Knowledge of Rhetoric (Alaṃkāra) in the Śiśupālavadha

Māghas talent in rhetoric. In vast sense rhetoric defines beauty, but in a narrow sense the meaning of the word rhetoric is anuprāsa, yamaka, upamā, rūpaka etc. figure of speech. So, thetoric is śāstra of beauty or aesthetic of poetry (kāvyavijñāna śāstra).

Rhetoric is divided into two category—

śabdālaṃarā and arthālaṃkāra.

With the help of śabdālaṃkāra and arthālaṃkāra Māgha enriched his epic the Śiśupālavadha.

According to Vāmana:

‘kāvyaṃ grāhyamalaṃkārāt | saundaryamalaṃkāraḥ |’^[1]

Poet Māgha can be considered as a new designer of the varieties of rhetoric. In every verse of his epic he has described the variety of rhetoric. With the help of two types of rhetoric (i.e. figure of speech and figure of sense) he had painted new types of art. In the nineteenth canto with the help of vatious vandhas he had created wonders or excellence. Māgha was very much familiar to the expertise of skills and arts but sometimes he had succedded Bhārabi in the field of applying rhetoric.

According to Māgha a good poet (uttamakvavi) gives importance to both word and its meaning (śabda and artha) śabdartha.

satkaviriva dvayaṃ vidvānapekṣate | (2.86)^[2]

From this it is clear that Māgha gave priority to both śabdālaṃkāra and arthālaṃkāra.

In this respect A.B keith said—

“It was all the involutions and contortions of Māgha and is full of yamakas, involving as always a sacrifice of sense of sound.”^[3]

Bharata has mentioned about four alaṃkāras, but Bhāmaha and Daṇḍin had mentioned about thirty to forty śabdālaṃkāras and arthālaṃkāras. Famous commentator Mallinātha had found out fifty six types of arthālamkāras. The Śiśupālavadha of poet Māgha is an epic which is based on alaṃkāras. So, there are śabdālaṃkāra and arthālaṃkāra in his verses.

In the twentieth verse of the sixth canto we find beautiful description of anuprāsa alaṃkāra.

“madhurayā madhuvodhitamādhavī madhusamṛddhisamedhitamedhayā |
madhukarāṅganayā muhurunmādadhvanibhṛtā nibhṛtākṣaramujjage ||”6.20 ||^[4]

Sometimes with the use of a single alphabet he created verses and it becomes beautiful variation of anuprāsa alaṃkāra.

Following verse proves it—

“dādado dundaduddādī dādado dudadīdadoḥ |
dundādaṃ dadade dadde dadādadadado'dadaḥ ||” 19.114 ||^[5]

In application of yamaka alaṃkāra skill of Māgha is unchallenged.

Following verse proves it.

“navapalāśapalāśavanaṃ puraḥ sphuṭaparāgaparāgatapaṅkajam |
mṛdulatāntalatāntamalokayat sa ḍsurabhiṃ supabhiṃ sumanobharaiḥ ||”6.21 ||^[6]

Viśvanātha quoted this verse in his Sāhityadarpaṇa. It seems that viśvanātha had considered this verse to be the best yamaka alaṃkāra.

In the field of application of upamā alaṃkāras he often used alaṃ approved by the śāstras.

Following verse proves it—

“sarvakāryaśareṣu muktāṅgaskandhapañcakam |
saugatānāmivātmānyo nāsti mantro mahībhṛtām ||” 2.28 ||^[7]

In the field of application of upamā poet Māgha followed kālidāsa. Poet used eight types of upamās in the different cantos. As for in the 1/6 ārthīupamā, 2/78 tadhitagatā upamā, 3/63-ślesopamā, 4/49-abhutopamā, 8/9-purṇopamā, 11/95-upameyopamā, 13/23-malopamā, 19/61- anekopamā, The poet was well versed about rūpaka alaṃkāra.

Following verse is the beautiful description of rūpaka alaṃkāra.

“jājvalyamānā jagataḥ śāntaye samupesuṣī |
vyadyotiṣṭa sabhāvedyāmasau naraśikhitrayo ||”2.3 ||^[8]

He was also an expert in the application of utprekṣā alaṃkāra.

Following verse proves his skillness about this rhetoric.

