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Sahitya-kaumudi by Baladeva Vidyabhushana

by Gaurapada Dāsa | 2015 | 234,703 words

Baladeva Vidyabhusana’s Sahitya-kaumudi covers all aspects of poetical theory except the topic of dramaturgy. All the definitions of poetical concepts are taken from Mammata’s Kavya-prakasha, the most authoritative work on Sanskrit poetical rhetoric. Baladeva Vidyabhushana added the eleventh chapter, where he expounds additional ornaments from Visv...

Go directly to: Footnotes.

यथ� वा,

yathā vā,

This is another example of paramottama-屹ⲹ (superexcellent poetry):

tiryak-ṣiٲ-calad-dṛg-añcala-rucir lāsyollasad-ū-
  kund-smita-candrikojjvala-ܰī gaṇḍocchalat-ṇḍ
|
kandarp岵-siddha-mantra-󲹲峾 ardha� ܳ �
  hāriṇy adya harer Ჹ ṛdⲹ� ǰ�
||

tiryak—oܱ; ṣiٲ—is cast; calat—mDZԲ; ṛk-ñ—from the corners of the eyes; ܳ�—She whose splendor; —with a dance; ullasat—which are highly resplendent; ū-—She has creepers in the form of brows; kunda—jԱ; —which resembles; smita—o account of a smile; Ի‰like] moonlight; ujjvala—is shining; ܰī—She whose face; ṇḍ—o the cheeks; ucchalat—are going upward; ṇḍ—She whose earrings; kandarpa-—in the -śٰ (the treatises on the art of lust); siddha-mantra—like a perfect mantra; 󲹲峾speech,] which is profound; ardham—hڷɲ; ܳ—w󾱱 filling (uttering[1]); giram—s𳦳; ṇ�—She has a pearl necklace (or She is ravishing); adya—tǻ岹; 󲹰�Hari; —sٴDZ; ṛdⲹ—t heart; ‸; —of the ornament (facial expressions); ū�—with the waves.

Today, while halfway uttering words that were profound like the perfect mantras of the 峾-śٰ (or Her words were effected due to the arrival of Cupid and were profound like a mantra), Rādhā stole Hari’s heart with the waves of the ornament. She had splendor with Her fickle sidelong glances that were obliquely cast. The creepers of Her eyebrows were highly resplendent with a dance, Her face was shining like moonlight due to Her jasmine-like smile, and Her earrings were dangling on Her cheeks. She was ravishing.

(ᱹ-īṇi 4.41) evam anyac ca bodhyam.

Other verses as well should be understood in this way.

Commentary:

ū貹 ҴDz峾ī shows this verse to illustrate Rādhā’s quality called ܱ (She has a superb ). վśٳ 䲹ī explains the compound ǰ� (with the waves of ) as vilāsākhyasyālaṅkārasyormibhis taraṅgai�, “with the waves of the ornament called � (ĀԲԻ岹 4.41). վ is one of the twenty emotional ornaments of a heroine (ᱹ-īṇi 11.5). The definition is: gati-ٳī� mukha-netrādi-karmaṇām, tātkālika� tu vaiśiṣṭya� priya-ṅg-jam, �վ is a specialty that originates from meeting the beloved and it arises right at that time. It is the specialty of the suggestive actions of the face, of the eyes, and so on, while moving, standing, sitting, and so forth� (ᱹ-īṇi 11.31).

