Early History of the Dekkan down to the Mahomedan Conquest c14.4

c14.4

There are also several literary traditions connected with the name of Śâtavâhana or Śâlivâhana A work of the name of Bṛihatkathâ written in that form of the Prâkṛit which is called the Paiśâchî or the language of goblins is mentioned by Daṇḍin in his work the Kâvyâdarsa ² Somadeva, the author of the Kathâsaritsâgara, and Kshemendra, the author of another Bṛihatkathâ, profess to have derived their stories from this Paiśâchî Bṛihatkathâ The stories comprised in this are said to have been communicated to Guṇâḍhya, who for some time had been minister to Śâtavâhana, by a ghost of the name of Kâṇabhûti They were written in blood and arranged in seven books Guṇâḍhya offered them to king Śâtavâhana, but he refused to receive such a ghastly work written in blood and in the language of goblins, whereupon Guṇâḍhya burnt six of them Some time after, king Śâtavâhana having been informed of the charming nature of those stories went to Guṇâḍhya and asked for them But the last or seventh book alone remained, and this the king obtained from his pupils with his permission ³