Literature

On yet another occasion, the king had to fight a war with a rival from the frontiers. The seeker went with him and defeated many enemy men with his staff. The king was victorious and returned home. Though he had witnessed the strength and skill of the seeker, he did not reward him at all.

He followed her instructions and performed intense tapas to propriate Vindhyavāsinī. She appeared before him and said, “O brāhmaṇa! All four of you were my gaṇas; Pañcamūla, Caturvaktra, Mahodaramukha, and Vikaṭavadana; once when you were wandering on the banks of Gaṅgā you were attracted towards Cāpalekhā, who was the daughter of a muni; she protested saying, ‘I’m a kanyā; go away!’ the other three heeded her warning; but you persisted; she screamed, ‘Father!

The story of Anaṅgaratī

ವ್ಯಂಜನಾವ್ಯಾಪಾರವು ಪ್ರಮಾಣವಲ್ಲವೆಂಬ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಆಕ್ಷೇಪ ಹೀಗಿದೆ:

ಧೂಮೇನ ಧ್ವನ್ಯತಾಂ ವಹ್ನಿಶ್ಚಕ್ಷುಷಾ ಧ್ವನ್ಯತಾಂ ಘಟಃ |

ಅರ್ಥಶ್ಚೇದ್ಧ್ವನಯೇದರ್ಥಂ ಕಾ ಪ್ರಮಾಣವ್ಯವಸ್ಥಿತಿಃ || (೨೦.೧೬)

ಅರ್ಥಶಕ್ತಿಮೂಲಧ್ವನಿಯು ಹೇಗೆ ತಾನೆ ಪ್ರಮಾಣವೆನಿಸೀತು? ಹಾಗೊಮ್ಮೆ ಒಪ್ಪಿದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೊಗೆಯಿಂದ ಬೆಂಕಿಯೂ ಕಣ್ಣಿಂದ ಮಡಕೆಯೂ ಧ್ವನಿತವಾಗಬೇಕು!

Won't you be able to tolerate it for a night? – Kāñcanaprabhā said. Soon after, she went away with her child. Naravāhanadatta came to Kauśāmbi. At night, as he was falling asleep, Gomukha narrated to him this tale of Pṛthvīrūpa –

ಮೀಮಾಂಸಕರು ಮೊದಲಿನಿಂದಲೂ ಕಾವ್ಯವಿರೋಧಿಗಳು. ಅವರತ್ತ ಕವಿ ಹೀಗೆ ಕಟಾಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ:

ಅರ್ಥೇಷ್ವಲಂಕಾರವಿದಃ ಪ್ರಮಾಣಂ

            ಶಬ್ದೇಷು ನಃ ಶಬ್ದವಿದೋ ಮುನೀಂದ್ರಾಃ |

ಕೇ ತಾಂತ್ರಿಕಾಣಾಂ ಕವಯೋ ಭವಂತಿ

            ಕೇ ವಾ ಕವೀನಾಮಪಿ ತಾಂತ್ರಿಕಾಃ ಸ್ಯುಃ || (೧.೭೦)

निशुम्भभरनम्रोर्वीखर्विताः पर्वता अपि |
यं नमन्तीव नृत्यन्तं नमामस्तं विनायकम् ||

[Owing to the crushing weight capable of bending even the earth, the mountains too seem to bow down, we salute that dancing Vināyaka]

ಕಾವ್ಯಕಲೆ ಸಕಲಮಾನವರಿಗೆ ಸಂತೋಷಕಾರಿಯೆಂಬ ತಥ್ಯವನ್ನು ತನ್ನದಾದ ನಿರುಪಮರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹೀಗೆ ಸಮರ್ಥಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ:

ಆವರ್ಣಶಕ್ತಿಗ್ರಹಮಾಪವರ್ಗಂ

            ದುಃಖೈಕರೂಪಾ ವಿರಚಯ್ಯ ವಿದ್ಯಾಃ |

ವಿಶ್ರಾಂತಿಹೇತೋಃ ಕವಿತಾಂ ಜನಾನಾಂ

            ವೇಧಾಃ ಸದಾನಂದಮಯೀಂ ಕಿಮಾಧಾತ್ || (೧.೩೧)

ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ-ಸಂಗೀತಗಳ ತೌಲನಿಕವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸವನ್ನು ಕವಿಯು ಬಲ್ಲ:

ಕರ್ಣಂ ಗತಂ ಶುಷ್ಯತಿ ಕರ್ಣ ಏವ

            ಸಂಗೀತಕಂ ಸೈಕತವಾರಿರೀತ್ಯಾ |

ಆನಂದಯತ್ಯಂತರನುಪ್ರವಿಶ್ಯ

            ಸೂಕ್ತಿಃ ಕವೇರೇವ ಸುಧಾಸಗಂಧಾ || (೧.೧೭)

ಕಿವಿಯನ್ನು ಹೊಕ್ಕ ಹಾಡು ಮರಳಿಗೆ ಬಿದ್ದ ನೀರಿನಂತೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಬತ್ತುತ್ತದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಅಮೃತಸಮಾನವಾದ ಕವಿಸೂಕ್ತಿ ಅಂತರಂಗವನ್ನು ಹೊಕ್ಕು ಆನಂದವನ್ನೀಯುತ್ತದೆ.

One day, the king was having his meal. Guṇaśarmā, who sat in his proximity refused to eat a certain dish which was brought to him by the cook. When asked the reason for his act, he said – ‘Even as I saw it, I came to know that it is filled with poison! You can test it by having it fed to someone else; I will then relieve him of poison and cure him!; When the king asked the cook to eat the particular dish, he fell unconscious upon eating. Guṇaśarmā used a mantra to review him. The cook then confessed – ‘Deva! Your enemy Vikramaśakti instigated me to feed you with poison!’