s loud laugh accumulated day by day) and 1.62 ( utpasyiimi tvayi
ta(agate etc., in which Kailiisa is said to be as while as a freshly cut piece of ivory-sadyabkrtta-
dviradadasanacchedagaura ); and so on.
See also J yo tiriSvara Kavisekharacarya's VarJJa-ratniikara ( ed. Suniti K umar Chatterji
and Babua Mishra, Bibliotheca lndica, Calcut ta, 1940 ), p. 7 -Atha niiyikci hiisyavar~1anii II
Kumudakunda .... kdsa . . .. kailiisa· Karpifra piyti,~aka Kiini ( ,..., kiimi ) ... . II
In many of the Ayurvedic works such as the Dhanvaruariyanighauru ( p. 248 , verse 235 ),
Riijanigha~l(U ( p. 249, verse 280 ), Riija-vallabha (as quoted in the Sabda-kalpadruma under
• madhu ' ), etc. the class of honey, called ' bhriimara ', is said to be white ( svera, bhriimaram-
ucyate ). But according to Bhava Misra's Bhiiva-prakti.~a ( ed. Dvarakii-niitha Bhattacarya and
published by Bhuvana-candra Vasaka, Calcutta, 1293 B.S. ), Vol. I, p. 485, it is clear a nd has
the colour of sphatika stone ( nirmalaf!l splw(ikcibhm!l yat tan-madhu blrrlimaraf?l smrtam ). So,
Bhava Misra takes spha!ika stone to be whi te.
22 See Sridha ra-svamin,'s commentary on Bhcigavata-ptmi1w ( published by the Vangaviisi
Pre!s, Calcutta, fift h ed., 1334 B.S. ) viii. g. 4 cited in foo t-note 28 below.
Jn Mahiibhiirata ( ed. Vmigavasi Press, Calcutta, Saka 1826-1830) iii . 139. 5 ( = Poona
eritical ed. 3. 140. 4 ) the Kailasa mo untain has been named as 'Sveta Giri ' .
:s For the relevant line o f the Abilidlui1w·cintcima!li see foot-note 17 above . See also
PurU$Otlama-deva' s Trikiio<la-ie.l·a ( K:IJ)Qa 2, Saila-varge I ). For Mallinatha' s statement see
foot-note 18 above.
u See, for instance, Maluihlrclrata xiii . 147:54 (which says that Bala will ca rry a plough
and look like a whi te hill sitadri-nicaya-pra bha ) ; V(~!lll·prmi!w ( cd. Vangaviisi Press, Calcutta,
1331 B.S., second ed.) v. I. 74 ( in which S<ll]'lkar~a!Ja is said to be comparable with the· peak
of the white hill svetiidri-sikhar-opama ), v. 17. 24 (which describes Balabhadra as being white
like a swan, a Kunda flower and the moon haf'!lsa-kund-endu-dhavala ), and V. 20. 45 ( in
which Balabhadra is said to have a face which is as white as a Kunda flower, the moon and .a
lotus-fibre - kund-endu-mr1.1iila·dhavala-anana ) ; Meghadtita 1. 62 (i n which the glossy dark
cloud sticking to the slope of the extremely whi te KaiHisa mountain is foreseen as looking like
the dark-blue garment placed on the shoulder of the white-complexioned Balariima, the carrie·r
of the plough) ; and so on.
~s = Poona critical ed. 1. 189. 30-3 1.
•• Mahiibhiirata i. 220. 20, v. 156. 19 and vii. 10. 31 ( = Poona critical ed. I. 212. 20, 5.
15 4. IS and 7. 10, 31 respectively, in all of which Balariima is said to be comparable with the
peak of the Kailiisa mountain - Kailiisa-sikhar-opama ) ; Vi,~IJU·purii!lG · v . . 17, 24-25 (which
40 R. C. HAZRA

which is traditionally white,27 is similarly compared in the Vi§1Ju-purava ( i. 9. 9)

and is said to be a second 'Sphatika-saila' ( i. e. Kailasa-parvata) in Kumtira-
SOJ?tbhava 14. 5; Se~a, who resembles the White Hill ( svetacala ), is said to look,
with his dark-blue clothes and a white necklace, like the Kailasa mountain
furnished with clouds and the current of the Ganges28 ; and so on. This ancient
tradition about the colour ofthe Kailiisa mountain has not been overlooked by
Blit:~abhatta also. A perusal of his works shows that he points to this colour in
almost all cases in which he refers to this mountain either for the sake of
comparison or for some other purpose. Thus, in describing king Sudraka in
his Ktidambari he says on pp. 17-18 of the NSP ed. :
"a{~~'clcr3 ... ·~!!'?; crtllil~, 3lfu~~fl:!·:F~~~!'!~q~'clcr~r~:\ll~~ , "q~f<l·~~,.~~~~tfltl'tiii_
sF;:Ht•(fuf.rqRitf~twroq.:~~cr ~~~{.qRulii_, .... "
"Wearing a pair of silken garments .... which were white like the foam of
nectar [ and ] having his chest whitened by exceedingly fragrant sandal
pa!ole, with ornamental marks of saffron made over it, he looked like the
(white] Kailiisa mountain with patches of morning sunlight fallen on it
here and there, ... . "
About Ujjayini he says on p. 98 that this city, being 'surrounded by a [high]
circular rampart whitened with lime, appeared to be encircled by the Kailasa
mountain ' ( ...... ili~tl;'l~~~" ~'cl~~~ ll'l'liH:~o~3<r ll"~'liH ...... ). In describing the
residence of king Tara piQa he says on p. 168 that it stood with a number of such
colossal palaces whitened with pure lime as put to shame the beauty of the white
Kailiisa mountain ( .... 3lq{~"fma~<'lltt~r~~Jt(1,~'cll<r~1~: .. . . l{{llft~P.:: .•.• f<!\t:il~l"llf.).
