Mudrarakshasa (literary study)
by Antara Chakravarty | 2015 | 58,556 words
This page relates ‘Use of Utpreksha-alamkara� of the English study on the Mudrarakshasa: an ancient Sanskrit dramatic play (Nataka) authored by Vishakhadatta which deals with the life of king Chandragupta. This study investigates the Mudra Rakshasa from a literary perspective, such as metrics, themes, rhetorics and other poetical elements. Chandragupta ruled the Mauryan Empire during the 4th century BCE, hence this text can also be studied as a historical textbook of ancient India.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
3.6. Use of ٱṣ�-alaṃkāra
[Full title: Use of ṃk in ѳܻṣa: ٳṃk, Sādṛśyamūlaka (or Sādṛṣyagarbha) (3). ٱṣ�]
bhavetsambhāvanotprekṣ� ṛtsya parātmanā[1]
“ٱṣā is the imagination of an object under the character of another.�
That means ٱṣ� is the prominent apprehension of upameya (ṛt) as ܱ貹Բ (貹ٳԲ). This ٱṣ� has got primarily two varieties-峦ⲹ and Pratiyamāna. վśٳ has subdivided ٱṣ� into innumerable varieties.[2] վś岹ٳٲ is also seen as an expert in using ٱṣ� at the proper places in the drama.[3]
In the first act of ѳܻṣa, the boastings of ṇaⲹ is heightened by ٱṣālaṃkāra thus�
ٰܳ ԲԻ nava hṛdayarogā iva� ܱ�
ṛt maurye ṣmī� sarasi nalinīva sthirapadā�/
屹� � ٳܱⲹ� dvitayamabhiyuktena Բ
� kopaprītyordviṣati ca ٲ� suhṛdi ca//[4]
In this verse, ṇaⲹ, while boasting of himself about uprooting the nine Nandas like darts in the hearts of the earth, utters the word ṛdⲹDz iva which consists of Guṇotprekṣ�.
Again, in the second act, while Ahituṇḍika in a svagatokti compares the might of ṇaⲹ and ṣa with that of two wild elephants fighting for supremacy, imagines Ჹṣmī as the baffled female elephant who is in a state of indecision as to whom to select as her partner, there վś岹ٳٲ implied ٱṣālaṃkāra very nicely.[5]
In another place of the drama, while declaring the orders from the king to get prepared for the 첹ܻܳīdzٲ, ñܰī says,
“Let the glow of the fine Chamaries having the luster of enmassed beams of the full-moon quickly embrace the pillars, fragrant by being fumigated with incense, and having garlands fastened round them, let also sprinkling with Sandal water mixed with flower quickly favour the earth that is in a swoon as it were by the long weight of the lion-emblemed throne.�[6]
The later portion of the above verse contains Vastutprekṣ�, because here the dramatist fancies that the Earth (which is personified) fell into a swoon as she had for a long been shouldering the very heavy burden of the throne, and therefore a sprinkling sandal paste mixed water can oblige the Earth.
Likewise, act III and act VI contain lots more fine examples of ٱṣ� some of which are�
kṣatāṅgānā� tīkṣṇai� paraśubhirudagrai� kṣitiruhā�
ūᲹԳī峾ٲ첹dzٴDZ貹ܻ徱ٲ�/
svanirmokacchedai� paricitaparikleśakṛpayā
śvasanta� śākhānā� vraṇamiva nibadhnanti phaṇina�//[7]
Again,
Գٲḥśaī貹śṣaԳܻ岹ⲹԳٲ�
kīṭakṣatisrutibhirasramivodvamanta�/
chāyāviyogamalinā vyasane Ծ
ṛkṣāḥ śśԲܱ貹Գٳܳ ṛt�//[8]
And,
pramṛdnañchrotṛṇā� śrutipathama� gurutayā
bahutvāt prāsādai� sapadi paripitoñjhita iva/
asau nāndīnāda� paṭupaṭahaśaṅkhadhvaniyuto
徱ś� ṣṭ� 岹ⲹ� prasarati sakautūhala iva//[9]
In these above three verses, ṣa’s frustration can be seen through ٱṣ�. The first verse describes the worst condition of the ᾱṇoԲ, that, ṣa fancies that the serpents, out of pity, are bandaging the wounds of the branches of the trees, which are inflicted by the hacks of axes, and crying in excruciating pain through the incessant mourning of the pigeons, with the pieces of their sloughs.
In the same way, the next one conveys the fancy that the trees of the ᾱṇoԲ, through the loss of shade and drying of their trunk’s interior has withered and further with the holes bored in them by the worms like very heavy grief has plunged into misery, and proceeding gradually to the cremation ground.
And in the third one, ٱṣ� reaches to such a height that վś岹ٳٲ fancies through ṣa’s speech as, the uproar of rejoicing blended with the tumult of deep sounding drums and conches, which is drunk and through its magnitude instantly thrown up by the big mansions spreads as if curious to measure the expense of the quarters.
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
ٲⲹ岹貹ṇa, X. 40,41,42,43,44,45
[3]:
ѳܻṣa, I. 24, 25; II. 2, 14; III.7, 8, 22, 30, 33; IV. 7, 12, 23; V. 6,8,13,16; VI. 5,6,15,19; VII.10
[4]:
ѳܻṣa, I.13
[5]:
viruddhayorbhṛśamiva mantrimukhyayormahāvane vanagajayorivāntare/ aniścayād gajavaśayeva bhītayā gatāgatairdhruvamiha khidyate ś// , II. 3
[6]:
[7]:
Ibid., VI.12
[8]:
Ibid., VI.13
[9]:
Ibid., VI.14