36 G. A. Grierson — Some Further Notes on Kalidasa. [No. 1, 



one named " Dalian Kavi" (^»r ^jfg).* This man was neither very clever 

 nor very ignorant, but was only moderately learned (?H21TJ trf%<T). By 

 dint, however, of intrigues he had attained to such promotion, that no 

 pandit could approach the king, until he had been examined and passed by 

 Dalian Kavi. Dalian naturally abused this power and introduced only the 

 most ignorant pandits to the king, sending all who were more learned than 

 himself away, re ineffectd. 



Kalidasa wished to be introduced to King Bhoja : but, noticing that all 

 the good pandits returned home disappointed, while the bad ones were 

 received into favour, he suspected tbe true nature of the case, and had 

 recourse to the following artifice : — 



He set out for Dhara, where King Bhoja reigned, and on the way he 

 met three poor ignorant pedagogues, who were bent on the same errand as 

 himself. These three had put their heads together to concoct some 

 verses which they might recite before the king, but their united 

 efforts only brought them as far as the first half of a single anushtubh, 

 which was as follows : — 



This being interpreted means " Like a bone, like a crane, and again 

 like a mendicant's tooth,"f but they could get no farther. When they 

 saw Kalidasa, they asked for his assistance, and he replied by giving the 

 second half of the sloka impromptu, as follows, — 



the whole sloka then meaning. " (Bright) as ivory, or as the (snowy) 

 crane, as the teeth of a mendicant, or as the rays of the autumn moon, is 

 thy glory, O King Bhoja," which incongruous display of metaphor im- 

 mensely pleased the three poor pandits. Kalidasa then went on his way 

 to Dhara, and dressing himself in very mean attire called to pay his respects 

 to Dalian Kavi. He took care, however, to call when Dalian was not at 

 home ; and repeated this every day for a week, during which time he made 

 himself thoroughly acquainted with all the habits, customs and hours of his 

 future patron. 



After the expiration of the week Kalidasa went again to Dalian's 

 house in mean attire, at a time when he was engaged in a ceremony usually 

 performed apart from the multitude. % In spite of this, however, Kalidasa 



* So his name is pronounced and spelt now-a-days ; a reference, however, to the 

 S'ardula vikridita verse later on will show that it was originally Dalana (s;sf«r). 



t A Scmnydsi is not supposed to chew betel-nut and pan. Hence his teeth are not 

 discoloured, but retain their pristine whiteness. 