There are a number of similar other statements in which BiitJahhatta points to
the white colour of the Kailiisa mountain, and for these one may refer to

describe Balanima as being white like a swan, a Kunda flower and the moon and wearing dark-
blue clothes, and say that with his tall body he looks like the Kailmountain surrounded by
rows of clouds) ;and so on.
21 See, for instance, Bhtiga1·ata-purti(W viii. 8. 4, in which it is said that the lordly ele-
phant Airavata came out of the churned occ<tn, bearing, with its four tusks, the splendour of the
White Hill:
'fif Q:uorci't iiHJ •m~ fclf.ritlf: 1
~at!lf~: ~~~~~hot_ llif<rof 1{~1{_ II
According to Sr1dhara-svamin, ' Svetiidri ' is the Kailasa mountain.
See also Vtiyu-purii(la 69. 211-Sublmibhriihhai-calllrdat!IHmh srimm1 airiivato gajafJ; and
Brahmii(l{ia-purdl,la ( ed. Vnkatesvara Press, Bombay, Saka 1857) ii (i. e. Madhya-bhaga ). 7.
327a -Svetiibhrdhha~-caturdanta/,1 .vrinuin ainivato gaja(r:
In Sanskrit lexicons 's~·etakunjara ' 'Svetagaja ', '.~vetaha.stin ', • Suklagaja' etc. are
1iven as synonyms for ' Airtivata '.-See Sabda-ratntiva/i ( Mathuresa-par:tQita ), Sabda-kalpa-
druma, etc.; also V. S. Apte's Practical Sanskrit-Eng/ish Dictionary (revised ed. ).
u Vi$1,1U·purii~ ii. S. I 3b·l7.
 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF SOME READINGS OF BANABHATTA'S KADAMBARI 41

Kiidambari, p. 2 tO ( .•.• f8ii~!:JIH~ffl'cnflt: ...••• ~~~~~~fll~ey~fi+IR\r;T~f.:tRm~ft~i'f~T

'lf'f<'~~'1'lftQ{o~n '<i .•••~"lfl..'l s:cr ~'-itWaftcr;:ft~cih:r~: ......), p. 213 ( ... ar'<fit'<fM~:reft{i•u­
cr~tnU~IIJ <::~9~<~crr~~'-'f~ifi;osre;nr~J ......3lffi~I1Jfilcrrhnurmq: ... ), pp. 230-234 ( ....
~;osmm<f ~mm~+r.., 29 ~Rf<rftmcr ~~<~+r... '<f•~r~mcr 'ttiir~n+r.., iH1~rem9 ~li.i'!+f..·· •••
.ar"'m-t ;:rm ~i:t i2crl•f.J, p. 242 ( ii~tl'11~~ "<m~cr~lii~r S~+~~ ~cr~<~ii~<i' S~~~;r..... ) , pp.
243-251 ( ... 3JRf~q~5f+ll'lftilii~{\l<il ~'t~'f\~ij<Ji'flfit9 ~tl~~+t~Jlfil'9 .•.. ~q~~at~ ~'f~clnlll·
f{?ff+r._. • . %~Ttlfa:r~fft;;r ?.:~[@1-•l(~<l~:irllf<!qRti'ff+r.., .. S:<i~Tfir<i "l'f~: ..... 'fii'l!~f ~~ ) , and p.
403 ( .. ;;fu'1To3.fr ~f~!ll~ilf<i"~q~: .• <r!i%~n.=nmcr .. fa;tl-1 <::~<i~: .• ), and Har$acarita ( NSP
e_d .J Ucchvasa 3 ( p. 100-~t'5lfl~~cra-: ... ~"~"~~: .. ). It is true that Hai)abhaHa
is quite familiar with the quality of purity or spotlessness of sphatika·mal).i, as
his express mention of that quality shows, 3\1 but he also refers to its white
colour, 31 particularly when sphatika is taken to constitute the peak of the Kailasa
mountain.n
We have already seen that in the said verse the word' ~q;fG;itq(~ liflii_' has to
be connected only with ' f~'l11~~' and not with '~<illti+r..'. So, in the expression
''lt;;;>;T~fl1<f ~lll~iilll_ ', ' Kailasa' has to be regarded as a second Upamana either for
its whiteness or for its holiness, the idea of purity or spotlessness ( arq~:r) being
associated with ' sphatikopala '. But that is not possible, because, firstly, the
word ' t't8itqifq-+J<l._', being connected only \\ ith 'R"'lll:l+f..' makes the construction
and meaning of til..: verse cumbrous by the use of two indecisive Upamanas (viz.,
spha!ikopala and kailasa, which cause repetition of the same idea and of which
one is dep~ndcnt on the other ) and throws the idea of holiness to the back-
ground, giving prominence to the sense of· purity' or 'spotlessness' (~{'f), 33
and, secondly, as all the adjectives used in this verse point only to the mental
,qualities of the sons of Arthapati, there being nothing to describe their com-
plexion or any other physical characteristic, ' Kailasa ', being widely known to
be white, cannot be said to have been used as an Upamana to mean that Citra-
bhanu had a very fair complexion ( which was certainly not white).

