365bet

Ashta Nayikas and Dance Forms (study)

by V. Dwaritha | 2013 | 71,711 words

This page relates ‘Introduction and definition of Virahotkanthita� of the study dealing with the Ashta-Nayikas—a classification of eight kinds of “Heroines� representing the eight emotional states (avastha) employed in the classical Indian dance and performing arts (otherwise known as Natya Shastra). These Ashtanayikas reflect the eight types of romantic relationships and have hence formed the expressive subject of many classical painting, poems and dramatic plays.

Go directly to: Footnotes.

Part 1-2 - Introduction and definition of վdzٰ첹ṇṭ󾱳

վdzٰ첹ṇṭ󾱳 often known as ٰ is a lady yearning owing to the separation from her hero. She is extremely disturbed by her lover’s absence. She dislikes every thing in the form of pleasure or happiness. She is immersed in sorrow and pours forth her sorrow to others. She pines for him and dislikes her loneliness.

She cries and laments suggesting that her heart is sinking. She droops down on the couch. She exhibits weakness and a lack of enthusiasm to continue living without him. She ponders over the reasons for his failure to turn up at her door step. Sometimes she is also depicted as requesting her friend to go to him with a handwritten or verbal message of her plight. She is an excellent example of Vipralambha Śṛṅ

Many songs are found based on her probably for the varied dimensions that could be portrayed by her.[1]

नोपगतः प्राणेशो गुरुणा कार्ये� विघ्नितागमनः �
यस्याः कि� तु स्यादित्यकुलचित्तेत्यसावुत्क� �

nopagata� prāṇeśo guruṇ� kāryeṇa vighnitāgamana� |
yasyā� ki� tu syādityakulacittetyasāvutkā ||
[2]

Why has not my Lord come, what could have been the significant reason for his delay?–like this, the who feels anxious is called an ٰ.

Authors who agree on the general definition of a վdzٰ첹ṇṭ󾱳 being separated from her lover and yearning for him: Bharata, ܻṭa, Vidyānātha, Rudrabhaṭṭa, Viśvanatha, Śiṅgabhūpāla, 峾ԲԻ岹 Ś.

वाराहन� केलीगृहे यस्य� � पतिरूपैत� �
शोचन्ती तदनागममुत्कण्ठितामवैति �

vārāhani kelīgṛhe yasyā na patirūpaiti |
śocantī tadanāgamamutkaṇṭhitāmavaiti ||
[3]

Here, the is yearning and wailing beyond control as her husband has not come and is not near her in the bedroom.

1 Doubting the hero

There are two theories of whether a վdzٰ첹ṇṭ󾱳 ⾱ could be doubtful as to what is retaining her lover.

Authors of books like ʰ貹ܻīⲹ, 鲹ṇaܻ첹, ŚṛṅṇaԻ첹 believe that the heroine is undoubtful and knows that the hero tarries away due to some other matter arresting his attention while authors of books like 󾱳ٲⲹ岹貹ṇa and ṭyśٰ do not agree to this.

Śiṅgabhūpāla in his 鲹ṇaܻ첹 describes her as

अनागसि प्रियतमे चिरयत्युत्सुकातु या �
विरहोत्कण्ठिता भाववेदिभिः सा समीरिता �

岵 priyatame cirayatyutsukātu yā ||
virahotkaṇṭhitā 屹vedibhi� sā samīritā |[4]

She is said to be a վdzٰ첹ṇṭ󾱳 ⾱ by exponents of , when she yearns for him as he delays without being at fault.

The word �� proves that she thinks he is not at fault. This establishes that she does not doubt him. An example from ʰ貹ܻīⲹ also clearly establishes her doubtlessness.

� शङ्काऽन्या तादृग्गुणपरिमल� रुद्रनृपतौ कय� वा गोष्ठ्यासौ चिरयति सखीभिर्� सुलभ� �
समानेतुं कान्तं व्रज मद� बद्धोऽञ्जलिरयं यत� विष्वद्रीचः किरत� किरणांस्त्वत्प्रियसख� �

na śṅk'nyā tādṛgguṇaparimale rudranṛpatau kayā vā goṣṭhyāsau cirayati sakhībhirna sulabha� |
samānetu� kānta� vraja madana baddho'ñjaliraya� yato viṣvadrīca� kirati kiraṇāṃstvatpriyasakha� ||
[5]

O! Manmatha (Cupid) I fold my hands in salutation to you. Your friend, the moon, is spreading his rays in all directions increasing my longing. So, please go and bring my lord who is famous for his good qualities. I am sure he is delayed by some meeting and hence is not easily accessible even by friends.

