Brief Study on vidvat praśaṃsā paddhati in Nīti-śataka

Abstract

Sanskrit literature is the full of various literary aspects. Among them didactic method is the attractive way to express one's feelings about the society in which one lives. Actually, the main objective of didactic method is to give instructions to the readers about the society or community in which they live. Likewise, the śatakatrayī of Bhatṛhari is the most invaluable didactic poetry, which is full of similes, metaphors and splendor words. Among the śatakatrayī, Nīti-śataka is the first śataka work of Bhartṛhari, which is praised by the readers and the scholars. Here, the objective of this paper is to discuss a segment of Nīti-śataka i.e. fair concern on the several editions of this book and specific focus on the stanzas of the vidvat praśaṃsā paddhati, which praise the scholars, by Bhartṛhari. The stanzas, which are used to praise the scholars is named as ‘vidvat praśaṃsā paddhati’. As there are different editions, there are some distinctions in verses and the number of verses of the same category in different editions. For instance, the stanza, which we can see in one edition, cannot be seen in the other edition of the same category in ‘vidvat praśaṃsā paddhati’. Here, the edition of Kriṣṇa Śāstrī is used as the archetype and all the other editions as the secondary types. Hence, the comparison is done focusing on the archetype. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to discuss the facts mentioned above. As well as meters & prosodies he had used to compile the stanzas and about how he had praised the scholars, which illuminate the significant role of the erudite people in the society.