"' In commenting on these words Bhanu-candra says: NirmalasvdarU[Jatl>iid-iiha kaillls-

eii ".
30
See Kiidambari, p. 196-Apagaramale hi manasi spha(ikamar.u'iviv rajanikaragabhastayo
~·isanri
sukhenopadi!SaguTJii:
"' Ibid. p. 17- .. . ... Sa.~inivu spha(ikap;idapi(he ,;nyastaviimapiidam . . ( riijiinamadriik~it );
p. 243 ( cited above).
32
Ibid., p. 170- . . . . . . Spharikagiritareneva lagnasimhamukhapratimena . . . . gandhamii-
dimaniimnii gandhahaslinii suniithikrtaikaddam-.. a part of which (royal residence) was
occupied by a scent-elephant named Gandha-miidana, whose tusks had bands hearing figures
of a lion's mouth and who thus looked as if he were the slope of the Kailiisa mountain with
.the images of .the face of ( Piirvati's) lion reflected therein, ....
As a tusk is white, the sphatika gems constituting the 'Sphatika-giri ' (i.e. Kailiisa moun-
;_t.a in) m11st also be of the same colour.
•• Cf. the words Sa~ ..•• Kai/iisamiva spha(ikopalopammrz tanaya'fl cirrubhiinum a'liipa.
016
42 R. C. HAZRA

From what has been said above it is evident that the reading' ~ta-<itq~~·
accepted by Peterson, Kane, Vaidya and others does not stand scrutiny. So, we
have to prefer the other reading ·~Cfitq<.>;Jlf~~·, which not only contains the
word ' "'llt'l ' denoting the common quality of comparison but also relates most
appropriately to the words ' ~!ii+!T!J'\' and '~t'll~'f..' in two different ways, viz.,
'~q;fffiq~ l{~ :>~~:. R'\ ' (in the case of' Citrabhanu' ) and • ~ft-Cfitq~: "i+l<i'l~' (in
the case of • Kailasa ', which, as we have already seen, is traditionally said to
have been made of sphatika gems).
Although here also we have two Upamanas and Citrabhanu' s purity (aJll<i'lfif)
is expressed sufliciently by his comparison with sphatika stone, the employment
of the second Upamana ( viz., Kailiisa ), which is made possible by the siidha-
raJ}a-dharma denoted by the word ' -:r.nf~'!iiq<;lJ1Ri'l ', serves a very useful purpose
in that it not only heightens our idea of Citrabhanu's purity but also presents
him as an extremely devout person whosl! heart is constantly occupied by Siva
just as Kailasa is the permanent abode of this god.
H. In the seventeenth introductory verse
liifT(~~f ~WI lj1:~f.tita-r: 'f.~~~"'\t'!TI'I~ff9'l: I
&'.''F~'l: 51"Tf<tf9m: ~RF('[U ~TT[T i!TB&'~l.l ~0' ~~ II
the Banaras ed. and also those of Siddhanta-vagisa, Yidyasagara and Yidyaratna
read 'i!~l§:~n: ' for ' i1<m~~T: ' given in the other editions. But the latter reading
is highly preferable for the following reasons:
( 1) The sprout-like tip of a lion's nail grows longer and longer ( cf.
'§1:~f.lfri1r:' ), whereas a goad ( mi kusa) has a fixed length and no further growth.
Consequently, the former can be used as an Upamana for one's far-spreading
virtue, aud not the latter.
( 2 ) Being white, bright and spotless, the curved tip of a lion's nail can
be said to possess the stainless (white) splendour of the spotless digit of the
moon and be used, for that, as an Upamana for one's stainless virtue which is
conventionally white; but a goad, being made of iron, is naturally black and
cannot be made entirely white and spotless even by constant use. If it is made
of gold, 34 the question of its whiteness does not arise at all. So, it is not
comparable in any way with one's stainless virtue or the stainless digit of the
moon.
( 3 ) The tips of the nails of the Man-lion forced their way into the body
of Hiral)yakasipu ( cf. snfctf9~: 'liiflrnu: ), first causing unbearable pain and then
giving him great relief in death. A goad, on the other hand, only strikes an
elephant externally for bringing it under control but does not penetrate into its

,. For mention of a .~toad of gold see Kiidambari ( NSP ed . ), p . 170 .. • . ( Kar(liivalambfnd

kailcanamayena krtakan;raptiram-iviinkusen(l mukham udval/atii . ... gandlmhastina . .. ,
 ca1tlcAL EXAMINATiON oi: soME READINGS or BANABHATTA;S KADAMBAIU 43
body and cause its death. Consequently, it is the former which can be used as
an Upamana for on~·s . stainless virtue which makes it!> way even into the unac·
commodating mind of one's enemy, first causing great agony and then giving
immense pleasure by changing it into an appreciative one.
The reasons stated above show that the reading' <i@T~~n:' is not at all accept-
able. As manuscript evidence also is not much in favour of this reading, it is to
be rejected without hesitation.
