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

XIV
2 HARSHA AS AN AUTHOR.
( Controversies regarding his Authorship )
The three plays, Ratnāvali, Priyadarśikā, and Nāgānand are
attributed to Shri Harsha or Harsha deva of Kanauj. But
Harsha's authorship has been questioned by some scholars
Indian as well as European. In the first place some even
doubt whether the same author wrote all the three plays.
Now a perusal of the three dramas ought to lead every one
to the conclusion that all the three plays are the product of
the same mind. The prologues in the three plays are exactly
the same in wording, barring slight variations necessitated
by the fact of the plays being different. In the prologue of
each play Shri Harsha Deva is mentioned as the author of the
play: श्रीहर्षदेवेन अपूर्ववस्तुरचनालङ्कृता रत्नावली नाम नाटिका कृता—श्रीहर्षदेवेन
अपूर्ववस्तुरचनालङ्कृता प्रियदर्शिका नामनाटिका कृता—श्रीहर्षदेवेन अपूर्वरचनालङ्कृतं
विद्याधरजातकमतिनिबद्धं नागानन्दं नाम नाटकं कृतम्. Besides the closing
benedictory stanza in Priyadars'ika and Râtnâvali is the same
and two identical stanzas occur in Priyadars'ikā and Nāgān-
anda ( Priyadars'ikā III-3, Nagananda IV-1, Priya III 10,
Nāga I. 14 ) In addition to these we notice similarity of
style and tone, parallels in situations, repeated phrases and
expressions which unmistakably prove the common authorship
of the three plays.
Now the next question is who is this Śrī Harsha-Deva that
is mentioned in the three plays ? Mr K. M. Pannikar in his
monograph on Shri Harsha of Kanauj mentions five Harshas
as being known to ancient Indian History. The first is the
half mad tyrant of Kāshmir who ruled that state from 1089-
1101. The second is Shri Harsha, the grand father of king
Bhoja, of Dhārānagar. The third is Vikramaditya Harsha of
Ujjain, at whose court Mātṛgupta lived. The fourth is the
author of Naishadhīya-Charita, and the fifth, the author of
Kāvyapradīpa.
(1) Harsha Deva King of Kāshmere cannot be conceived
of being an author of any literary work, judging from his
career and character. Besides no literary work is attributed to
him. (2) Shri Harsha of Dhārānagar and grandfather of Bhoja
lived in the earlier half of the 10th century. Damodar Gupta
in his work called Kuttanimata gives at length the story of