INTRODUCTION 37 44, 56, 61, 85, 130; 11. 1-2) but unfortunately, we only come across the life of the first Jina only. This may be accounted for in two or three ways: (1) lives of the rest of the Minas thongli composed may be lying in some bhandars perhaps as food for white ants, etc.; (2) they may have been destroyed by fire or wors ont through the recklessness of its owner in conse of time; (3) they may not bave been at all composed orting to premature demise. The last seems rather very doubtful; all the same, if admitted, it may be deduced that Padmananda is the last out of the set of varione precious jewels of poetic lustre given to us as a heritage by our venerable author. Style, cte. The style of Padmauandı mahukāz'ya is lucid, lofty. natural, casy-flowiog and foreille. There are numerous anuprāsas (alliterations) bcautifully furoished by the author. Even the 'yamakas (rhymes) have been given a due place. See the 14th caoto, v. 66-74. Tlie verses 75-83 of this canto where tho Sirst 15 letters are absent and the versos 105-109 syhere the first 25 are not used, deserve to be mentioned as special cases of S'abdalarikara.' He has composed phrases, hemistiches, Verses, etc., capable of being interpreted in two ways. These are some feats of verbal acrobatics, in which he las been eminently successful. This shows his command over Sanskrit vocabulary. Furtherniore, hardly do we find grammatical in. accuracy which speaks for his thorough knowledge of this branch of Sanskrit. He has employed different metres for different cantos and while concluding a caoto, he has changed the usual metre us is mostly the case with the mahkavya. In all it seems he has used 35 metres. Out of them 7 may he looked Lipon as principal metres. Every poet is not generally I Pamela was highly thought of even by Kalidasa (vide the 9th Anto of Kagueuritn). It occare so carly as in Rudraetman's Inscription of A D. 160. It i, precisely the later writors that look down upon at. 2. For the repetition of Arts seo IV. 20. 3. II. 269 foag bestu glod ost, as t also talents the Astronomical po* lodge of our author. 4 For the pace of metrar of usch cinto along with those coepering It singls verses, the restor is referred to the third ppoddu (Px. 296-993). 6 They are (I) detail. (3) arys (3) Indrerarü, (!) monti, (5) ratho ddist, (6) santalilali and (7) s'ardhlaviridit,
