Caturvidhābhinaya in the Kumārasambhava - Part 6 - Indra and Manmatha

Indra, who cannot think beyond the obvious and who knows only material luxuries and pleasures of the flesh, jumps to the conclusion that it is only the embodied deity of love, Manmatha who can do the job of uniting Śiva and Pārvatī. He immediately decides to instruct commands to Manmatha and communicates to him through his mind, his thought accelerated by his eagerness to achieve his purpose. (मनसा कार्यसंसिद्धौ त्वराद्विगुणरंहसा 2.63).

Brahmā even reassures that the ātmaja of Śiva (तस्यात्मा शितिकण्ठस्य – 2.61) can with his vīra-sattva can certainly loosen the braids of the captive divine women. (मोक्ष्यते सुरबन्दीनां वेणीर्वीर्यविभूतिभिः). The sattva of the leader translates to an effect on the āhārya of the divine ladies, ultimately suggestion his victory! [1]

Manmatha immediately comes to Indra, obeying his master’s (mental) call

अथ स ललितयोषिद्भ्रूदलताचारुशृङ्गं

रतिवलयपदाङ्के चापमासज्य कण्ठे।

सहचरमधुहस्तन्यस्तचूताङ्कुरास्त्रः

शतमखमुपतस्थे प्राञ्जलिः पुष्पधन्वा॥ 2. 64

The verse is filled with details related to āṅgika and āhārya. Manmatha, the flower-bowed (sugarcane-bowed) personification of love, goes to Indra with añjali-hasta, hands folded in respect as though ready to receive commands. The ends of his bow are beautifully curved like the arching brows of women – Manmatha slings the bow around his neck – on the neck, Rati, his beloved, has left her ‘marks’. The marks were due to the bangles of Rati. (It is interesting to note that with this, the poet not only suggests the physical features of Manmatha, but simultaneously brings in the āhārya of Rati as well!). Manmatha comes unarmed to Indra – it is, after all, not decent to carry weapons which show off one’s calibre, before one’s superior! He comes to Indra, having deposited his arrow made of mango sprouts in the hands of his friend, Madhu – the personification of the Spring season![2]

 

 

Sarga  - 3

तस्मिन्मघोनस्त्रिदशान्विहाय सहस्रमक्ष्णां युगपत्पपात् ।

प्रयोजनापेक्षितया प्रभूणां प्रायश्चलं गौरवमाश्रितेषु ॥ 3.1

Manmatha appears before Indra in the said manner even as the latter thinks of him. As soon as he arrives, Indra’s thousand eyes, which were full of hope and expectation fall, at a time on the obedient servant. The poet is careful to even indicate the movement that the thousand eye-balls make – each was, probably, focused on different devas until that point (as suggested by the word ‘स्त्रिदशान्’ in plural, also hinting confusion and bewilderment), now they all unite in purpose. Moreover, seeing the multitude of devas expectantly is no longer of any use – there is a new ray of hope in the form of Manmatha. The poet adds a beautiful arthāntaranyāsa to make the effect even more impactful. He says, the weight of the master’s glance varies in accordance to the purpose the servant is required to serve. The master’s glance can be heavy, after all and the task that he is assigning carries a lot of weight! The poet’s usage of the word ‘gauravam’ adds several layers to the verse.[3]

This verse can be contrasted with the verse 2.29, where the thousand eyes slowly turn towards Bṛhaspati, the revered Guru of the devas, as though to suggest a humble request. Here, the thousand eyes ‘fall’ (papāta) on the servant! Kālidāsa intelligently suggests the emotion just by spelling out the element of āṅgikābhinaya.

Indra offers Manmatha a place to sit – an intimate one close to his own throne, possibly to make know of his intent in all its confidentiality.

स वासवेनासनसंनिकृष्टमितो निषीदेति विसृष्टभूमिः।

भर्तुः प्रसादं प्रतिनन्द मूर्ध्ना वक्तुं मिथः प्राक्रमतैवमेनम् ॥

The verse 3.2 even includes the vācika of Indra, an informal one – “इतः निषीद”. However, connoisseurs will naturally imagine a gesture of Indra’s hand or a motion of his eyes to indicate what place exactly Manmatha is required to occupy. This aspect of āṅgikābhinaya is left to the reader’s imagination. In fact, in the current situation, the verse will be incomplete in its meaning unless a suitable āṅgika is imagined. Manmatha acknowledges with courtesy the indication of his master with a reverential bow of his head and is all eager to receive commands. This again requires the reader to image āṅgikābhinaya.

As any servant desirous of fame and master’s appreciation would do, Manmatha first lauds the qualities of Indra and narrates how he is humbled by the very fact that he has appeared in the thoughts of the master (Verse 3.3). Following this, he gives a huge list of possible tasks he is capable of doing – it almost sounds like the contents sheet of a book. It is only ironical that Manmatha’s vācika in 3.3 starts with the word “ājñāpaya”, while he hardly gives Indra a chance to give him a command.

In verse 3.7, the deity of love, tells his master the manner in which he can kindle deep love in any lady that the latter desires to possess. He is ready to bring any lady with wholesome buttocks and make her embrace Indra’s neck on her own accord – such is his strength. The verses that occur before this and those that come after even suggest that Manmatha can be an impediment to dharma, artha and mokṣa, in addition to leading astray kāma that is dharmāviruddha (कामेकपत्नीव्रतदुःखशीलां – in verse 3.7 suggests that even the most pious of women, which are dhārmicaly committed to solely to their husbands can be made to slip from the path of chastity). Manmatha goes ahead further to say that he will make a lady who has rejected Indra’s advances even to the extent of having him fall at her feet in repentance for infidelity, to get so love lorne that she will need to resort to a bed of tender sprouts (3.8).

Ironically, instead of speaking of the positive qualities of his masters, Manmatha seems to be talking of the numerous escapades of his master, affairs and disturbances Indra has caused in people, out of his greed, jealously and unbridled lustfulness. The connoisseur will need to remember that Manmatha is intimately seated with Indra and this is all in a private conversation. These, in fact, indicate the lack of sublimity of kāma – a part of the six inherent enemies of man - ariṣaḍvarga. It will need to get graduated to the level of puruṣārtha.

The poet achieves yet another thing which is hard to present through pure music or only āṅgikābhinaya in dance – he brings abstraction through words, when he makes Manmatha say – “कस्यार्थधर्मौ वद पीडयामि” (3.6), while it is but natural for Manmatha to speak so, the effect it has on the readers of a kāvya is far more subtle and profound compared to an elaboration of the same through  āṅgikābhinaya in dance.[4]

Manmatha goes ahead to boast of his calibre of disturbing Śiva’s tapas too. Ironically, he is little aware that he is required to do exactly so and that his body will get reduced to ashes.

 

To be continued...

Footnotes

[1]This working of the citta-vṛtti is almost impossible to depict in nāṭya – a medium which needs concrete display of vibhāva and anubhāva for the evocation of Rasa. Kāvya, on the hand, can depict vibhāvas and anubhāvas that work at the emotional and intellectual spheres, in an abstract manner without the need for them to take concrete shape.

[2]This particular verse, just like several other similar verses brings together events that could have happened in different time frames. To bring this effect in nāṭya would require a linear depiction of  events, namely – the impression that Rati’s leaves on Manmatha’s neck involves a love-sport between the two and Manmatha handing over his arrows to Madhu involves a meeting of the two. To establish these additional characters requires quite a lot of effort by an actor in nāṭya and more so in nṛtya and the artiste will need to establish by abhinaya these set of auxiliary events. However, these effects can be brought at the same time in kāvya, but mere usage of words (To arrive at such a phrase, the poet would have put in great amount of though and years of practise would have helped him sculpt his poem in a profound one). What can be achieved by words in kāvya (through the medium of vācika) will require quire some effort to be established through a āṅgika, in such instances. Different time scales and events can be cast together, with little effort in kāvya  - a privilege other forms of art lack.

