Mudrarakshasa (literary study)
by Antara Chakravarty | 2015 | 58,556 words
This page relates ‘Use of Mandakranta 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.
2.13. Use of ѲԻԳ metre
[Full title: The Chandas employed in ѳܻṣa (13). ѲԻԳ]
The famous ѲԻԳ meter has been defined by Ҳṅg as:
ԻԳ峾ܻԲDzԲܲܲⲹܲ�/[1]
In the meter, where the 岹 are made of ma, bha, na, ga, ga, ya and ya ṇa and the yatis come after the first four (ambudhi) syllables, then after six(rasa) syllables and finally after next seven (naga) syllables, that is ѲԻԳ meter. This meter has also been included in this drama but once. According to the canons of dramaturgy, this meter is best suited for Vipralambha Śṛṅgāra (as used by in his ѱūٲ) or in depicting ṇa. Though our dramatist has used this verse in depicting the heroic sentiment of ṣa, but an in-depth observation reveals that in this verse there is a tint of Karuṇa rasa also. This is because ṣa had uttered this verse when he was completely broken down by ṇaⲹ’s intrigues. The statement ٰԱ屹ś included in the verse supports this idea more precisely. Therefore it can be said that though our dramatist has used this meter only once the mastery over the same can be felt from this only.
Let us scan the verse to examine the meter:
ma | | | bha | | | na | | | ga | | | ga | | | ya | | | ya |
- - - | | | - � � | | | � � � | | | - | | | - | | | � - - | | | � - - |
nistriṃśo |’yaṃ║ saja |lajala |da|║vyo |masaṅkā |śamūrti-
ryuddhaśra |ddhā�pula |kita i |va|� prā |ptasakhyaḥ| kareṇa|
sattvotka |rṣāt � sama |ranika|ṣe|� d� |ṣṭasāra� |parairme
mitrasne |hā ║dviva |śamadhu|nā|� sā|hase māṃ| niyuṅkte||[2]
The scan leads us to the fact that the verse has got the ṇa ma, bha, na, ga, ga, ya and ya having the pauses after the fourth, sixth and seventh syllables in every 岹. Therefore it is an instance of ѲԻԳ meter having 17 syllables in a 岹.
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
ѳܻṣa, VI.19