III. In para. 5 (which begins as follows: Q;'fi'U g •nfi't<[~Rt~ <t'f<IWi<~~~3Zfufit
etc.) the edition of Peterson, Kane, Vaidya, Kale, Siddhanta-vagiSa, Vidyiisagara
and Vidyaratna and also that of Banaras have a word ' ~'fi<i'l~'f<!'I<i'l~~\(<'if<'llif.. ', 35
for which the NSP ed. ( p. 16) reads 'tl'fi~~if<Ia~\(<Jl<Il+l..' ( omitt.ing '-e<f- ').
As, in the latter reading (' H~Z'I~Cfi1"1~\~i1FHII.' ) the entirety of' the surface of
the earth' ( ~Cf<l;;lZ'I ), which is the receptacle ( adhara) of gems, is meant by the
word 'e~~' (meaning 'entire' and qualifying' ~9'1if<?; '), the word '\(<! ', used in
the plural number, has to be taken to mean ' all the gems' on earth, because no
part of the earth containing gems is to be left out ( cf. '~~<?i~'f<!'l<"~"' ), Conse-
quently, being redundant and creating repetition of idea, the word '~<l' in the
reading '~"'~~'l'<!~~~~~~<'!Tif..' has to be dropped . So, it is very natural that
even after accepting the reading ' ~<!i~~ilo<i'l~~\tiii<!T+!, ', Dr. Kane translates the
expression '~~~'l'<!ff~- .... ~<r:' as 'your majesty is alone ( worthy to be) the
receptacle of a/{ the treasures of the world', without giving the English equivalent
for the word ' ~~<.l! '.
IV. Para. 15 of Peterson and Kane's editions begins with the word
'q~tft"f'{q'-t'f<trn: ', 36 for which Kale and Vidyaratna's editions ( pp. 33 and 32
respectively) have' q~tfto~-t~'-l'H":' and the NSP ed. ( p. 34 ), Bana1as ed. ( p. 50)
and those of Vaidya and Siddhantavag!Sa ( pp. 16 and 55 respectively) have
' qft.tfta~~Cfiff: '. Vidyasagara appears to be in a state of indecision when he gives
for it the reading '1ilt1ful'"rf( I:J.~ )crfu:' and explains it thus :
" !ffto:fiff~Cffu: qftlfiffT tJl'ff-'.Hfl~f!l~'l_Jtqffi: ( ~\~) ~i1 !(fi!l 3l'~ifii{;}I9F'F{: 1 'illiiRflfcf
mt;n~ 5.llll~ 1 '' 37
As manuscript evidence in favour of these readings (viz., ' -t<~!'£'lR: ', ' -~<rffi":'
and '-'q_ll'l'ffi: ') does not vary much in strength, we are to look for other factors
for coming to a decision as regards the correct reading.
The Ayurvedic texts in Sanskrit describe the preparation of various kinds
of sticks or rolls ( <rffi ) with herbs and other medical ingredients. As these stio..:ks
or rolls are meant for being smoked by patients under circumstances mentioned
n See Peterson's ed., p. 8, Kane's eu., p.4, Vaidya's ed. , p. 8, Kale's ed., p. 17, Siddhant;t-
vagisa's ed. p. 24, Vidyiisagara's ed., p. 16, Vidyaratna's ed. p. Hi, and the Banaras ed., p. 24.
as See Peterson's ed. p. 16, and Kane's eel., p. 15.
•• See Vidyasagara's ed., p. 48.
44 R. c. i-IAZkA

in these texts, they are called 't+rq-fff' (i.e., sticks or rolls meant for smoke ).38
But a stick or roll to be smoked after meal is quite different from a medical
''i.+f'JPr •• As it is meant for adding fragrance to the mouth and consequently
prepared with ingredients quite different from those of the latter, it is given the
appropriate and distinctive name "~<im ', in which the word ''"!tr' means
'perfumed smoke'. In his notes added to his own edition of the Kadambari as
well as to that of Vaidya Dr. Kane quotes an interesting verse which runs as
follows:
"mtq~ ~ ~: ~~~ ~·'<l"<rri'6m ~lj": 1
fit:=r.Ufu '"!'1trrir ~'iOTlH~liBT;p:~ II
In this verse a '<iB ' is said to be • the wick (i.e. source ) of smoke' ( -q~ll q:~r )
and ''"!'1' to be the same as 'smoke perfumed with fragrant substances '
( ~~9Tft!~ ~: ), the word '~'1r.l<t_' is actually used, and it is said that taking of
perfumed smoke after meal adds fragrance to the mouth of a smoker. Accord-
ing to this verse, • ~~'!Rr:' means • rr;l:lq-rfuo"!_fl~ll ~~ ' ( the wick or source of
fragrant smoke ). Consequently, the reading ' qfttftff-q,q~lll9ffi : ' accepted by
Peterson and Kane, is wrong, because the word ' 'l+'l ' which has its meaning
included in that of ''[.!1 ', is absolutely unnecessary and higbl.v confusing. But
it is strange that even after quoting the said verse Dr. Kane retains the read-
ing' trft~qoq!l''l'fif: ',in which he takes • 'rf'"!"'91'a-: ', quite arbitrarily without taking
notice of the words actually used, to mean ' the smoke of fragrant drugs '. 39
That ' ~'1'fffi"' is the correct name for a stick or roll (of particular
substances ) meant for being smoked for adding fragrance to the mouth, is
further shown by Padma-paiJ<;lita's Ndgara-Sarvasva and Damodaragupta 's
Ku!fani-mata, of which the former gives the constituents of such a stick or roll ,
naming it definitely as 'li~<!Rr' in the following two verses:
'lit~r~~i1!J~<ii'{_Fclfit~~il'T<;i "f I
lll«t ~m- ~t ~llr ct'n<lr~mftlll!. 11
~~~Ui!!li."SCJ\W~~~ll'tt;q:<l~l!TIH: 1
!fillt:~mm:fitor <1\fT m<lflq''fiF~ll;r. 11
Jfagara-sarvasva 4.16-17.
