Part 7.6 - Poetic conventions regarding to the Oceans and Water

In the poetic descriptions there are four types of conversation are found regarding to the oceans and water i.e.

1. non-discrimination between milky and safety oceans,
2. Identical description of seas and oceans,
3. Existence of monsters in oceans and
4. Existence of mosses in all water reservoirs.

(1) Poetic conventions on non-discrimination between milky and salty oceans:

In generally the water of oceans are salted but in the Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara says seven types of oceans, which are Lavana (salt water), Ikṣu-rasa (sugarcane juice), Sura (wine), Sarpi (ghee), Dadhi (curd), Kṣira (milk) and Jala (water).

“lāvaṇo rasamayaḥ surodakaḥ sārpiṣo dadhijalaḥ payaḥpayāḥ |
svāduvārirudadhiśca saptamastānparītya ta ime vyavasthitāḥ || ”

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XVII, Pp- 91

There is an interesting mythological story relating to the water of oceans in the Mahābhārata^[1]. There says, the water of oceans were salty but in the time of churned between Gods and Demons than the shurning staff, trees plants and creepers fell down and with the juice spread from these trees and plants and the salty ocean become milky taste. There is also another story relating about the oceans become milky. From the udder of the mother cow Surabhī, milk flowed profusely on the earth and all the oceans become milky^[2]. In the Subhāṣitāratnāvalī describes that the water of oceans become milky for sub marine fire^[3].

Therefore Rājaśekhara also illustrated about the identity of milky and salty oceans as:

“śetāṃ harirbhavatu ratnamanantamantarlakṣmīprasūtiriti no vivadāmahe he('bdhe) |
hā dūradūrasapayāstṛṣitasya jantoḥ kiṃ tvatra(nna)ूkapapayasaḥ sa marorjaghanyaḥ || ”

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XIV, Pp- 81

Here, the sea of milk is famous as the abode of Lord Visnu and the origin of Goddess Lakṣmī and not the sea of salt yet then the two become as one according to the description of poetic convention.

(2) Poetic conventions on identical description of seas and oceans:

The world is surrounded by the oceans and they are divided by the seas. Sometimes they both one called oceans and seas and tradition believe that the oceans and the seas are the same in nature.

To illustrate this Rājaśekhara put down the Ganges to the beloved of seven oceans as:

“raṅgattaraṅgabhrūbhaṅgaistarjayantīmivāpagāḥ |
sa dadarśa puro gaṅgāṃ saptasāgaravallabhām || ”

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XIV, Pp- 81

Here the śloka the poets seems to the oneness of the seven seas in the poeticconvention. Because the Gaṅgā River falls only one sea not seven but the poets describe it as seven oceans.

(3) Poetic conventions on the existence of monsters in oceans:

In the description of poetic convention the monsters exist only in oceans but they also exist in river, seas and reservoirs. There it may be that the oceans are known as the abode of monsters. In poetic composition poets doesn’t uses this convention directly, it is presented with some other matters.

In the Raghuvaṃśa, Kālidāsa describes about the monsters in the river while kings and queens are bathing. C.f.

“sa tīrabhūmau vihitopakāryāmānāyibhistāmapakṛṣṭanakrām |
vigāpituṃ śrīmahimānurupaṃ pracakrame cakradharaprabhāvaḥ || ”

- Raghuvaṃśa of Kālidāsa: Canto-XVI/ 55

Therefore, in the Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara given a śloka discriminates monsters from other acquatic beings as the great oceans are its abode.

I.e.

“gotrāgrahāraṃ nayato gṛhatvaṃ svanāmamudrāṅkitamamburāśim |
dāyādavargeṣu parisphu ratsu daṃṣṭrāvalepo makarasya vandyaḥ || ”

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XIV, Pp- 80

(4) Poetic conventions on the existance of mosser in all water reservours:

In poetic composition the non-existence of mosses is considered as the beautifying factor of reservoirs and the poetic convention mosses are do exist in all reservoirs.

In the Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki says about this matter as:

“tatra tripathagāma divyā śītatoyāṃśaivalāṃ |
dadarśa rāghavo gaṅgāṃ ramyāmṛṣiniṣevitam || ”

- Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: II/ 1/12

Here the śloka is acquatic creeper lays spread on waters. In the case of poetic beauty this has no place in poetic composition.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Mahābhārata of Vyāsadeva: I/ XVI/25-27

[2]:

Ibid: V/100/ 1-4

[3]:

Subhāṣitāratnāvalī: Pp- 123

“ ādāya vārī paritaḥ saritāṃ mukhebhyaḥ |
kiṃ tāvadārañjitamanena durarṇavena ||
kṣārīkṛtaṃ ca bhadvādahaneृhataṃ ca |
pātālaku kṣiku hare vinirviśitaṃ ca ||