[South Indian Sanskrit MS 175, Whish MS 190] Bhojaprabandha

Bhojaprabandha

Language – Sanskrit

Date – [1800?]
Palm leaf; 9 lines on a folio. Manuscript consists of an incomplete copy of the Bhogaprabandha, a historical romance in prose and verse, by Ballāla. Text begins: svasti śrīmahārājasya Bhojasya prabandhaḥ kathyate | ādau dhārārājye Bandhulasaṃjño rājā ciraṃ prajāḥ paryyapālayat | asya ca vṛddhatve Bhoja iti putras samajani | sa yadā pañcavārṣikaḥ tadā pitā ātmani jarāṃ jñātvā mantrimukhyān āhūya anujam Muñjam mahābalam ālocya putrañ ca bālaṃ vīkṣya vicārayām āsa | yady ahaṃ rājyabhāradhāraṇasamartthaṃ sodaram apahāya rājyaṃ putrāya prayacchāmi tadā lokāpavādaḥ | athavā bālam me putraṃ Muñjo rājyalobhād viṣādinā mārayiṣyati | tathā hi | lobhaḥ pratiṣṭhā pāpasya prasūtir llobha eva ca | dveṣakrodhādijanako lobhaḥ pāpasya kāraṇaṃ || 1 || It is incomplete, with the end of the MS being as follows: rājā tam āha | Buddhisāgara rājyam idaṃ sarvaṃ kavaye dattam atas tapovanaṃ gacchāmi | tavāpekṣā asti yadi tarhi mā gaccha | tatomātyaḥ prāha | deva koṭidravyamūlyena rājyam idaṃ vikrītaṃ koṭidravyañ ca viduṣe dattaṃ | ato rājyaṃ bhavadīyaṃ bhuṃkṣva | rājā amātyaṃ sammānitavān | anyadā mṛgayārasena aṭavīm aṭann ātapena dūnadehaḥ pipāsayā paryyākulas turaṃgam adhiruhya udakārtthan nikaṭakaṭabhuvam aṭan tad alabdhvā śrāntaḥ kasyacit taror adhastād upāviśat | tatra kācit gopakanyā sukumārī manojñasarvāṃgī dhārānagaraṃ prati takraṃ vikrītukāmā takrabhāṇḍaṃ samudvahantī samāgacchat | āgacchantīn tān dṛṣṭvā rājā pipāsayā etat bhāṇḍasthaṃ peyañ cet pibāmīti buddhyā pṛcchati | taruṇi kiṃ vahasi | sā ca mukhaśriyā taṃ Bhojaṃ viditvā rājño bhāvañ ca jñātvā āha | deva | himakundaśaśiprabhaśamkhanibhaṃ paripakvakapitthasugandhi rasaṃ | taruṇīkaranirmmathitaṃ piba he nṛpa sarvarujāpaharaṃ | For more extensive quotations from the beginning and end of the text, see Winternitz catalogue entry. South Indian Sanskrit / Whish Manuscript Collection. See ’A catalogue of South Indian Sanskrit manuscripts (especially those of the Whish Collection) belonging to the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland’ by M. Winternitz, with an appendix by F. W. Thomas (London: RAS, 1902) p.231-233. Go to http://tinyurl.com/j3tkdwj for a digital copy of this catalogue. See also ‘Catalogue codicum manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Bodleianae Pars Septima, Codices Sanscriticos completes’ by Th. Aufrecht (Oxonii, 1864), p.150-. J. L. Whish, gift of manuscripts collected by his brother C. M. Whish, July 1836. Text in Sanskrit; Grantha script.