' (Brihat-katha-shloka-sangraha, à ¤¬à ¥Âà ¤¹à ¤¤à ¥Âà ¤Âà ¤¥à ¤¾à ¤¶à ¥Âà ¤²à ¥Âà ¤Âà ¤¸à ¤Âà ¤Âà ¥Âà ¤°à ¤¹), "Verse Abridgment of the Great Story", is an abridgement into Sanskrit verse of the now lost Great Story ('). It tells the legend of the youthful exploits of prince NaravÃÂhanadatta (Nara-vahana-datta). The poet, Budhasvamin (à ¤¬à ¥Âà ¤§à ¤¸à ¥Âà ¤µà ¤¾à ¤®à ¤¿à ¤¨, also transliterated as BudhasvÃÂmin), is known only through this work.
The main story narrates NaravÃÂhanadatta's progress culminating in his destined enthronement as the emperor of the vidhyÃÂdharas, celestial beings with magical abilities, winning twenty-six wives along the way. The surviving manuscripts of the text break off while he is in pursuit of his sixth wife. The narrative is fast-paced and eschews lengthy description.
<blockquote> It is also unusually homogeneous and hasnâÂÂt suffered the intrusion of interpolation: Budha÷svaminâÂÂs laconic style remains consistent throughout. ... Occasional allusions show that Budha÷svamin had a thorough grounding in the various sciences that made up the traditional brahmin education ... [and] a wonderfully wide acquaintance with all manner of people and places in the ancient Indian world. The action happens in cities like Ujjayinë [modern Ujjain], VÃÂrÃÂnasi [modern Varanasi or Benares], Champa and Madurai, in royal palaces and their harems and parks, in courtesansâ parlours and boudoirs, in merchantsâ mansions, caravans and ships, in paupersâ hovels and slums, in outcastesâ villages, in asceticsâ hermitages, in cremation grounds, on festive pilgrimages, in gambling dens and in jungles, mountains and deserts. The incidental descriptions of these places suggest their authorsâ personal acquaintance with them. </blockquote>
Somadeva's KathÃÂsaritsÃÂgara (Ocean of Streams of Story) and Ksemendra's Brhatkathamanjari are other works said ultimately to derive from the same lost Great Story.