signature verses

[Som Dev Vasudeva]

On Feb 24, 2009, at 11:50 AM, Michael Hahn wrote:
>
> I wonder whether someone knows an example prior to the Buddhist poet  
> and
> grammarian Candragomin whose floruit is around 450 or 470 CE. See,  
> inter
> alia, my book "Invitation to Enlightenment," Berkeley 1999.

There is of course the related practice of using pen-names and  
signature words (-aṅka, -lāñchana, -cihna), commonly also at the  
end of cantos, that might be considered here. An early one (if  
attestation exists) might be Caüraciṃdha. Hemacandra (1088-1172 ce)  
in his Deśīnāmamālā 3.7 gives Caüraciṃdha (= Skt. caturacihna)  
as a  pen-name for the Sātavāhana king Hāla. See H.C. Bhayani,  
Indological Studies, Ahmedabad 1993, pp.170–171.

S.D.Vasudeva