t-
an orphan with sufficient means, fee grew disobedient and obstinate, He, gathered together a mob, of companions, whose proficiency and qualification: were heterogenious in their nature,, and planned travel. His wreckless spirit brought to him infamy, the consequence of which was he could not have been the favourite of King.Harsha but for the recommendation of the King's brother Krishna. He repented for past conduct and thenceforth led a perfectly calm and righteous life. In time*. the- King's favour waxed high and he grew to be the royal friend and confidant. So he speaks of the patronage he received, in laudable terms :
Bana's muse was lying dormant for some time owing to the pangs of care and poverty. Harsha's favour roused it. He had already gathered much material from observation and experience during his tours and during his life at the royal court of his great patron. His thought struck upon prose and his devotion to the king gave him a theme. Harsha-charita was the result. He feels his success himself and now it is that he recognises his real merits and capabilities in the field of letters. His literary ambition heightens. He would this time try another work that could procure him everlasting fame. The result of this redoubled vigour was Kadambari which remains to-day an admirable monument of literary art.
Bana's prose has been subjected to a good deal of criticisrn at the hands of both European and Indian reviewers. The artificial character of hisv writings has been exposed to the severe remarks of western scholars. Prof. Weber in an article contributed to the magazine of the German Oriental Society in 1853 writes "Bana's prose is an Indian wood, where all progresses rendered impossible by the undergrowth, untilas one of those mediaeval writers of Sanskrit poetry who introduced a revolution in that art by practically asserting the:eezed to minister to his puerile ambition. There is not one mythological incident to which he has not alluded, not one word whose are signifi-e marriage of Parvati and Siva,-s in question either to Bairxa or