विरुदावली : Virudavali (An Old and Rare Book)

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The present treatise is a companion volume, so to say, to our previous publication Jahangira Virudavali which appeared in 1978. The author of the present work, Pt. Raghudeva Mishra is said to be the younger brother of Harideva Misra.

However, whereas Pt. Hardeva has clearly mentioned the name of his Patron, Pt. Raghudeva is completely silent about the king for whom he has composed this work. It is only in the comparatively recent Mithila tradition that the subject of the Virudavali has been identified with the emperor Shahjahan. This seems likely, though not certain. It is really strange that the author composes about one hundred big and small poems in praise o a king whom he never cares to mention in his work ! Or could it be intentinal?

The present Virudavali has been composed and modelled much on the pattern of the Jahangira Virudavali. The work of the elder brother seems to have been the inspiration behind the work of the younger brother.

The present (Shahjahan) Virudavali was first published in 1903 in Varansai with the commentary of Shri Cakradhara Sharma, a contemporary, Maithila Pandit. The Hindi Sahitya Sammelana of Allahabad possesses a manuscript of (Shahjahan) Virudavali with the commentary of Krsnadatta. On closer scrutiny it has been found that Pt. Cakradhara Sharma utilized the older commentary of Krsna Datta for writing his commentary in the beginning of this century. His commentary not only very closely follows the commentary of Krsnadatta but is even identical with it at places. For this reason it has not been considered useful to print the commentary of Krsnadatta here along with the text. However, Dr. Pathak has made full use of the MS of the Sahitya Sammelan in critically editing the text and thereby improving upon the readings given by Pt. Chakradhara Sharma.

I am sure that the scholars shall welcome the publication of this Virudavali since it is a rare specimen of its kind as good as its counterpart, the Jahangira Virudavali.

**Contents and Sample Pages**