38 See, for instance, Caraka-saTflhitii (edited by Viimana-sastrl Vidya-bhii~aJ)a and.
published, with Cakrapiil;ti-datta's commentary Ayurveda-dtpikii by the Nirl)aya Sagara Press,
Bombay, first ed., ( 1922) i. 5.103 (on p. 41 )-AfijanarJI dhiimavarti.fca trividlzii vartikalpanii •• ;
vi. 26.165b (on p. 585 )- ' Dhlimavartim pibed gandhai/:! saku~(lzatagaraistathii' ; and so on.
See also Cakrapiit:Jidatta's commentary on Caraka-samhitii i 23.29 (on p. 37, where he quotes
the line ' Dhiimavartim pibed gandhaitz etc.' of the Carakasmfllritii ) and vi. 26.164-169 ( on
p. 585, where the line 'Na tu ku${harn sriivayato dhiimavartim prayojayet ' of the Caraka-smtlhita
is quoted) ; and Arut:Jadatta's commentary ( p. 384-.. dhiimavartN1.. ) 011 Vagbhata's A,f(iiliga-
hrdaya ( ed. Anna Moresvar Kunte. Bombay, 1880 ), Vol. I.
•• It is to be noted particularly that this translation contains no equivalent for the word
• varti' wpich has thus been totally overlooked.
 CRITICAL EXAMlNATION OF SOMF REAbiNGS Of BANABHATTA's KADA.MBARI 4S
In the KuUani-mata the very word ' o:rR:.ft:'T'<\Hhl:' (of the Knda•nhari ) is U'i ed in
verse 149, in which a lady is advised to meet her lover after properly smoking
such a stick or roll ( qf{<ft"f>~'<'ff!r: ~~~liffi ~ll'lHf<i'fFt tl~:!: ).
From what has been said above it is evid~nt that the reading' qfttftff·';l~~rl": ',
given only by Kale and Vidyaratna and occurring in some manuscripts, is the
best and most appropriate of the three, of which 'qfttft"'"i;t~,l19i1 : ', though given
by Peterson and Kane, is the worst.
V. Para. 24, which gives a very fine and realistic but highly poetic de-
scription of the slowly advancing morning twilight, begins ;~s foilmvs in the
editions of Peterson, Kane, Vaidya and Kale: 4 0
tJ:ii~T g 11'<1TCf~~!lHTilit~;r llllil'<.t~<ti~wftl1~~~'1&)J3'J 2:- '[:«~B ~'l li•~Tft;itg~;:rn•H­
::Jl~f.!Ni12:1i'Cfi1\Rr "'f"il:+lffi, etc.
In this extract the NSP ed. ( p. 50), like the others mentioned above, has
' rrrr<rii~iil'!f:"'l;:fi' but reads '-ll"<f~{'ffili?J9;~' for ' +1~{:q.q~~9.Z ', whereas the Banaras
ed. ( pp. 77-78) and also that of Siddhanta-vagisa ( p. 86) have rrrr~ ':f
'q;qf~;:fil:J~<:m'l~~;JZ' (for 'l"fl'Fffi"<:'liiqfo>;;ftl1~<:~o:r~~'IZ '). Vidyii.sagara and Vidyii-
ratna's editions ( pp, 82-83 and p. 49 respective:y ), on the other hand, and
also a very few manuscripts ( obviously looked upon as unimportant) read
'l!'Tilii~ ;;qf<;,rft.' while some othe r manuscripts have the reading' rrrr<~ii'll'Brft- '. 41
So, the question arises as to which of the ~aid readings is to be accepted as
correct and genuine.
Peterson and Kane's reading '1111'1i1~'flqfi:s;f1- • tends to indicate that better
manuscript evidence is in its favour. Bha nu-candra expounds and explains the
word 'rrrr<ri'F"l;;qre<~Tl1\:"l!'J:\~'Rf3"Z' thus:
' fliF!ii~lt"l ;;~;:ft ~<l~WT 'fll=ff;;,.ft OTT , <:1~~~ 11!-j \~~;r·H~{~ q~'l;t W~Jilg;f <.f.f:/:1 7rfh:r~.
( NSP ed,, p. 50).
