The master fastens an unbearable load around the camel’s neck! Camels are known to bear huge loads. When there is already a humongous load on its back, if something is fastened around its neck, imagine the plight. When one goes through unbearable difficulties, this is used to describe their fate. This can also be applied when something which is unbearable to a strong man is thrust upon a weakling.
“ಕವಿಯ ರಸಾನುಭವದ ಅನುಭಾವವೇ ಕಾವ್ಯ”[1] - ಇದು ಪುಟ್ಟಪ್ಪನವರ ಕಾವ್ಯಲಕ್ಷಣ. ಅನುಭಾವಕ್ಕೆ ‘ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನ’ವೆಂದು ಅರ್ಥ ಮಾಡುವ ಅವರು ಕಾವ್ಯಕ್ರಿಯೆಯ ಕೇಂದ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ರಸವನ್ನಿರಿಸಿರುವುದು ಸಮುಚಿತವಾಗಿದೆ.
ಕಾವ್ಯವಿರುವುದು ಹೃದಯದಾರಿದ್ರ್ಯವನ್ನು ಪರಿಹರಿಸಲು ಎಂದು ಕುವೆಂಪು ಪ್ರತಿಪಾದಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ:
“ಲೋಕದಲಿ ದುಃಖವಿರೆ
ಆ ದುಃಖದೊಳಗರ್ಧ ಹೃದಯದಾರಿದ್ರ್ಯದಿಂ
ಬಂದಿಹುದು! ಆ ಹೀನ ದೀನ ದಾರಿದ್ರ್ಯಮಂ
ಪರಿಹರಿಸಿ ‘ದರ್ಶನ’ವ ದಯೆಗೈಯೆ ಕಲೆಯಿಹುದು.”[2]
A village where wrestling is the main vocation is called mallagrāma. Malla means wrestler. Since the majority of the population consists of wrestlers the name of the village makes sense. People who aren’t wrestlers too might reside in the village. Just like in the mango grove. The grove might contain other trees. But the majority is what decides the name i.e. prādhānyena nirdeśaḥ.
‘Even after eating garlic the disease remained.’ Garlic is forbidden as per the śāstras. Notwithstanding that, it also has a foul odor. A patient somehow, with great difficulty, ate it assuming that when using it as a medicine it is pardonable. The disease wasn’t cured. But the foul odor stayed. When you do something which you don’t like but do it just for the sake of the result, and it turns out futile, this nyāya is used.
Bhāravi further refers to speech in the conversation between Indra and Arjuna:
प्रसादरम्यमोजस्वि गरीयो लाघवान्वितम्।
साकाङ्क्षमनुपस्कारं विष्वग्गति निराकुलम्॥
न्यायनिर्णीतसारत्वान्निरपेक्षमिवागमे।
अप्रकम्प्यतयान्येषामाम्नायवचनोपमम्॥
अलङ्घ्यत्वाज्जनैरन्यैः क्षुभितोदन्वदूर्जितम्।
औदार्यादर्थसम्पत्तेः शान्तं चित्तमृषेरिव॥ (11.38–40)
Capturing the crane. Someone asked the strategy to capture a crane. The strategist suggests the following: “Keep a lump of butter on the crane’s head. The butter would melt due to the sun, flowing over the eyes, making its eyes useless. Then it would stay in the same place immobile. Then one can easily catch it!”
How would you place the lump of butter on its head without catching it?
This nyāya illustrates the futility of such convoluted and stupid schemes.
To make the piśācas understand, we should converse in their own language (piśācabhāṣā). They wouldn’t understand Kannada or Sanskrit! “For the wicked, punishment is the ultimate cure, there is no use in trying to pacify them” Other nyāyas like ‘yakṣānurūpo baliḥ’ or ‘śaṭhaṃ prati śāṭhyam’ also have similar import.