“apaśaṅkamaṅkaparivartenocitāścalitāḥ purāpatimupaitumātmajāḥ |
anuroditīva karuṇena patriṇāṃ virutena vatsalayaiṣa nimnagāḥ ||”4. 47 ||^[9]

Beside this we see the successful application of utprekṣā alaṃkāra in the fifth verse of first canto and in the 1/57, 8/18, 11/40, 16/25 etc.

In the following verse poet Māgha had given diversity applying Kāvyaliṃga alaṃkāra.

“haratyaghaṃ samprati hetureṣyataḥ śubhasya pūrvacuritaiḥ kṛtaṃ śubhai |
śarīrabhājāṃ bhavadīyadarśanaṃ vyanaktikālatritaye'pi yogyatām ||”1.26 ||^[10]

Plenty of Kāvyaliṃga alaṃkāra are seen in Māghas epic.

We see ūrjasvi alaṃkāra in the twenty sixth verse of the eleventh canto. In the field of arthāntaranyāsa alaṃkāra Magha did gone beyond Bharavi. The following verse is the excellent example of arthāntaranyāsa alaṃkāra.

“yāvadarthapadāṃ vācamevamādāya mādhavaḥ |
virarāma mahīyāṃsaḥ prakṛtya mitabhāṣiṇaḥ ||”2. 13 |^[11]

Viśvanātha quoted this verse in his Sāhityadarpaṇa. A few more examples of this alaṃkāra i.e-in the 1/67, 1/72, 2/12, 2/65, 3/31, 9/43 etc.

We see udātta alaṃkāra in the thrty sixth verse of the eleventh canto. We find abundant examples of atiśayokti alaṃkāra in the epic Śiśupālavadha.

As for example—

“vuddhiśastra prakṛtyaṅgo dhanasaṃvṛttikañcukaḥ |
cārekṣaṇo dūtamukhaḥ puruṣaḥ ko'pi pārthivaḥ ||” 2. 82 ||^[12]

Bside these we find a lot of examples of apahnuti, svabhābokti, byātireka [vyātireka], aprastutaprasamśā, dṛṣṭānta, samāsokti, birodhābhāsa [virodhābhāsa], prativastūpamā alaṃkāras.

As for the best example of apahnuti alaṃkāra is—

“sitaṃ sitimnā sutarāṃ munervapurvisāribhiḥ saudhamivāthalambhayan |
dvijāvalivyājaniśākarāṃśubhiḥ śucismitāṃ vācamevocadacyutaḥ ||” 1.25 ||^[13].

In this way there are many examples of apahnuti alaṃkāra in this epic. Poet Māgha used svabhābokti alaṃkāra in the fifth, eleventh, twelfth, eighteenth canto of his epic.

As for example—

“durdāntamutplutya nirastasādinaṃ sahāsahākāramalokayajjanaḥ |
paryāṇata strastamurovilamvana sturaṅgamaṃ pradrutamekayā diśā ||” 12. 22 ||^[14]

Māgha used Śabda citras. Beside this the verses 3/66, 11/4 etc. are the beautiful description of Svabhābokti alaṃkāra. Viśvanātha presented above verse as the example of aprastut praśaṃsā.

We find many example of vyātireka alaṃkāra in the Śiśupālavadha.

He used this rhetoric in the 1/2, 1/27, 12/23 etc. verses.

In the sixteen canto there are many verses which were written with aprastut praśaṃsā alaṃkāra.

As for example—

“paritapyata eva nottamaḥ paritapto'pyaparaḥ susaṃvṛtiḥ |
paravṛddhibhirāhitavyathaḥ saphuṭa nirbhinnadurāśayo'dhamaḥ ||” 16. 23 ||^[15]

In this way we find this alaṃkāra in the 21^st, 22^nd, 26^th, 28^th, 29^th, 30^th verses of the sixteenth canto.

Poet Māgha used dṛṣṭānta alaṃkāra also.

As for example we may quote the eight verse of the fourteenth canto.

“vītavidhnamanaghena bhāvitā sannidhestava makhena mehadhunā |
ko vihantumalamāsthitodaye vāsaraśriyamaśītadīdhitai ||”

In the second canto of the Śiśupālavadha poet used this rhetoric many tims (2/23, 34,70).

