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The backdrop of the Srikanthacarita and the Mankhakosa

by Dhrubajit Sarma | 2015 | 94,519 words

This page relates “Specialities as a kosha text� as it appears in the case study regarding the Srikanthacarita and the Mankhakosa. The Shrikanthacarita was composed by Mankhaka, sometimes during A.D. 1136-1142. The Mankhakosa or the Anekarthakosa is a kosa text of homonymous words, composed by the same author.

Go directly to: Footnotes.

Part 6 - Specialities as a ṣa text

The speciality of the Ѳṅk󲹰ś is noticed in the collection of copious uncommon terms and their meanings, not available elsewhere. It may be mentioned here that Ѳṅk󲹰첹 himself acknowledges the names of the following lexicographers viz. Ჹܻ, Amarasiṃha, Śśٲ, Dhanvantari etc. According to him, he utilizes the ṣa text of Śśٲ particularly. Ѳṅk󲹰첹 suggests a great number of meanings in his lexicon, that are not found indicated in any other dictionary. He often cites Bhallaṭa, the poet and the Ჹṣaٲ, in his commentary of the text. Again, he has given almost full cross references from the ṇṭܲ, Amaraṣa, Ayurvedic works and several other Sanskrit ṣa texts. Those references or examples, culled from different sources of knowledge, support the hypothesis that the ṣakāra Ѳṅk󲹰첹 was a literary genius also, conversant with various Śٰ as well as Sanskrit literature in general. This lexicon was popular even at the contemporary period of Ѳṅk󲹰첹 also.

As already referred, Mahendra, the disciple of Hemacandra has quoted both from the Ѳṅk󲹰ś and its commentary, in his commentary of the Աٳ󲹲ṃg of his preceptor. From this, the popularity of the Ѳṅk󲹰ś can be easily inferred. Again, in subsequent times, Jonarāja of fifteenth century A.D., quotes from the Ѳṅk󲹰ś. in his commentary of the Śī첹ṇṭ󲹳ٲ. While quoting from the Śī첹ṇṭ󲹳ٲ, however, without making any special mention of the Ѳṅk󲹰ś by name, Jonarāja just writes iti ṣa�. Though it means ṣa texts in general, actually it refers to the Ѳṅk󲹰ś in particular.

Besides, Բ첹 Ratnakaṇṭha, the son of Śaṃkarakaṇṭha, who flourished in the reign of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (A.D. 16581707) had written a commentary. In that commentary named ܱ貹ñ written on the ٳܳپܲܳñᲹ of Jagaddhara ṭṭ, Ratnakaṇṭha had made quotations from the Ѳṅk󲹰ś. Again, there are quotations from the Ѳṅk󲹰ś, in Ratnakaṇṭha’s ṭīk on ܻ𱹲’s ۳ܻṣṭ󾱰屹ⲹ also.[1] It may be mentioned here that, about the quotations of Ratnakaṇṭha, the observation of Zachariae is remarkable.[2] Thus, the Ѳṅk󲹰ś was a very popular ṣa text in Sanskrit, cautiously studied, analysed and quoted in the works of contemporary as well as later period.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Mandal, B.C., Śī첹ṇṭ󲹳ٲ., page 64

[2]:

“Ratnakaṇṭha generally quotes only what is common to most Anekārthaṣas, and not what is peculiar to the Ѳṅk󲹰ś.� Zachariae, Theodor, Ѳṅk󲹰ś., Preface, page 4

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