Like the definition given above, the word �na śṅk Բ� clearly establishes that she has no doubt about his fidelity.

The example given by վśٳ in 󾱳ٲⲹ岹貹ṇa clearly shows that she doubts him and may be he has another affair. The same example is found in Śṛṅپ첹 and in Rasabhāsa aur Bhāvabhāsa too.

कि� रुद्धः प्रियय� कयाचिदथव� सख्य� ममोद्वेजित�, कि� वा कारणगौरव� किमप� यन्नाद्यागतो वल्लभः �
इत्यलोच्� मृगीदृशा करतल� विन्यस्य वक्त्राम्बुज� दीर्घं निःश्वशितं, चिरं � रुदितं क्षिप्ताश्� पुष्पस्रजः �

ki� ruddha� priyayā kayācidathavā sakhyā mamodvejita�, ki� vā kāraṇagaurava� kimapi yannādyāgato vallabha� |
ityalocya mṛgīdṛś� karatale vinyasya vaktrāmbuja� dīrgha� niḥśvaśita�, cira� ca rudita� kṣiptāśca puṣpasraja� ||
[6]

Has he been prevented from coming by some dear one? Or has he been agitated by my friend? Or is it some other serious thing that prevents him from coming here even today. Thus thinking, the deer eyed girl kept her lotus face on her hands, sighed deeply and cried long and threw away her flower garlands.

Bharata too in his ṭyśٰ, shows her as doubting the hero with another lady.

व्याक्षेपाद् विमृशेच्चापि नायकागमन� प्रत� �
तैस्तैर्विचारणैश्चाप� शुभाशुभसमुत्थितै� �
गुरुकार्ये� मित्रैर्वा मन्त्रिण� राज्यचिन्तया �
अनुबद्� प्रियः कि� नु धृतो वल्लभयाप� वा �

vyākṣepād vimṛśeccāpi nāyakāgamana� prati |
taistairvicāraṇaiścāpi śubhāśubhasamutthitai� ||
gurukāryeṇa mitrairvā mantriṇ� rājyacintayā |
anubaddha priya� ki� nu dhṛto vallabhayāpi vā ||
[7]

Worried to the core, she should ponder over the reasons for the failure of the hero to arrive by looking for good or bad omens. She wonders if he was held up in some important matter or delayed by his friends or ministers or some political emergencies. She doubts if it could be owing to some other woman whom he is fond of.

A Tamil Padam is an example that she doubts him:

岵ܰṭṭ[8]
Composerܲⲹ
Tāḷam -Ѿś
Pallavi
Itaṟkō nā� pe� piṟandēṉ�
iṉṉam e� sāmiyaik kāṇēṉē
Was I born as a woman for this? I have not yet seen my lord
ṉu貹
ādarik kum enda� aḻagu turaiyai endap
pādaki kaivasap paḍuttik koṇḍāḷ�
Which unscrupulous woman has captivated my supportive and beautiful lord
䲹ṇa
Āḍum mayil mēl varum aḻagaṉaik kāṇbēṉ�
ādi nā� pōl magi� pūṇpēṉ�
pāḍipparavum subbarāma�
padattukkaru� seyyum

maṉṉavaṉai pirintum maṇṇi� mīdum vāḻvēṉ�
Will I see the beautiful lord coming on the peacock? Will I feel the happiness of olden days? Will I live in this world after being separated from my lord who graces the poet Subbaraman’s ode?


2 Different Definitions

ܻṭa, unlike Bharata and others, differs in his definition of վdzٰ첹ṇṭ󾱳 or an ٰ. He associates her with a tryst which is generally associated to a վ.

उत्काभवत� सा यस्याः संकेतं नागत� प्रियः �
तस्यानागमन� हेतु� चिन्तयत्यकुल� यथ� �

utkābhavati sā yasyā� saṃketa� nāgata� priya� |
tasyānāgamane hetu� cintayatyakulā yathā ||
[9]

On the same note, Bhānudattā in his 鲹ñᲹī defines her as follows:

सङ्केतस्थल� प्रत� भर्तृरनागमकारण� चिन्तयति सा उत्क� � अवधिदिवसानागतप्रोषितपतिकायां नाव्याप्ति�, तस्य� भर्तृरवधिदिवसे भवनागमननिय� इत� सङ्केतपदेन तद्व्यावर्तनात� �

saṅketasthala� prati bhartṛranāgamakāraṇa� cintayati sā utkā | avadhidivasānāgataproṣitapatikāyā� nāvyāpti�, tasyā bhartṛravadhidivase bhavanāgamananiyama iti saṅketapadena tadvyāvartanāt |[10]

When the hero does not turn up on the appointed day or time at the meeting place, the heroine who becomes anxious is called an ٰ. He goes on to say that a ʰṣiٲ貹پ’s husband, on the appointed day comes to her house and not to the meeting place. Hence, there is no over lapping of a վdzٰ첹ṇṭ󾱳 with a ʰṣiٲ貹پ.