[3]An alaṅkāra such as the arthāntaranyāsa is hard to be brought out through nāṭya. Moreover, the movement of the thousand eyes of Indra, which were initially scattered in their vision, later gaining focus is almost impossible to be brought out through nṛtya or nāṭya. An element of āṅgikābhinaya can be incorporated much more effectively in a kāvya than in a nāṭya in the manner of this verse!

Both nṛtya and nāṭya will invariably resort to vācika to bring out this effect. If the theatre forms resort to taking concrete examples to depict the manner in which Manmatha can potentially hamper artha and dharma of people, it will only dilute the effect – more so, because, the examples used for depiction are bound to be a function of space and time, i.e., a feature of the regional and cultural ideas. This will, in turn, bind it to the specific spatial and temporal co-ordinates and tastes. While this depiction in nāṭya or nṛtya can be a means to sādhāraṇīkaraṇa in the minds of a matured connoisseur, the abstract phrase “कस्यार्थधर्मौ वद पीडयामि”, by itself creates the effect of universalization.

[4]While nāṭya and nṛtya, through the medium of āṅgika and āhārya largely try to move from the particular to the universal, kāvya can, whenever necessary, through its medium of vācika can jump to the universal, by passing the particular. A conscious artist and a poet will need to work to optimize the amount of the universal and the particular depicted through the medium of art and Kālidāsa can certainly achieved this golden mean. arthāntaranyāsa is one such example where the universal and the particular are brought in, explicitly.

Author(s)

About:

Arjun is a writer, translator, engineer, and enjoys composing poems. He is well-versed in Sanskrit, Kannada, English, Greek, and German languages. His research interests lie in comparative aesthetics of classical Greek and Sanskrit literature. He has deep interest in the theatre arts and music. Arjun has (co-) translated the works of AR Krishna Shastri, DV Gundappa, Dr. SL Bhyrappa, Dr. SR Ramaswamy and Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh

Prekshaa Publications

Among the many contributions of ancient Indians to world thought, perhaps the most insightful is the realisation that ānanda (Bliss) is the ultimate goal of human existence. Since time immemorial, India has been a land steeped in contemplation about the nature of humans and the universe. The great ṛṣis (seers) and ṛṣikās (seeresses) embarked on critical analysis of subjective experience and...

One of the two great epics of India and arguably the most popular epic in the world, the Ramayana has enchanted generations of people not just in Greater India but the world over. In less than three hundred pages The Essential Ramayana captures all the poetic subtleties and noble values of the original and offers the great epic in an eminently readable form that will appeal to the learned and...

The Bhagavad-gītā isn’t merely a treatise on ultimate liberation. It is also a treatise on good living. Even the laity, which does not have its eye on mokṣa, can immensely benefit from the Gītā. It has the power to grant an attitude of reverence in worldly life, infuse enthusiasm in the execution of duty, impart fortitude in times of adversity, and offer solace to the heart when riddled by...

Indian Perspective of Truth and Beauty in Homer’s Epics is a unique work on the comparative study of the Greek Epics Iliad and Odyssey with the Indian Epics – Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata. Homer, who laid the foundations for the classical tradition of the West, occupies a stature similar to that occupied by the seer-poets Vālmīki and Vyāsa, who are synonymous with the Indian culture. The author...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the sixth volume of reminiscences character sketches of prominent public figures, liberals, and social workers. These remarkable personages hailing from different corners of South India are from a period that spans from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Written in Kannada in the 1970s, these memoirs go...

An Introduction to Hinduism based on Primary Sources

Authors: Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh, Hari Ravikumar

What is the philosophical basis for Sanātana-dharma, the ancient Indian way of life? What makes it the most inclusive and natural of all religio-philosophical systems in the world?

