स्वप्नवासवदत्तम् (महाकवि भास - संस्कृत मूल एवं हिन्दी अनुवाद)

INTRODUCTION. XXV
सचेतसो वनेभस्य चर्मणा निर्मितस्य च ।
विशेषं वेद बालोऽपि कथं किन्तु कथंनु तत् ॥ ४७ ॥”
The subject reviewed by Bhâmaha above, is seen in its entirety in Pra-
tijnânâtikâ. Moreover the Prakrit passage, “अणेण मम भादा हदो,
अणेण मम पिदा, अणेण मम सुदो” in the first Act of Pratijnânâtikâ is
quoted in the form of verse, “हतोऽनेन मम भ्राता मम पुत्रः पिता मम”
by Bhâmaha, in his enquiry on Nyâyavirodha. The name itself of the
Nâtikâ is not mentioned by Bhâmaha, probably on account of the Nâtikâ
having been well-known in his days. The subject of Bhâmaha's
enquiry is found in the Brihatkathâ also. This should not
lead one to infer that Bhâmaha had Brihatkathâ in view, and
not Pratijnânâtikâ; for the passage, “हतोऽनेन मम भ्राता” quoted by
Bhâmaha occurs in Pratijnâ, while nothing authorises us to infer that
the same passage occurs in Brihatkatha. The fact however is, as we
will show presently, Brihatkathâ was written only after the age of
Bhâmaha. Bhâmahâchârya, it seems to me, must have lived long prior
to Kâlidâsa. For while he mentions such names of poets and poems
as Medhâvi, Râmasarma, Asmakavamsa, Ratnâharana, Achyutottara
all unknown to us, he has never mentioned the name of Kâlidâsa of
world-wide fame or any of his works of supreme excellence. But had
Bhâmaha ever seen the poems of Kâlidâsa, he would have of course
mentioned them or made them also as in the case of Pratijnânâtikâ,
subject of his criticism. Bhâmaha in his “युक्तायुक्तविचार” (enquiry into
poetic conceits) speaks of the fashion of making messengers of clouds,
wind &c:—
“अयुक्तिमद् यथा दूता जलभृन्मारुतादयः ।
तथा भ्रमरहारीतचक्रवाकशुकादयः ॥ ४२ ॥
अवाचोऽव्यक्तवाचश्च दूरदेशविचारिणः ।
कथं दूत्यं प्रपद्येरन्निति युक्त्या न युज्यते ॥ ४३ ॥
यदि चोत्कण्ठया तत्तदुन्मत्त इव भाषते ।
तथा भवतु भूम्नेदं सुमेधोभिः प्रयुज्यते ॥ ४४ ॥
(Bhâmaha's Kâvyâlankâra Parichchheda 1.)