काव्यमीमांसा (महाकवि राजशेखर - कवि-रहस्य एवं देश-विभाग सटीक)

different topics of the Kāvyamīmāṁsā, Rājaśekhara cites examples
and verses from earlier works, which throw a flood of light on the
problems of political history. And, here, it is proposed to give a
few examples which definitely show that the Kāvyamīmāṁsā is
able to help historical studies.
The verse दत्त्वा रुद्धगतिः etc. occurs on p. 47 of this work, and
this is given manifestly as an example of Muktaka or a detached
verse. But the verse alludes to a very important historical fact.
On information obtained from this verse and other sources such
as the fragments of the Devīcandragupta¹ of Viśākhadatta, the
Sañjan Copper-plates of Amoghavarṣa² I, (A. D. 873), Bāṇa's
Harṣacarita,³ Śṛṅgāraprakāśa⁴ of Bhoja, the Cambay plate of
Govinda⁵ IV, the Nāṭyadarpaṇa of Rāmacandra and Guṇacandra,⁶
scholars have come to certain conclusions regarding the history of
the Gupta period, and these may be summarised as follows. There
was a king called Rāmagupta who succeeded his father Samudra-
gupta and preceded his brother Candragupta II, and ruled for a
short time. Dhruvadevī was the queen of Rāmagupta originally.
This king encountered a certain Khasa or Śaka king in the
Himālayas and was defeated. He saved himself and his kingdom
by entering into an ignominious treaty with the victor. According
to the terms of the treaty he was to surrender his queen Dhruva-
devī to the Khasa or Śaka king in return for the liberty of
himself and his kingdom. The humiliating treaty enraged his
brother Candragupta, who, disguised himself as Queen Dhruvadevī,
went to the enemies' camp at Alipura and killed the Khasa
or Śaka king. On his return, he killed his brother Rāmagupta
also and married his widowed queen Dhruvadevī.
There is a general agreement amongst scholars regarding the
historical facts just mentioned, but on certain details there still
rages a great controversy. The controversy centres round the

1. Portions from this drama are found quoted in the Śṛṅgāraprakāśa
   and the Nāṭyadarpaṇa (G. O. S. edi. ).
2. E. I. Vol. XVIII p. 248.
3. अरि(लि)पुरे च परकलत्रकामुकं कामिनीवेषगुप्तश्चन्द्रगुप्तः शकपतिमशातयत् ।
4. स्त्रीवेषनिह्नुतश्चन्द्रगुप्तः शत्रोः स्कन्धावारं अलिपुरं शकपतिवधायागमत् ।
5. E. I. Vol. VII, p. 36.
6. G. O. S. edi.