Beside this we find this rhetoric (alaṃkāra) another canto also.

The Śiśupālavadha is enriched with the samāsokti alaṃkāra.

As for we can quote the forty eight verse of the eleventh canto.

“kṣaṇamayamupaviṣṭaḥ kṣmātalanyastapādaḥ praṇati paravekṣya prītamahnāya lokam |
bhūvanatalamaśeṣaṃ pratyavekṣiyyamāṇaḥ kṣitidhara taṭapīḍhādusthitaḥ saptasaptiḥ ||” 11.48 |^[16]

In this way we see the loveliness of samāsokti alaṃkāra in many verses of the epic Śiśupālavadha. (6/25) etc.

Māgha used virodhābhāsa alaṃkāra in his epic also.

“ladhukariṣyannatibhārabhāṅgurāmamūṃ kila tvaṃ tridivādavātaraḥ |
udūṭalokatritayena sāmprataṃ gururdharitrī kriyatetarāṃ tvayā ||” 1.36 ||^[17]

In this way he used this alaṃkāra in many verse (3/50, 10/68 etc.)

Poet Māgha was well skilled in the application of prativastūpamā alaṃkāra.

Following verse proves this—

“upaplutaṃ pātumardo madoddhataistvameva viśmbhara! viśvamīśiṣe |
ṛte raveḥ kṣālayituṃ kṣameta kaḥ kṣapātamaskāṇḍamalīmasaṃ nabhaḥ ||” 1. 38 |^[18]

In the epic Śiśupālavadha, there are many verses which were written with this alaṃkāra (16/21 etc).

Beside these alaṃkāras used by poet Māgha are almost fifty six types in this epic.

Viz., dīpaka (2/109), virodha (3/44), viṣama(3/45), bhrāntimat (4/48), pariṇāma (4/54), tulyayogitā (5/21), samādhi (6/49), samuccaya (6/72), rasavat (2/75), sma(7/53), bibhāvanā (7/57), arthāpatti (8/24), sandeha (8/29), smaraṇa (8/64), apahnava (9/48), svabhāva(9/74), sūkṣma (9/76), mīlana (10/26), ekāvalī (10/33), yathāsaṃkhya (10/34), asaṃgati (10/46), atadguṇa (10/76), beśeṣokti (12/39), vicitra (13/8), paryāya (13/11), parivṛtti(18/15) saṃśaya (18/42), sāmānya (13/53), parisaṃkhyā (14/66), adhika (14/75), pratyanīka(14/78), āksepa (15/83), pratipa (16/66), anyonya (19/20), paryākta (20/78), bhāvika (20/79), sahokti (16/66).

However Māgha had used all the alaṃkāras (Śabdālaṃkāras and arthālaṃkāras) clearly. They are ananvaya, anumāna, samādhi, vyāghāta, kāranamālā, uttara, māladīpaka, tadguṇa sāra, vyājokti.

Māgha did not use some arthālaṃkāras which were mentioned by Mammaṭa. These are rasabat, saṃśaya, vicitra, svabhāva, arthāpatti, preyasa etc.

Some verses which were written by Māgha were appreciated by Dhananjaya. He had used almost twelve alaṃkāras as example in his Daśarūpaka form the Śiśupālavadha.

In this way Māgha had left his name in golden letters in the field of rhetoric.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Anil Chanda Basu, (Ed. 1st & 2nd chap.): Kāvyālaṃkāra Sūtravrtti), p.i.

[2]:

Haridasa Siddhantavagisha: Op.cit., p. 87.

[3]:

A.B. Keith: Classical Sanskrit literature, p. 58.

[4]:

Haridasa Siddhantavagisha: Op.cit., p. 237.

[5]:

ibid., p. 828.

[6]:

ibid., p. 228.

[7]:

ibid., p. 89.

[8]:

ibid., p. 47.

[9]:

ibid., p. 174.

[10]:

ibid., p. 16.

[11]:

ibid., p. 52.

[12]:

ibid., p. 85.

[13]:

ibid., p. 15.

[14]:

ibid., p. 457.

[15]:

ibid., p. 674.

[16]:

ibid., p. 457.

[17]:

ibid., p. 21.

[18]:

ibid., p. 23.