No. 28. — 1884.] fiest fifty jAtakas. 



129 



(4) " Both Sakuntala and Katthaharika take their sons 

 to the capitals of the princes who had once loved them. 



(5) " Both are rejected at first. 



(6) " Miracles, however, intervene, and both are accepted. 



(7) "But in the story, as narrated in the Mahabharata, 

 the episode of the seal-ring is entirely wanting ; while in the 

 Katthahari-Jataka and in the " Lost-ring" of Kalidasa, the 

 episode of the seal-ring plays an important and essential 

 part. 



2. " The Mahabharata- form of the story is the first ; 

 because it is so simple and the episode of the seal-ring is 

 wanting. The Jataka-form adds the episode of the seal- 

 ring. It is, therefore, a development of the popular story 

 narrated in the Mahabharata. The form of the story as 

 narrated by Kalidasa in his drama is a further artistic 

 development. 



3. " The chronology of the Katthahari-Jataka can be 

 determined from what is already stated. It was narrated 

 between the composition of the Mahabharata and of the 

 lost-ring. The Mahabharata was written about 1200 B.C., 

 as is evident from the philosophical disputes, religious 

 ceremonies, the social condition of the people, geographical 

 notices, and astronomical facts as they are described in the 

 great Epic. General Cunningham places the Mahabharata 

 1,500 years before Christ. There is an inscription dated 

 584 A.D., written by Kirtivarma, who mentions the names 

 of Kalidasa and Bharari as distinguished poets.- The 

 Pancha-tantra of Vishnu Sarman, translated into Pahlavi in 

 the 6th century A.D., and therefore earlier than the 6th 

 century A.D., quotes Kalidasa. There is ample evidence to 

 show from the writings of Kalidasa himself that he flourish- 

 ed about the first century of the Christian era. This the 

 popular tradition in India supports. Max Miiller contends 

 in his " Renaissance of Sanskrit Literature" that Kalidasa 

 flourished about the 6th century A.D. There are other 

 European scholars, however, who differ from him. I believe 



i that the evidence, which the latter adduce, preponderates. 

 " A mass of evidence has collected on this subject, and its 

 details cannot be examined in this place. The conclusion, 

 however, as to the chronology of the Kattahari Jataka is 

 not affected by this evidence. The story of the Kattahari 



