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Jivanandana of Anandaraya Makhin (Study)

by G. D. Jayalakshmi | 2019 | 58,344 words

This page relates ‘Analysis of Upama-alankara� of the study on the Jivanandana (in English) which is a dramatic play written by Anadaraya Makhin in the 18th century. The Jivanandana praises the excellence of Advaita Vedanta, Ayurveda (medical science) and Dramatic literature as the triple agency for obtaining everlasting bliss.

Go directly to: Footnotes.

ܲԻ岹ⲹ� ṅk�Ũ�ṅk is the beautiful form of poetry. A beautiful idea must appropriately incarnate itself in a beautiful expression. The function of ṅk is to heighten the effect of expression. Be it a Śṅk (sound effect) or an ٳṅk (a striking turn of idea), it is 󾱰ṅg or extrinsic to rasa so long as it is useful for rasa.

The author has composed many of the verses with different striking figures of speech and thus decorates the various rasas also fittingly.

This is the first and foremost figure of speech among the ٳṅks. The dramatist handles it well and applies it in suitable places.

(i) As he approaches the king’s vicinity, having been permitted to have an audience with him, the minister (վñԲ Ś) wonders that in spite of being quite familiar with king ī, he is afraid of getting closer to him because the king’s tejas (radiance) is like the blazing fire’s radiance that prevents any one getting closer (I.36):

ātiparicaye'pi rājṣo bibhemi sahasopagantumabhyarṇam |
岵Ա ٱᲹ� sphuradasyārānnivartayati ||

ī is always pure and possesses a natural lustre[1] and this makes one to think twice before approaching him. Hence the poet compares his lusture to the fierce glow of the fire which prevents anyone to come closer to its proximity.

(ii) It is noteworthy that Ānandarāya Makhin has used throughout the work and even while describing the diseases, especially in the second Act, when the various diseases boast of their powers.

While the Գ岹 declare they would pounce upon their enemies like the tigers on the Ś-deers (II.15cd):

śārdūlā iva śambarān sarabhasa� yānadya gṛhṇīmahe ||

The հṇa boast that they would burn the enemies like Arjuna who destroyed the ṇḍ forest (II.16cd):

ṇy ṇḍ� ghanasaraṇyatītadrumavraja� dahanahetaya� puramarerdahāmo vayam ||

(iii) A beautiful illustration of 貹laṅkāra is found in verse II.17 which describes the effect of the diseases called ś.

The force of the disease is such that all afflicted by it, feel great pain like the poor animals caught in the clutches of the tiger, and also like them, are not able to stand or walk or sleep or eat, or drink or even let their voice call out:

gṛhṇīyāma vyathayitumarestatpura� yena sarve vyāghrākṛṣṭ� iva hi paśava� prāṇino'smadgṛhītā� |
sthatu� gantu� śayitumaśitu� pātumābhāṣituṃvā nāpekṣante manasi dadhato duḥkhamātrānubhūtim ||

(iv) The demeanour of king ī on his return after procuring Rasa and Gandhaka from the divine couple, is clearly brought out by the poet with two similies in a simple śǰ첹. Now that his worry is removed, ī’s face shines like the fully blooming lotus as the misty snow covering it, has melted away.

This idea is portrayed in the first half of the verse III. 21:

vicāravigamādida� vilasati ԲԲ� ܰ� gṛhītasuṣama� himavyapagamādivāmbhoruham |

The second sentence of the same verse declares that ī’s gait exhibiting his natural quality of a king’s valiance (īǻ󲹳) is like that of a powerful elephant that had won over its powerful counter part:

viṣāṇina iva pratidviradadarśanārṣiṇo gatiśca kila 徱ī� namayatīva īǻ󲹳 ||

By using two appropriate similies in this one verse, the dramatist in a nutshell brings out the condition of ī on receiving the blessings of the Supreme.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Com. p.43: jīvo'pi svaya� nityanirmalo niravadhikaprabhābhāsuraśca syāt |

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