Text 8.28

[This verse illustrates a construction solely based on the nature of the speaker:]

मन्थायस्तार्णवाम्भः-प्लुत-कुहर-चलन्-मन्दर-ध्वान-धीरः
  कोणाघातेषु गर्जत्-प्रलय-घन-घटान्योन्य-सङ्घट्ट-चण्डः ।
कृष्णा-क्रोधाग्र-दूतः कुरु-कुल-निधनोत्पात-निर्घात-वातः
  केनास्मत्-सिंह-नाद-प्रतिरसित-सखो दुन्दुभिस् ताडितोऽयम् ॥

manthāyastārṇavāmbhaḥ-pluta-kuhara-calan-mandara-dhvāna-dhīraḥ
  koṇāghāteṣu garjat-pralaya-ghana-ghaṭānyonya-saṅghaṭṭa-caṇḍaḥ |
kṛṣṇā-krodhāgra-dūtaḥ kuru-kula-nidhanotpāta-nirghāta-vātaḥ
  kenāsmat-siṃha-nāda-pratirasita-sakho dundubhis tāḍito'yam ||

mantha—during the churning; āyasta—splashed; arṇava—of the ocean; ambhaḥ—by water; pluta—inundated; kuhara—in the caves (or Mandara, whose caves); calan—which is ongoing (or going); mandara—of the Mandara Mountain; dhvāna—[like] the sound; dhīraḥ—[the kettledrum,] deep; koṇa—by a drumstick; āghāteṣu—when there are beatings; garjat—rumbling; pralaya—during dissolution; ghana—of clouds; ghaṭa—of a multitude; anyonya—mutual; saṅghaṭṭa—[like] the collision; caṇḍaḥ—[the kettledrum,] impetuous; kṛṣṇā—of Draupadī; krodha—of the anger; agra—first; dūtaḥ—the messenger; kuru-kula—of the race of Kurus; nidhana—regarding the termination; utpāta—which is a calamity; nirghāta—which is a hurricane; vātaḥ—the wind; kena—by whom?; asmat—of ours (of mine); siṃha—of the lion; nāda—of the roar; prati-rasita—[in the form of] the echo; sakhaḥ—the friend; dundubhiḥ—the kettledrum; tāḍitaḥ—was beaten; ayam—this.

[In Kurukṣetra, Bhīma addresses Sahadeva:]

The sound of the kettledrum was deep like the rumble of the shifting Mandara Mountain, whose caves were inundated by the waters of the Milk Ocean during the churning. When the kettledrum was repeatedly beaten, the sound was impetuous like the mutual collision of thundering clouds during universal annihilation. The kettledrum’s sound was the initial messenger of Draupadī’s wrath, nay it was the hurricane that announced the calamity which is the obliteration of the Kuru dynasty. That sound is a friend in the form of the echo of my lion-like roar. Who beat this kettledrum? (Veṇī-saṃhāra 1.22) (Kāvya-prakāśa, verse 350)

atra vaktur bhīmasyauddhatyāt tathā racanādayaḥ.

Here the construction takes place in that way because of the haughtiness of Bhīma, the speaker.

Commentary:

According to Mammaṭa, here the literal meanings are not suggestive of anger or the like. In addition, he says this verse occurs in a drama. Therefore, since a haughty construction is adverse both to literal meanings out of the scope of ojas and to a dramaturgical representation, normally it would be unsuitable, yet it is proper here because Bhīma is the speaker.^[1] Śrīvatsa-lāñchana Bhaṭṭācārya explains that long compounds are not desired in a play because there is some tardiness in understanding the meanings in a long compound. In addition, he says it is fitting that the haughty (uddhata) construction is well-suited to Bhīma, since he is a dhīra uddhata, a type of hero mostly characterized by raudra-rasa.^[2]

Viśvanātha Kavirāja says the verse is suggestive of anger (i.e. this sthāyi-bhāva is implied).^[3] According to Govinda Ṭhakkura, however, anger is not evoked because the statement is in the form of a question: atra na vācyaṃ krodhādi-dīpta-rasa-vyañjakam, praśna-rūpatvāt (Kāvya-pradīpa).

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa said that a dhīrodātta hero (clever and virtuous) is mostly characterized by vīra-rasa, the dhīroddhata hero (clever and boastful) by raudra-rasa, the dhīra-lalita hero (clever and fun-loving) by śṛṅgāra-rasa, and the dhīra-śānta hero (clever and peaceful) by śānta-rasa (7.145). In this regard, Kavikarṇapūra wrote: uddhate vaktari uddhatam ojaḥ, dhīrodātte vaktari madhyamam ojaḥ, dhīra-lalite vaktari mādhuryam, prasādas tu sārvatrika iti, “When the speaker is haughty (uddhata), the construction of the haughty ojas should be used. When the speaker is dhīrodātta, the construction of the intermediary ojas should be used (Commentary 9.11). When the speaker is dhīra-lalita, the construction of mādhurya should be used. Prasāda, however, must occur at all times” (Alaṅkāra-kaustubha 6.33).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

atra hi na vācyaṃ krodhādi-vyañjakam. abhineyārthaṃ ca kāvyam iti tat-pratikūlā uddhatā racanādayaḥ. vaktā cātra bhīmasenaḥ (Kāvya-prakāśa, verse 350 vṛtti).

[2]:

kāvyaṃ nāṭakam. dīrgha-samāse’rtha-pratipattau vilambenābhinayena jhaṭiti pratyāyayitum aśakyatvāt tan nocitam ity āha, tat-pratikūlā ceti. rasānaucityam āha, bhīmasena iti raudra-rasapradhānasya dhīroddhatasya tasyettham-uddhatābhidhāna-svabhāvatvāt (Sāra-bodhinī).

[3]:

atrety ādi. atra vācyasya krodhādi-vyañjakatvena vākyasya nāṭaka-rūpābhineyārthatv enātiśaya-duḥkhāvahatvena cārya-cittasyāpi dīrgha-samāsād eva. uddhato bhīmaseno vakteti nānaucityam iti bhāvaḥ (Kāvya-prakāśa-darpaṇa).