13- Rasiapaasana. 



By S. P. V. Ranganathasvami Aryavaraguru. 



A short note on Rasiapaasana, an old Prakrit work, newly 

 brought to light, by Mahamahopadhyaya Pandit Haraprasad 

 Sastri, M.A., and deposited in the Library of the Asiatic Society 

 of Bengal, may not be uninteresting at present when Prakrit 

 works are rare and even the few works known are rarely 

 studied. Rasiapaasana by Vairochana contains 400 verses ; 

 but about 46 more verses, in the same metre, have been added 

 at the end of the work. Being similar in nature to those of 

 the work and probably being the composition of the same 

 author, these were perhaps added to this work. The fact that 

 these verses were not intended by the author to form a part of 

 his work, is clearly seen from the colophon which is given 

 before the commencement of these verses (i.e. at the end of his 

 work) and in which it is stated that his work contains 400 

 gathas. So my conclusion is that these extra verses are Chatu 



Slokas (^T3^jjt*t:), composed by the same author, collected 



together and appended to the work, so that they might not 

 fall into oblivion. 



As to the work itself, it is complete with benedictory 

 verses at the beginning and with a colophon at the end. It 

 contains 400 verses, in one and the same metre, gatha. It is 

 not an anthology but an original work of the author. The 

 following verses from the work will clearly convince us of the 



fact : 







heard 



care 



Having stolen a pot full of 



Kusa 





