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The backdrop of the Srikanthacarita and the Mankhakosa

by Dhrubajit Sarma | 2015 | 94,519 words

This page relates “Rasa (9): Shanta or the sentiment of tranquility� as it appears in the case study regarding the Srikanthacarita and the Mankhakosa. The Shrikanthacarita was composed by Mankhaka, sometimes during A.D. 1136-1142. The Mankhakosa or the Anekarthakosa is a kosa text of homonymous words, composed by the same author.

Go directly to: Footnotes.

Part 2i - Rasa (9): ŚԳٲ or the sentiment of tranquility

վśٳ is of the opinion that sama[1](tranquility), which is a mental state of a person, who is free from all attachment and thereby experiences bliss, gives rise to the sentiment called the ŚԳٲ (quietistic). It belongs to the very best of men. Its beauty is as fair as Jasmine and the moon and the adorable ⲹṇa is its presiding deity. The knowledge of the transitoriness of the world or the knowledge of the Supreme Self becomes the Բ屹 of this sentiment, whereas, the hermitage, the sporting ground of the Lord and the company of the saints, serve as the uddīpanavibhāvas of the ŚԳٲrasa. Horripilation and the like are its Գܲ屹 and indifference, delight, remembrance, intellect and compassion are its ⲹ󾱳屹.[2] It may be mentioned here that Bharata states that a description, wherein,there is described the state of having no sorrow, no envy, no jealousy and there exists equilibrium of mind, comes as an illustration of the ŚԳٲrasa.[3] Ѳṭa also opines regarding ŚԳٲ, that nirveda or complete indifference towards worldly objects, generates the quietistic sentiment.[4] Ѳṅk󲹰첹 employs the sentiment of tranquility in his poem.

The instances of the ŚԳٲrasa is found to be delineated in the philosophical verses of canto XVII. Here the feeling of self-disparagement of the gods have been showed before the Supreme Reality i.e. Ś. The gods, tormented by the demons, here approach Lord Ś for protection of them as well as annihilation of the Tripuras, thereby, they belittle their own strength. The verses, where the knowledge of Absolute Reality or nirveda has been delineated are viz. śṣāṃ puri[5] �.., nanveva� kimapi[6] �.., ṅmūḍh vitatha[7] �.., ki� mithyā hara[8] �.ki� kartu�[9]....., kutrāpi pratihatimeti[10] �.., no kiṃcidbahirupapattimeti[11] �.., sūnⲹ� tairakathi[12] �.., ǻٳԲⲹԲ󾱳�[13] �.., ٰǰⲹ� vibhajati[14].�., ⲹ� [15] �.., 첹ٱ� trinayana[16] �.., icchadbhi� śaśimukuṭa[17] �, ⲹṛṣ岹ṣe첹ٴ’p[18].�., 챹屹ٲⲹٰ첹ٳ󲹳ᲹԾṣyٲ[19] �...Ի ٰ’būٳٲ[20] �... In these verses, the gods after bowing down to Ś praises Him as the ʳܰṣa, who pervades everything in the three worlds. According to them, Ś is the Pure, that purifies everything. The threefold figures of Him are taken by Ś voluntarily. The fools call Him to be indifferent. Nature itself cannot be the creator. The inconstant elements like Mahat etc. are wrongly treated as tattvas. Only Ś, the changeless is the tattva. Ś is the Brahman in the form of indivisible sound, called ṭa. All the philosophical systems directly or indirectly accept Ś etc. This way, the ŚԳٲrasa has been depicted in the Śī첹ṇṭ󲹳ٲ.

Regarding the examples of ŚԳٲrasa, B.N. Bhatt[21] cites canto II and XXV (excepting some stanzas) whereas, B.C. Mandal[22] argues that in canto II and XXV, there is neither nirveda nor ś (pleasure caused by resting in self in the state of contentment) as the permanent feeling i.e. ٳ⾱屹. Mandal’s opinion is important here and his remark can be established in the light of the Kāvyaprakāśa and the 󾱳ٲⲹ岹貹ṇa also, wherein Ѳṭa[23] considers nirveda and Viśvanatha[24] regards ś as the permanent mood for the sentiment of tranquility. On the other hand, the feeling existed in these cantos are to be classified and discussed separately as the love for good men and great poets and for god and scholars etc. Some categorize it under Bhakti (devotion). Scholars like Śrī ū貹 Goswāmī consider Bhakti as a separate rasa. However, rhetoricians like Bharata, Mammaṭācārya and others have treated this Bhakti just as a variety of feeling rati.

Bhatt, of course in the line of Śrī ū貹 Goswāmī considers, Bhakti as a separate entity and states that Bhakti can be found in cantos I, III, IV, V, XVI, XVII and in XXV. 1-7, 152.[25] Refuting this, Mandal[26] considers the love for gods etc. as a mere feeling. However, these feeling of love for gods etc. can be viewed as and Vatsala (parental affection) also.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

śamo nirīhāvasthāyā� svātmaviśrāmaja� sukha�/ 󾱳ٲⲹ岹貹ṇa., III. 180

[2]:

śānta� śٳ⾱屹, uttamaprakṛtirmata�/
kundendusundaracchāya� śrīnārāyaṅadaivata�/
anityatvādinā’śeṣavastuniḥsāratā tu yā/
paramātmasvarūpa� vā tasyālambanamiṣyate/
ṇyś󲹰ṣeٰīٳ󲹰ⲹ岹ⲹ�/
ܰṣaṃgٲǻī貹Բū辱ṇa�/
romāñcādyāścā’nubhāvāstathā syurvyabhicāriṇa�/
Ծ岹󲹰ṣaṇaپܳٲ岹屹ⲹ�//
     Ibid., III. 245-248

[3]:

na yatra duḥkha� na dveṣo nāpi matsara�/
sama� sarveṣu bhūteṣu sa śānta� prathito rasa�// Nāṭyaśāstra., VI. 106

[4]:

nirvedasthāyibhāvo’sti śānto’pi navamo rasa�/
Kāvyaprakāśa., IV. 49

[5]:

śṣāṃ puri puri yatsadaiva śeṣe vidvadbhi� puruṣa iti pratīyase tat/
ki� dhāmatritayamayānapāyadṛṣṭestasmātte jagati parokṣamasti vastu//
Śī첹ṇṭ󲹳ٲ., XVII. 18

[6]:

Ibid., XVII. 19

[7]:

Ibid., XVII. 20

[8]:

Ibid., XVII. 21

[9]:

Ibid., XVII. 22

[10]:

Ibid., XVII. 23

[11]:

Ibid., XVII. 24

[12]:

Ibid., XVII. 25

[13]:

Ibid., XVII. 26

[14]:

Ibid., XVII. 27

[15]:

Ibid., XVII. 28

[16]:

Ibid., XVII. 29

[17]:

Ibid., XVII. 30

[18]:

Ibid., XVII. 31

[19]:

Ibid., XVII. 32

[20]:

Ibid., XVII. 33

[21]:

Bhatt, B.N., Śī첹ṇṭ󲹳ٲ., page 126

[22]:

Mandal, B.C., Śī첹ṇṭ󲹳ٲ., page 126

[23]:

Kāvyaprakāśa., IV. 47

[24]:

󾱳ٲⲹ岹貹ṇa., III. 247

[25]:

Bhatt, B.N., Śī첹ṇṭ󲹳ٲ., page 126

[26]:

Mandal, B.C., Śī첹ṇṭ󲹳ٲ., page 126

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