The Essential Sanātana-dharma serves as a handbook for anyone who wishes to grasp the...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the fifth volume, episodes from the lives of traditional savants responsible for upholding the Vedic culture. These memorable characters lived a life of opulence amidst poverty— theirs  was the wealth of the soul, far beyond money and gold. These vidvāns hailed from different corners of the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom and lived in...

Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam represents the quintessence of Sage Bharata’s art and Bhārata, the country that gave birth to the peerless seer of the Nāṭya-veda. Padma’s erudition in various streams of Indic knowledge, mastery over many classical arts, deep understanding of the nuances of Indian culture, creative genius, and sublime vision bolstered by the vedāntic and nationalistic...

Bhārata has been a land of plenty in many ways. We have had a timeless tradition of the twofold principle of Brāhma (spirit of wisdom) and Kṣāttra (spirit of valour) nourishing and protecting this sacred land. The Hindu civilisation, rooted in Sanātana-dharma, has constantly been enriched by brāhma and safeguarded by kṣāttra.
The renowned Sanskrit poet and scholar, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R...

ಛಂದೋವಿವೇಕವು ವರ್ಣವೃತ್ತ, ಮಾತ್ರಾಜಾತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಕರ್ಷಣಜಾತಿ ಎಂದು ವಿಭಕ್ತವಾದ ಎಲ್ಲ ಬಗೆಯ ಛಂದಸ್ಸುಗಳನ್ನೂ ವಿವೇಚಿಸುವ ಪ್ರಬಂಧಗಳ ಸಂಕಲನ. ಲೇಖಕರ ದೀರ್ಘಕಾಲಿಕ ಆಲೋಚನೆಯ ಸಾರವನ್ನು ಒಳಗೊಂಡ ಈ ಹೊತ್ತಗೆ ಪ್ರಧಾನವಾಗಿ ಛಂದಸ್ಸಿನ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವನ್ನು ಲಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ತೌಲನಿಕ ವಿಶ್ಲೇಷಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಂತಃಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಅಧ್ಯಯನಗಳ ತೆಕ್ಕೆಗೆ ಬರುವ ಬರೆಹಗಳೂ ಇಲ್ಲಿವೆ. ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಕಾರನಿಗಲ್ಲದೆ ಸಿದ್ಧಹಸ್ತನಾದ ಕವಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸ್ಫುರಿಸಬಲ್ಲ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಹೊಳಹುಗಳು ಕೃತಿಯ ಮೌಲಿಕತೆಯನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸಿವೆ. ಈ...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the fourth volume, some character sketches of the Dewans of Mysore preceded by an account of the political framework of the State before Independence and followed by a review of the political conditions of the State after 1940. These remarkable leaders of Mysore lived in a period that spans from the mid-nineteenth century to the...

Bharatiya Kavya-mimamseya Hinnele is a monograph on Indian Aesthetics by Mahamahopadhyaya N. Ranganatha Sharma. The book discusses the history and significance of concepts pivotal to Indian literary theory. It is equally useful to the learned and the laity.

Sahitya-samhite is a collection of literary essays in Kannada. The book discusses aestheticians such as Ananda-vardhana and Rajashekhara; Sanskrit scholars such as Mena Ramakrishna Bhat, Sridhar Bhaskar Varnekar and K S Arjunwadkar; and Kannada litterateurs such as DVG, S L Bhyrappa and S R Ramaswamy. It has a foreword by Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh.

The Mahābhārata is the greatest epic in the world both in magnitude and profundity. A veritable cultural compendium of Bhārata-varṣa, it is a product of the creative genius of Maharṣi Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa. The epic captures the experiential wisdom of our civilization and all subsequent literary, artistic, and philosophical creations are indebted to it. To read the Mahābhārata is to...

