चित्रचम्पूः महामहोपाध्याय-बाणेश्वर-विद्यालङ्कार-कृता: Citracampu of Mahamahopaddhyaya Banesvara Vidyalamkara (An Old and Rare Book)

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The pressing of the verses in service side by side with prose evidently as an experimental device for augmenting the force and glamour of prose and the grace of poetry in one combination is a late technique adopted by the Sanskrit Kavya-writers notwithstanding the fact that the methodology was familiar to Dandin, who in his Kavyadarsa (1.31) refers to such com- positions as admixture of prose and verse (gadyapadyamayam kavyam campurity abhidhiyate). In Sanskrit literature, poems may be stated to predominate over prose and but for Banabhatta's Kadambari, where prose combination has reached the highest level of splendour, which is majestic in movement and magnificent in melody and volume; there is hardly any other work in prose which may elicit reader's wonder and awe. Dandin pertinently points out that profusion of compact compounds forms the very life of Sanskrit prose (ojah samasabhuyastvam etad gadyasya jivitam. Kavyadarsa, 1-80) and it is undeniable that richness of vocabulary, wealth of description, frequency of rhetorical ornaments, length of com- pounds and elaborateness of sentences, a grandiose pitch of sound and sense are common features of prose kavyas; but the risk is always there that the manner may degenerate into mannerism. Not being bound by the limitations of verse, the prose-writers of Sanskrit demonstrate a tendency of filling their compositions with more dazzling than illuminating series of phrases and phrases upon phrases. The degenerating attitude of having play upon words and thoughts may often appear as incessant and irritating and frankly speaking, the writers may be stated to be sponsored by the perverted desire of producing the grace of poetry in prose. The grandeur of style is ponderous and affected and often falls into the grandiose. One may feel tempted to refer to the text of Subandhu wherein the author has declared his work as a treasure-house of literary dexterity employing pun in every syllable of the composition.

It gives me much pleasure to announce that this edition of Citracampu of Banesvara Vidyalamkara by the late venerable Pandit Janakinath Shastri is being published now. At the same time I regret to say that owing to some extraordinary unavoidable circumstances, the book could not be brought out to light during the life-time of the learned editor, though originally the printing was started as early as in 1940. He passed away on 16. 5. 1971, rich in years and honours. He was not only one of the founder members of this Parishat, but was also the chief architect of the same. The Library of the Parishat owes much to him, which cannot be expressed in terms of words. What he began is completed now and this is but a homage to that departed soul.

In 1940, an edition of the Citracampů by Ramchandra Chakravarti was published from Benares with a foreword by Mm. Gopinath Kaviraja. That edition was based on a single manuscript. The present edition is however, based on four manuscripts, one of which was collected from one Anantacharan Bhattacharyya, a descendant of Baņesvara.