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

XVII
'Subhāshitāvalī' and 'Sādhūktikarṇāmṛta' stanzas under
the name of Harsha are quoted. Seventhly, there are epigraphic
records which prove that Harsha was an author who not
only wrote dramas, but also stray verses. The inscriptions
on the well-known Banskhera and Madhuban plates are
indisputably his own compositions. In the Banskhera plate
(628 A. D.) which bears Harsha's own signature we find—
"It is the own hand of me, the Paramount Lord, the Glorious
Harsha ( स्वहस्तो मम महाराजाधिराज-श्री-हर्षस्य )." Among the verses
inscribed on the plates, there is one which is very beautiful
and runs thus :—कर्मणा मनसा वाचा कर्तव्यं प्राणिने हितम् । हर्षेणैतत्
समाख्यातं धर्मार्जनमनुत्तमम् ॥ Lastly, two short Sanskrit
poems on Buddhistic spirit are attributed to
Harsha. One of these is named, सुप्रभातस्तोत्र, a morning hymn
in praise of the Buddha and the other is called अष्टमहाश्रीचैत्यसं-
स्तुतं स्तोत्र, a hymn to the eight Great Buddhist Shrines. These
poems thoroughly harmonize with Harsha's acceptance of
Buddhistic doctrine in the latter part of his life.
It is, however, necessary, to mention and refute the theories
started by some scholiasts that Harsha did not himself write
these plays but got them written for him by a court poet of
his, who was amply rewarded for his labour. This theory is
based upon a sentence in the Kāvyaprakāsha of Mammaṭa,
who lived about 1100 A. D. Mammaṭa speaking of काव्य or
poetry says that it leads to the acquisition of wealth, as in the
case of Dhāvaka and others from Shri Harsha and the like—
श्रीहर्षाद्धावकादीनामिव धनम् ।. Several commentators have interpreted
this text to mean that a poet, Dhāvaka wrote a play by name
Ratnāvalī for Shri-Harsha and obtained wealth from him.
The commentator Nāgoji Bhatta comments on the sentence
thus:—धावकः कविः । स हि श्रीहर्षनाम्ना रत्नावलीं कृत्वा बहु धनं लब्धवानिति
प्रसिद्धम् । " In the manuscripts of काव्यप्रकाश found in Kāshmir,
the passage is read thus:—' श्रीहर्षाद्वाणादीनामिव धनम् " The original
text of Mammaṭa, "श्रीहर्षाद्धावकादीनामिव or "श्रीहर्षाद्वाणादीनामिव धनम्"
if interpreted naturally without reading into it any pre-con-
ceived idea, would mean that poets like Dhāwaka or Bāṇa
obtained wealth from their patron, Shri Harsha, for their
literary works. In other words these poets were liberally
rewarded by their patron, King Harsha. This interpretation
is natural and correct and is in conformity with the tradition
which ascribes Ratnāvalī and its sister plays to Shri Harsha.
The interpretation of the commentators, who lived several