In this verse, the ornaments of sound are:

An alliteration (ṛtپ Գܱ) of h in: �ܳ hāriṇy adya harer Ჹ ṛdⲹ�,�

An alliteration (ṛtپ Գܱ) of m in �岵-siddha-mantra-󲹲峾,�

A śṣa (literal double meaning) in the word ṇ� (She is ravishing; She has a pearl necklace),

Another śṣa, in kandarp岵, which means �峾-śٰ� (the treatises on lust) and “the arrival of Cupid,�[2]

Another śṣa, (1) siddha-mantra-gahana, “[Her half broken words were] profound (gahana) on account of a perfect secret plan,�[3] and (2) siddha-mantraga-hana, “they relate to perfect mantras (siddha-mantra-ga) and they are killer (hana).�

The ornaments of meaning are:

The parikara ornament (the assistants): There are many eminent adjectival compounds of the substantive Rādhā,

The پśǰپ ornament (introsusception) (10.84): “The waves of � means “the series of playful gestures of ,�

The ū貹첹 ornament (metaphor): The creepers of Her brows,

The virodha ornament (contradiction): The creepers of Her brows are dancing,

A ṃsṛṣṭi of two similes: “Her face is shining like moonlight� and “Her jasmine-like smile,�

The 屹ǰپ ornament,

The 屹ⲹ-ṅg ornament (explanatory reason): The movements of Her eyes, the dances of Her eyebrows, and so on, are the reason She stole His heart by means of the ornament,

Another 屹ⲹ-ṅg ornament: The description expresses the reason She was ravishing.

Implied meanings are:

A Dz-śṛṅ-rasa-dhvani,

A vastu-dhvani (implied idea): The phonemes expressive of ojas guṇa in the first half of the verse suggest the force of Her influential power,

An implied 屹ⲹ-ṅg ornament (explanatory reason): [She was halfway uttering Her words] because She was spellbound,[4]

A -śⲹ-󱹲Ծ (implied friction of vyabhicāri-屹s): Her broken words hint at a friction between mada (being crazed), 󲹰ṣa (joy), īḍ� (bashfulness), autsukya (eagerness), 貹ⲹ (fickleness), ḍy (indolence), and so on,[5]

An Գܲⲹ Գܲ󲹰첹 ṅk of two implied metaphors, due to the mention of waves: Her face was an ocean agitated by the moon of His face,[6]

A vastu-dhvani (the implied idea): In the end, He embraced Her and took Her to a bed of flower petals.[7]

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

The word ܳ is a feminine first case present participle in the ٳԱ貹岹 of the verbal root duh prapūraṇe (2U) (to milk). Here the direct meaning of ‘filling� is taken. վśٳ 䲹ī comments: giram ardha� ܳ, asampūrṇam eva pūrayantīty ٳ� (ĀԲԻ岹-Ի 4.41). վṣṇܻ explains: ܳ pūrayantī uccārayantīti yāvat (ٳ-ǻ徱ī 4.41).

[2]:

In the meaning of “the arrival of Cupid,� the compound kandarp岵-siddha-mantra󲹲峾 is taken as a karma-ⲹ consisting of two adjectives: [Her half-broken words were] effected due to the arrival of Cupid (i.e. due to an upsurge of passion) (kandarp岵-siddha) and were profound like a mantra (mantra-󲹲峾).

[3]:

The definition of mantra is: veda-bhede gupta- Գٰ�, “Mantra means veda-bheda (an aspect of the Vedas) and gupta- (advice; counsel; secret plan)� (-ṣa 3.3.166).

[4]:

屹-vaivaśyata� samyag uccāraṇāśakte� (ٳ-ǻ徱ī).

[5]:

raty-uttha-mada-󲹰ṣa-vrīḍautsukya-貹ⲹ-jāḍyādi-屹-sammarda-vyañjakena svareṇa svayam eva pratyuttara� dattam ity āha, kandarpeti (ĀԲԻ岹-Ի).

[6]:

vilāsākhyasyālaṅkārasyormibhis taraṅgair iti tasyā� priya-mukha-candra-ṣo󾱳ٲܻٱDZ貹� (ĀԲԻ岹-Ի).

[7]:

sakhīṣu nirgacchantīṣu śrī-yām api nirgantum udyatāyā� tā� balāt śrī-ṛṣṇa� sa-첹ṇṭ-grāham āśliṣya ṣp-śayyāyā� ninya iti jñeyam (ĀԲԻ岹-Ի).

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