Shiva Rama Krishna

சிவன். ராமன். கிருஷ்ணன்.
இந்திய பாரம்பரியத்தின் முப்பெரும் கதாநாயகர்கள்.
உயர் இந்தியாவில் தலைமுறைகள் பல கடந்தும் கடவுளர்களாக போற்றப்பட்டு வழிகாட்டிகளாக விளங்குபவர்கள்.
மனித ஒற்றுமை நூற்றாண்டுகால பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியின் பரிமாணம்.
தனிநபர்களாகவும், குடும்ப உறுப்பினர்களாகவும், சமுதாய பிரஜைகளாகவும் நாம் அனைவரும் பரிமளிக்கிறோம்.
சிவன் தனிமனித அடையாளமாக அமைகிறான்....

ऋतुभिः सह कवयः सदैव सम्बद्धाः। विशिष्य संस्कृतकवयः। यथा हि ऋतवः प्रतिसंवत्सरं प्रतिनवतामावहन्ति मानवेषु तथैव ऋतुवर्णनान्यपि काव्यरसिकेषु कामपि विच्छित्तिमातन्वते। ऋतुकल्याणं हि सत्यमिदमेव हृदि कृत्वा प्रवृत्तम्। नगरजीवनस्य यान्त्रिकतां मान्त्रिकतां च ध्वनदिदं चम्पूकाव्यं गद्यपद्यमिश्रितमिति सुव्यक्तमेव। ऐदम्पूर्वतया प्रायः पुरीपरिसरप्रसृतानाम् ऋतूनां विलासोऽत्र प्रपञ्चितः। बेङ्गलूरुनामके...

The Art and Science of Avadhānam in Sanskrit is a definitive work on Sāhityāvadhānam, a form of Indian classical art based on multitasking, lateral thinking, and extempore versification. Dotted throughout with tasteful examples, it expounds in great detail on the theory and practice of this unique performing art. It is as much a handbook of performance as it is an anthology of well-turned...

This anthology is a revised edition of the author's 1978 classic. This series of essays, containing his original research in various fields, throws light on the socio-cultural landscape of Tamil Nadu spanning several centuries. These compelling episodes will appeal to scholars and laymen alike.
“When superstitious mediaevalists mislead the country about its judicial past, we have to...

The cultural history of a nation, unlike the customary mainstream history, has a larger time-frame and encompasses the timeless ethos of a society undergirding the course of events and vicissitudes. A major key to the understanding of a society’s unique character is an appreciation of the far-reaching contributions by outstanding personalities of certain periods – especially in the realms of...

Prekṣaṇīyam is an anthology of essays on Indian classical dance and theatre authored by multifaceted scholar and creative genius, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh. As a master of śāstra, a performing artiste (of the ancient art of Avadhānam), and a cultured rasika, he brings a unique, holistic perspective to every discussion. These essays deal with the philosophy, history, aesthetics, and practice of...

Yaugandharam

इदं किञ्चिद्यामलं काव्यं द्वयोः खण्डकाव्ययोः सङ्कलनरूपम्। रामानुरागानलं हि सीतापरित्यागाल्लक्ष्मणवियोगाच्च श्रीरामेणानुभूतं हृदयसङ्क्षोभं वर्णयति । वात्सल्यगोपालकं तु कदाचिद्भानूपरागसमये घटितं यशोदाश्रीकृष्णयोर्मेलनं वर्णयति । इदम्प्रथमतया संस्कृतसाहित्ये सम्पूर्णं काव्यं...