Rasacandrika also gives the same argument.

प्रोषितभर्तृकाया विरहोत्कण्ठितायाश्� भिन्नत्वेन मुनिना � परिगणितत्वात� �

proṣitabhartṛkāyā virahotkaṇṭhitāyāśca bhinnatvena muninā | parigaṇitatvāt |[11]

ŚṛṅñᲹī states that Āǻ岹, of 鲹ñᲹī refutes the definition of both Śṛṅپ and 鲹ñᲹ. It says that while this definition overlaps with the վ on one side, it is too narrow a definition to incorporate (a) ūԳܰ岵 Vipralambha ie. A maiden longing to meet her lover and (b) a lady who is at home and her union is being delayed due to manifold domestic work. Thus Āǻ岹kārā gives his own definition as

अप्रोषिताविप्रलम्भकप्रियसंभोगाभावकृतोत्कण्ठा विरहोत्कण्ठितेति �

aproṣitāvipralambhakapriyasaṃbhogā屹kṛtotkaṇṭhā virahotkaṇṭhiteti |[12]

She is yearning for the hero because of lack of union. The separation is neither due to travel nor cheating on the part of the hero.

Akbar Shah in his ŚṛṅñᲹī rejects all three definitions. He comes up with his own definition: վdzٰ첹ṇṭ󾱳 is one who though being in the same place as the hero, is separated from him and yearning for him because of pre-occupation on his part.

निवा� एव कार्यान्तरव्यासङ्गप्रयुक्तप्रियविरहवती विरहोत्कण्ठिता �

nivāsa eva kāryāntaravyāsaṅgaprayuktapriyavirahavatī virahotkaṇṭhitā |[13]

3 Definition conclusion

Sambhoga is just not physical love making; looking at each other, seeing eye to eye, flirtatious touches, smiles, loving glances, sweet talking, talking with a suggestive meaning all these are also Sambhoga

Even seeing the loved one is considered Sambhoga.

अनुकूल� निषेवेते यत्रान्योन्य� विलासिनौ �
दर्शनस्पर्शनादीनि � संभोगो मुदान्वितः �

anukūlau niṣevete yatrānyonya� vilāsinau |
darśanasparśanādīni sa saṃbhogo mudānvita� ||
[14]

Thus, the definition of the hero being in the house yet not uniting with him due to reasons of work, limits the realms of not only this but also the whole Sambhoga.

This definition also seems to leave out many situations like the continuation of a or a ʰṣiٲ貹پ and a doubting heroine.

Thus the definition should be something like a who is disturbed by her lover’s prolonged absence. She could doubt him too.

चिरयतिप्रेयस� विरहेणाकुलित� विरहोत्कण्ठिता �

cirayatipreyasi viraheṇākulitā virahotkaṇṭhitā |[15]

Footnotes and references:

[back to top]

[1]:

This verse is also considered an interpolation

[2]:

屹ṅk, XII. 387.

[3]:

Shringaravilasini (Allahabad: Bharatiya Manisha Sutraum Daraganj, 2039), lxxv. 28.

[4]:

鲹ṇaܻ첹, I. cxxviii–cxxix. 32.

[5]:

ʰ貹ܻīⲹ, I. xlvi. 20.

[6]:

Sāhitya Darpaṇa, III. 206; Śṛṅ Tilaka, I. cxxxvi. 35; Rasabhas Aur Bhavabhas, 137; 岵ṭṭ, 屹ԳśԲ, V. 63.

[7]:

ṭyśٰ, XXIV. ccxlvi–ccxlvii. 680.

[8]:

Vaitheeswaran Kovil Sri Subbaramayyar Tamil Padangal, 51.

[9]:

Śṛṅ Tilaka, I. cxxxiv. 35.

[10]:

鲹ñᲹī, 146.

[11]:

鲹Ի, 20.

[12]:

ŚṛṅñᲹī, 19.

[13]:

Ibid., 20.

[14]:

ٲśū貹첹, IV. lxix. 722.

[15]:

岵ṭṭ, 屹ԳśԲ, V. 63.

Let's grow together!

I humbly request your help to keep doing what I do best: provide the world with unbiased sources, definitions and images. Your donation direclty influences the quality and quantity of knowledge, wisdom and spiritual insight the world is exposed to.

Let's make the world a better place together!

Like what you read? Help to become even better: