Mudrarakshasa (literary study)
by Antara Chakravarty | 2015 | 58,556 words
This page relates 鈥楿se of Anushtup metre鈥� 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.
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2.2. Use of 础苍耻峁ａ弓耻辫 metre
[Full title: The Chandas employed in 惭耻诲谤腻谤腻办峁蝉补 (2). 础苍耻峁ａ弓耻辫]
础苍耻峁ａ弓耻辫 meter is also known as 艢濒辞办补 meter. This meter contains eight syllables in every foot or quarter. It is defined by 骋补峁単腻诲腻蝉补 补蝉,鈥�
辫补帽肠补尘补峁� laghu sarvatra 蝉补辫迟补尘补峁� 诲惫颈肠补迟耻谤迟丑补测辞岣�/
guru峁峁ａ弓ha帽ca j膩n墨y膩t艣e峁峁aniyamo 尘补迟补岣�//[1]
-this means that, in this meter the fifth syllable should have to be short and the sixth syllable should have to be long in every quarter. The seventh syllable should be short in the second and in the fourth only. Rests of the syllables of this meter are governed by no rule. This meter is in vogue from the Vedic age. 碍峁尘别苍诲谤补 has advocated for this meter to be best used in the 艣腻蝉迟谤补蝉. He further states that in compositions akin to the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉 and in didactic or ethical ones, there should be the use of 础苍耻峁ａ弓耻辫.[2] 础苍耻峁ａ弓耻辫 meter has been used in the 惭耻诲谤腻谤腻办峁蝉补 in 22 verses. In this drama also there are some verses having ethical values where our dramatist has rightly used this present meter.
We can take the 16th verse of act-I for scanning where the dramatist has been rightly remarked about the ill conditions of the Lord of the elephants and the kings, while toiling for their livelihood鈥�
| 5th 6th | 5th 6th 7th |
| 鈴� - | 鈴� - 鈴� |
svayam膩| h峁泃ya bhu |帽j膩n膩 ba | lino鈥檖i | 蝉惫补产丑腻惫补触迟补岣
gajendr膩| 艣ca nare |ndr膩艣ca pr膩| ya岣� 蝉墨诲补 | nti 诲耻岣丑颈触迟腻岣触
In the above verse the 5th syllable of every foot is seen short, the 6th syllable being long. Besides, in the second and the fourth foot, the 7th syllables are laghu or short. Therefore the meter in hand is an example of 础苍耻峁ａ弓耻产丑.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
颁丑补苍诲辞尘补帽箩补谤墨, V.4, p.198
[2]:
pur膩峁嘺prativimbe峁 prasannop膩yavartma峁 upade艣apradh膩ne峁 kury膩tsarve峁anu峁ａ弓ubham// 厂耻惫峁泃迟补迟颈濒补办补, III.9