Vanitakavitotsavah

इदं खण्डकाव्यमान्तं मालिनीछन्दसोपनिबद्धं विलसति। मेनकाविश्वामित्रयोः समागमः, तत्फलतया शकुन्तलाया जननम्, मातापितृभ्यां त्यक्तस्य शिशोः कण्वमहर्षिणा परिपालनं चेति काव्यस्यास्येतिवृत्तसङ्क्षेपः।

Vaiphalyaphalam

इदं खण्डकाव्यमान्तं मालिनीछन्दसोपनिबद्धं विलसति। मेनकाविश्वामित्रयोः समागमः, तत्फलतया शकुन्तलाया जननम्, मातापितृभ्यां त्यक्तस्य शिशोः कण्वमहर्षिणा परिपालनं चेति काव्यस्यास्येतिवृत्तसङ्क्षेपः।

Nipunapraghunakam

इयं रचना दशसु रूपकेष्वन्यतमस्य भाणस्य निदर्शनतामुपैति। एकाङ्करूपकेऽस्मिन् शेखरकनामा चित्रोद्यमलेखकः केनापि हेतुना वियोगम् अनुभवतोश्चित्रलेखामिलिन्दकयोः समागमं सिसाधयिषुः कथामाकाशभाषणरूपेण निर्वहति।

Bharavatarastavah

अस्मिन् स्तोत्रकाव्ये भगवन्तं शिवं कविरभिष्टौति। वसन्ततिलकयोपनिबद्धस्य काव्यस्यास्य कविकृतम् उल्लाघनाभिधं व्याख्यानं च वर्तते।

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the third volume, some character sketches of great literary savants responsible for Kannada renaissance during the first half of the twentieth century. These remarkable...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the second volume, episodes from the lives of remarkable exponents of classical music and dance, traditional storytellers, thespians, and connoisseurs; as well as his...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the first volume, episodes from the lives of great writers, poets, literary aficionados, exemplars of public life, literary scholars, noble-hearted common folk, advocates...

Evolution of Mahabharata and Other Writings on the Epic is the English translation of S R Ramaswamy's 1972 Kannada classic 'Mahabharatada Belavanige' along with seven of his essays on the great epic. It tells the riveting...

Shiva-Rama-Krishna is an English adaptation of Śatāvadhāni Dr. R Ganesh's popular lecture series on the three great...

Bharatilochana

ಮಹಾಮಾಹೇಶ್ವರ ಅಭಿನವಗುಪ್ತ ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ವಿದ್ಯಾವಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮರೆಯಲಾಗದ ಹೆಸರು. ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಶೈವದರ್ಶನ ಮತ್ತು ಸೌಂದರ್ಯಮೀಮಾಂಸೆಗಳ ಪರಮಾಚಾರ್ಯನಾಗಿ  ಸಾವಿರ ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ಇವನು ಜ್ಞಾನಪ್ರಪಂಚವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತಲೇ ಇದ್ದಾನೆ. ಭರತಮುನಿಯ ನಾಟ್ಯಶಾಸ್ತ್ರವನ್ನು ಅರ್ಥಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಇವನೊಬ್ಬನೇ ನಮಗಿರುವ ಆಲಂಬನ. ಇದೇ ರೀತಿ ರಸಧ್ವನಿಸಿದ್ಧಾಂತವನ್ನು...

Vagarthavismayasvadah

“वागर्थविस्मयास्वादः” प्रमुखतया साहित्यशास्त्रतत्त्वानि विमृशति । अत्र सौन्दर्यर्यशास्त्रीयमूलतत्त्वानि यथा रस-ध्वनि-वक्रता-औचित्यादीनि सुनिपुणं परामृष्टानि प्रतिनवे चिकित्सकप्रज्ञाप्रकाशे। तदन्तर एव संस्कृतवाङ्मयस्य सामर्थ्यसमाविष्कारोऽपि विहितः। क्वचिदिव च्छन्दोमीमांसा च...

The Best of Hiriyanna

The Best of Hiriyanna is a collection of forty-eight essays by Prof. M. Hiriyanna that sheds new light on Sanskrit Literature, Indian...

Stories Behind Verses

Stories Behind Verses is a remarkable collection of over a hundred anecdotes, each of which captures a story behind the composition of a Sanskrit verse. Collected over several years from...