Bhanu-candra is followed by Kane and Kale, who, as we have already seen,
read 'rrlfi=l<:f~'fil1~<ft+1~\~f1~>!13"Z' and of whom the former dissolves it as follows:
'rrrri=lcr~it<r ;;qfi'\rft ':1'\<lT l=!~i=!T ~: 11~!:19;~ ~\'ll '. The latter also expounds it in the·
same way thus: ' rriF!ii<ilit'l' 1111fi'l;:fi l:R~ 42 rHlll ll~ ~<r \'ffi q~<j~i •wl '. Peterson
translates the expression ''f'Ti=!eF''l<!illfi'l;:ft-' as ' that lotus-bed-the floor of the
sky', 43 Kale as ' the lotus-bed in the shape of the surface of the sky ' 44 and ' the

'0 Peterson's ed., p. 25; Kane's ed., p. 16; Vaidya's ed ., p 25; Kale's ed., p. 49.
u See NSP ed. , p . .SO foot-note 5; Kale's ed ., p. 49, foot-note 6; Banaras ed .. p. 77,
foot-note t I.
" Kale is not right in takmg the word ' k amalini' to mean ' .r.Jra.si' ( lake, pool ),
because it is not a lake or pool but a lotus in it which has honey.
•• Peterson's ed., Notes. p. 17.
. " See Kale's ed., Notes, p ..45.
 46 R. C. HAZRA

lotus-plant in the form of the sky', 45 and J. N. S. Chakravarty as' the lotus~bed
of heaven'. 46 It is to be noted that in the said reading, • the surface of the sky'
( lli'J<iff~) has to be fancied as 'the lotus-bed ' ( '1\+!W.<ft ), as has been shown by
Bhiinu-candra, Peterson, Kane and others, but there is no mention of anything of
the former that can be taken as the ' honey ' ( l'!)i) of the latter. According to
Dr. Kane, 'the red hue in the sky corresponds to the red honey of a lotus-plant'. 47
But this statement of Dr. Kane has no ground to stand upon. It is well-known
that a flowerless 'lotus-plant ' is green and that honey grows not in a flowerless
(green) lotus-plant but in its flowers, which are red and in which a very small
quantity of honey lies hidden. We learn from the Kddambari that the eastern
sky, through which the moon passed, bad been blood-red by the sun's rays at
early dawn ( cf. '5P11\'f~"-<!Hfil<!\'"'tft'~' ) 48 • Consequently, the word ''1\+!~rft' in the
said reading is to be taken to mean a ' lotus-bed' (which is red) and not a
'lotus-plant' (which is green). As the red rays of the sun at early dawn, falling
on the milky way imagined as the Mandiikini, give it the appearance of a lotus-
bed, their red hue is taken to be the redness of lotus flowers, which have a very
small quantity of honey hidden in them and never stand entirely besmeared with
it so that their redness may be said to be due to their honey. Thus, the red hue
in the sky due to the sun's rays at early dawn corresponds to the redness of
lotuses and not to their red honey as said by Dr. Kane. Further, with the said
reading , 'lJIT<ffi"~;rf~;ft-' etc.), one has to connect the word 'IPllff~'EifT\IIlW~a-'
with '"F3;!iffi' (' ~~~~' being said to be 'il~m'1~o:i'~F ') and thus to take the latter
(i.e. the moon) to have been · made blood-red by the glow of the morning
twilight '. But that is not at all possible, because in that case there remains no
word to show that 'the surface of the sky' ( llllilili"l) became red and thus could
be looked upon as a ' lotus-bed' ( '1\+!R'i;fr) and also because a blood-red moon
cannot be compared to a white swan even though its wings are thoroughly be-
smeared with honey, which is reddish with a black tinge 49 and never blood-red
- -- -·------· - - -
•• Kiidombari ( Purva-bhaga ), translated into English by li. R. Kale and published by
('.opal Narayan & Co., Bombay, 1924, p 32.
As the moon passes through the sky and not by the side of it, and as honey grows in
lotus flowers an<l not in flowerless lotus-plants, the word ' kamalni' must be taken to mean a
lotus-bed and not a lotus-plant.
., Kane's ed., Notes, p. 77. (Italics ours). Also Kane's Notes. p. 98 in Vaidya's ed.
•• The word ' lohita ' means ' red ' as well as ' blood '.
That the sun's rays at day-break were blood red. is shown by their description as ' being
red like the hair of the mane of a lion reddened with elephant's blood ( gajarudhiraraktaharisara·
lomalohinibhib .. . asiiirakira(tadidhitiblri~t . ... NSP ed., p. 51). In commenting on the Kiidalf!·
bari Hari<lasa Siddhantavagisa takes the word ' tohite ' ( in 'prablratasandhyiirtigaloizite ·) to
mean • raktavarl.le ',and his interpretation of this word is followed by Knma-mohana Sastri in
his Candrakala published in the Banaras ed. ( p. 77)
u According to Ayurvedic works honey is of eight varieties, viz., miik,l'ika, bhriimara,
k~audra, paultika, chiitra ( o,. cluitraka ), arghya, cmddiila ( or auddalaka) and ddla. Of ·these
 CRITICAL EXAMINAIION OF SOMS READINGS OF BANABHATTA'S KADAMBARI 47
and which, being a liquid thing ( witho:.tt any solid ingredient in it ), cannot
completely obscure the white colour of a swan however thick its coating on it
may be. Moreover, from the expression '~;ftg~<w.:tr~:il~f.!NW-~cremr ~;~~'
it is evident that as the innumerable stars in that part of the milky way
(called Mandakini) which occupied a decidedly high position in the western
half of the sky ( cf. 'l:l~f.ti;ft~~ill~·· ... '1'~~') so were still visible and bright
but looked reddish ( with a slightly dark tinge) like the particles of sand ( cf.
'~W.<f') of the Ganges, $I the sun's rays did not reach them direct and darkness
was still there, and that the moon already crossed the middle of the sky and
was passing through that part of its western half which seems to hang down to
the western ucean ( cf. '>f'!~ '). That the time was early dawn and the sun
was still much below the eastern horizon is shown not only by lhe description
of its rays as blood-red but also by the statements thar peacocks, lions and
elephants just woke up from sleep and were still feeling dull, that the morning
sacrifices to be finished before sunrise were being offered in the penance-groves,
and that the stars in the farthest part of the western sky looked white and bright
like fresh pearls, thus indicating that considerable darkness was still prevailing
miik$ika is said to be the best and to be collected from various kinds of flowers by big tawny
bees living in forests ( Niiniipu$parasahiirab Kapilii vonamak$ikiib I yii~r sthliliistiibhirutpannattt
madhu miik$ikam ucyate II - Riijo·nighatr{u, p. 249, verse 272 ). It has the colour of oil
( tailavar~tam-Dhonvamariya-nighmJ{II , p. 248, verse 235, Rfija-nighoiJfll, p. 249, verse 280,
Bhiimprakiisa, I. p. 484, Riija-vaflabha as quoted in the .5ahda-kalpadruma under' madhu ',and
so on ) and cures eye-diseases ( netriimayaharam-Bhiiva-prakiisa, I, p. 484 ). As lotus-honey
is widely prescribed in Ayurvedic works as a remedy for eye-troubles. it must be of the miik#ka
class and conse4uently be ' tai/avortrr..' i .e. reddish with a dark tinge.
Oi the other varieties of honey bhriimara is white and clear like sphatika stone ( svetof(l
bltriimaramucyate- Dhanmntariyauiglratt{u, p. 248, verse 235, Riija-niglra!t(ll, p. 249, verse 280,
etc. ; nirmalanr sphotikiibholfr ym tan madlw blrriimarm.11 smrtam- Bhm·a-prakcifa, I, p. 485 ) ;
k$audra is tawny ( kapi/am; kapiltll'or!WIII kapliiibhiisam ; pauttika has the colour of ghee (ghrta-
var!lom; sarpi~ii tulyam; ghrtasannibltom ); c·hcitra is slightly yellow or yellow with a reddish-
brown tinge ( iipitavariJam kapilapirnm ) arghya is brown with a yellowish-red tinge ( piiligalam)
auddiila is said to look like gold ( s t•arttasadrsam, svar11asadrsyam ) or to be tawny ( kapilam } ;
and dcila is pink or pale-red ( pii(alam ) or slightly yellow ( iipitam ).
Although , of these varieties, k~·oudro and arghya are said to be good more or less for
the eye ( cok,m$ymn, aticok$11$YOm ), they as well as the others ( except miik,~ika ) have colours
different from that of the moon as described in the said passage of the Kadmnbari.
For the relevant verses on the varieties, characteristics and effects of honey see Dham·an-
tariya-nighatlfll, p, 248, verses 233-241, Raja-nigha(t{u, p. 249, verses 272-285, Blriiva-prakiisa,
J, pp. 484 ff., and Riija-1•allobha as quoted in the Sabda-kalpadruma ( s. v. 'madltu • ).
•• The word • avatarati · means descending from a higher place, which, in the said passage
is the 'mandakinipulina '. This word further shows that the moon did not go far from the
milky way ( mandiikinipulina ) and that, being a little farther from the sun, its coloor was
slightly darker than that of the particles of sand of the Ganges.
' 1 It is well known that the water of the Ganges carries mud which is reddish with a
slightly black tinge.
48 R. C. HAZRA

there. So, it was only the lower part of the eastern sky which was made blood-
red by the sun's rays. Consequently, being far beyond the direct reach of these
rays and being surrounded still by darkness, the moon looked fairly white, but
the glow of the sun's rays reached it, tarnishing its whiteness to some extent and
making it reddish with a slightly black tinge caused by the surrounding darkness.
It is principally due to this colour and also to the extremely slow movement that
the moon has been compared to an old swan which moves slowly and has its
colour dimmed by old age and of which the wings have been painted with honey
wl1 i lc passing through a lot us-bed.
From whathas been said above about the difficulty created by the use of
the word '11~' in the reading' •FF!ii('l"i:fi+JW.<ft'l!i~'ffi'i~B-~z' (or' il'Ti'fi:fi+i~rft+i~~:mq~~!it"'
or 'ITIFlii<:'>'f,r.Jf~i:~t-..:9~~'m'la:l'lZ') and also about the colour of honey, the position
and colour of the moon, and its comparison with an old swan with its wings
besmeared with honey, it is evident that the reading' 'l'li'f\'f~'li+i~- ',accepted by
Bhanu-candra, Peter~on, Kane and others, is wrong and nonsensical, and that
the word ' ':"fi ' or ' ~!F'ffi' means ' coloured ' or • painted' and not 'reddened •
as said by Kane, Chakravarty, Kale and oth~rs. 52
lt has already been said that for ''lll<iii<ni:fi+J~;:ft-' some manuscripts of the
Kiidambari read 'rrrr•·Ffi<T~rfr- ', leaving out the word '~<n ' . As the reasons ad·
duced above against the former reading go equally against the latter, both of
them have to be rejected as equally worthless.
As regards the reading 'rrrr~ "i 'fil1R;:fr- ', given in the Banaras ed. and also
in that of Siddhiinta-vagiSa, it may be said that use of the word '~' can by no
means be justified. In commenting on the said passage of the Kiidambari
Siddhantaviig!Sa says that as the word '5l'lllii&<<11Ullilfu~' is to be taken as an
adjective to both 'lFl~' and ' 'i''~liffl ', the Avyaya ' ~' has been used to join the
latter two words. 53 In his commentary Candra-ka/d (published in the Banaras
ed. ) Kr?IJa-mohana Silstri follows Siddhanta-vagiSa in explaining the said
passage and repeats the words of the latter in justifying the use of the word '"!' '. 54
~2
See Kane's cd., Notes, p . 77; Kane's Notes ( p. 98) and J. N . S. Chakravarty's Eng~
!ish translation ( p. 40) in Vaidya's ed.; Kale's ed., Notes, p. 45, and his English translation
of the Kiidambari, p. 12; and so on.
See also Siddhiinta-viigisa's ed., p. 86 and Banaras ed., p. 78, in which ' madhu' has been
said to be ' rakt a 1•ar(la ' and • lohira~ar(ltl' respectively. Consequently, the equivalents
'rmijitam · and anun11ijitam ' given respectively for the words ' mktam' and 'anuraktam' in
these two editions, practically mean' reddened'.
"' l!'llFl<:i'~<!l\liTQl ~m;:<::{~;l.m:f'm••n €r~:t ~9~ 1 l\{ g 11;f.t 'i:l~l1$~<i~fi\' fcl~!i11llll:, ,
o~l<lf ff~9 'itll91Cl. I €frr 'i:l llll~ ~fa 'i:li:fil~qFUi'f~ I
-Siddhanta-viigisa's cd., p. 86.
14
li~l<W.J ll'('t'H<l <IT <::t'<lll m<::{'f;:o,;fi ~ uift \fulllT€fi1 ~~~ ~m'lifr, f<l'~Ul~ il'T~ ~~
.;;J,. ff~T<ITffllcU\fll :f~<r <::twmt.l 3l'if J<:9 "!' rr<'R ~~;r "f'f>TUqT~'<i m<lq:,m~<~~~ 1
-Banaras ed., pp. 77-78.
 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF SOME READINGS OF BANABHATTA' S KADAMBARI 49

But we have seen above that the distant moon could not he trade blood-red by
the sun's rays. Moreover, the word ''il', placed immediately after 'll<f.t ' , cannot
be taken to have been used to join this word with ' '<lt~~m ', which occurs much
later. Nor are there other words in the said extract which may be joined by this
' 'il ', which is consequently redundant.

Thus, none of the readings 'lflr.'la"~'fii'I~<fi- ', 'lflT~rft-' and 'lT~ ~ 'fill"·
f~-' is found suitable from the point of view of sense or grammar. Consequ-
ently, we have to fall back upon the most neglected reading 'llll<l"~ 'fill"W-;:ft-'
occurring in Vidyasagara and Yidyiiratna's editions and also in some apparently
unimportant manuscripts. In this reading the word 'lJllqn~ ', together with its
adjective' sr~tT~<Imllitfua ', forms a cla use in the Locative Absolute like many
others in the said extract, and in it the component part 'a(>;' has its importance
in that it means 'lower part' or 'base' ( 3fT'~llflJ) and not merely ' surface' or
'floor', and thus shows that, as we have already said, only the lower part of the
(eastern) sky, which looked like a surface very convenient for walking, was made
blood-red by the morning twilight. Consequently, this part of the sky could
easily be fancied to be a lotus·bed ( 'fi~ ). As, being far in the western sky
and thus outside the direct reach of the sun's rays, the moon, which had come
from the east, had a colour which was reddish and slightly black due respectively
to the reflected glow of the sun's rays and to the surrounding light darkness, its
comparison with an old swan coloured with honey in course of its passing
through a lotus-bed is very natural and not at all unusual.
The import of the word ' o(>i' occurring in ' rrT<I~ Cfillfi?.<ft- ' shows that the
reading' lflT~ ~;:ft-' (which can be derived by eliminating'~' from the read-
ing 'lJlJ~ "l ili!if&";:fi. ') is much worse than the former.
From our critical examination of the readings mentioned above it is evi-
dent that the reading • lJlJ;:m~ 'fiJtw.fr- ', though rejected by almost all, is the best
and most appropriate. But unfortunately Bhiinu-candra, Peterson, Kane, Kale,
and others failed to understand Baryabhatta's imagery in the said extract and
made mistakes in interpreting his words or pointing out their mutual relation.
As a matter of fact Biit:labhaHa's eye for colour is so very keen that it is extre-
mely difficult for one to follow it correctly unless one is extremely cautious at
every step.
As regards the readings ' ·Jl"'f~~~- ' ( for ' ·ll!'J~- ' ) and ' -~!!Z ' ( for ' -~·
~~l-') it may be said that although the words '3f~~' and '~~' do not differ
appreciably in meaning, the difficulty and awkwardness of pronunciation of the
word '->r<'f~~~-' go seriously against it and subject it to rejection. Similarly,
the reading '-~~- ', though not differing in meaning from '-qaJt.:f:IZ ', is less
desirable than the latter, which bas alliteration in it and is found used again in
Kiidambari ( NSP ed. ), p. 169.

017