Mudrarakshasa (literary study)
by Antara Chakravarty | 2015 | 58,556 words
This page relates ‘Use of Sragdhara metre� 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.
2.1. Use of metre
[Full title: The Chandas employed in ѳܻṣa (1). ]
ԻdzñᲹī of Ҳṅg has defined the meter as:
mrabhnairyānā� trayeṇa trimuniyatiyutā sragdharā kīrtiteya�/[1]
When each foot of a verse comprise of the seven ṇa, viz ma, ra, bha, na, ya, ya and ya; and the pause occurs after every seven syllables, then the meter there is .
Thus it can be seen that every quarter of this meter has got 21 syllables. վś岹ٳٲ has used this chandas not less than 24 times. In ѳܻṣa there are two Իī verses, and both are crafted of meter. It is worth mentioning here that also used this meter in the Իī verse of his eternal drama ñԲśܲԳٲ�.
Let us scan the first Իī verse of ѳܻṣa in the following:
ma | | | ra | | | bha | | | ma | | | ya | | | ya | |
- - � | | | - � - | | | - � � | | | � � � | | | � - - | | | � - - | | |
Բ ke| ya� ٳ| te�ś | si śś |첹 � kiṃ| nu nāmai |tadasyā�
nāmaivā |syāstade |tat�pari | citama |pi te � vi |smṛta� ka |sya hetoḥ║|
ī� pṛ|cchāmi ne |nduṃ║ katha | yatu vi |Ჹ � na | ṇa� | yadīndu-�
rdevyā ni|hnotumi |ccho�riti | surasa |ٲ�║ś� |ṭhyamavyā |dvibhorvaḥ║||
After scanning this verse we can find that there are the ṇa, viz, ma, ra, bha, na, ya, ya and ya. Therefore it is an instance of meter for sure. ṣeԻ says in his ܱṛtٲپ첹 that meter should be used in case of the description of speedy movement of wind, i.e. storm etc.[2]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
ԻdzñᲹī, p.155
[2]: