Text 10.145

[This is another example of a thing which is not resplendent in the absence of another:]

निरर्थकं जन्म गतं नलिन्या यया न दृष्टं तुहिनांशु-बिम्बम् |
उत्पत्तिर् इन्दोर् अपि निष्फलैव दृष्टा विनिद्रा नलिनी न येन ||

nirarthakaṃ janma gataṃ nalinyā yayā na dṛṣṭaṃ tuhināṃśu-bimbam |
utpattir indor api niṣphalaiva dṛṣṭā vinidrā nalinī na yena ||^[1]

nirarthakam—useless; janma—the birth; gatam—went; nalinyāḥ—of the lotus (“it has a stem”); yayā—by which [lotus]; na—not; dṛṣṭam—was seen; tuhina-aṃśu—of the moon (“its rays are cool”); bimbam—the orb; utpatti-the origination; indoḥ—of the moon; api—as well; niṣphalā—useless; eva—similarly; dṛṣṭā—was seen; vinidrā—awake (blossomed); nalinī—a lotus; na—not; yena—by which [moon].

The origination of a lotus which has not seen the moon passes in vain. Even a moonrise which does not see a blown lotus is futile.

ity atra vinā-śabdābhāve’pi tad-artha-vivakṣayā vinoktiḥ. evaṃ sahoktāv apīti kecit.

Although the word vinā (without) is not used here, nonetheless vinokti takes place by the intent to express the sense of vinā. Some say the same understanding applies to sahokti.

Commentary:

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa refers to Viśvanātha Kavirāja.^[2] However, Jagannātha cites the above verse and says it is only a vinokti-dhvani, owing to the absence of the word vinā or of a synonym.^[3] This is because there is no grammatical rule that allows the sense of vinā without the usage of the word vinā or of a synonym (ṛte, varjanam, pṛthak, etc.).

Jagannātha says vinokti can be constructed with any synonym of vinā.^[4] Nāgeśa Bhaṭṭa accepts this because all that is required is the meaning of the word vinā (without).^[5]

Jagannātha gives an example with the prefix nir (without) in nirguṇa,

nirguṇaḥ śobhate naiva vipulāḍambaro’pi nā |
āpāta-ramya-puṣpa-śrī-śobhitaḥ śālmalir yathā ||

“Although involved in a grand fanfare, a man who has no quality (nirguṇa) is never resplendent, like a silk-cotton tree that is magnificent only because of the splendor of flowers which are lovely on the occasion” (Rasa-gaṅgādhara, KM p. 365).

The flowers of a silk-cotton tree have no scent.

Jagannātha gives an example of vinokti where the usage of the word vinā does not involve the mention of either resplendence or nonresplendence: Either one is understood by the greatness of the simile:

yāthā tālaṃ vinā rāgo yathā mānaṃ vinā nṛpaḥ |
yathā dānaṃ vinā hastī tathā jñānaṃ vinā yatiḥ ||

“A renunciant without knowledge is like a melody without rhythm, like a king without pride, and like an elephant without rut fluid” (Rasa-gaṅgādhara, KM p. 365).

Jayaratha refers to an additional kind of vinokti by quoting the definition of some poetical rhetorician:

nitya-sambandhānām asambandha-vacanaṃ vinoktiḥ,

“Vinokti is the mention of the absence of a connection between things which have an eternal connection.”^[6]

Jagannātha agrees with this and gives an example:

mṛṇāla-mandānila-candanānām uśīra-śaivāla-kuśeśayānām |
viyoga-dūrī-kṛta-cetanāyā vinaiva śaityaṃ bhavati pratītiḥ ||

“She is feeling the pang of separation. To her, a lotus stem, a mild breeze, sandalwood paste, the uśīra plant, moss, and a lotus seem to have no coolness” (Rasa-gaṅgādhara, KM p. 366).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

(ascribed to Bilhaṇa in Subhāṣitāvali 1964) (Alaṅkāra-sarvasva, KM p. 84) (Sāhityadarpaṇa 10.55)

[2]:

vinā-śabda-prayogābhāve’pi vinārtha-vivakṣayā vinoktir eveyam. evaṃ sahoktir api saha-śabda-prayogābhāve’pi sahārtha-vivakṣāyāṃ bhavatīti bodhyam (Sāhitya-darpaṇa 10.55).

[3]:

evaṃ “nirarthakaṃ janma gataṃ […]” iti kasyacit kaveḥ padyaṃ vinokti-dhvanir eva. parantu paraspara-vinokti-vaśād vailakṣaṇya-śāli (Rasa-gaṅgādhara, KM p. 366).

[4]:

iyaṃ ca na kevalaṃ vinā-śabdasya sattva eva bhavati, apitu vinā-śabdārtha-vācaka-mātrasya. tena nañ-nir-vi-antareṇa-ṛte-rahita-vikala ity ādi-prayoge iyam eva (Rasa-gaṅgādhara, KM p. 365).

[5]:

vinoktir iti, atrāpi vinā-śabdārtha eva vivakṣitaḥ. tena nañ-nir-vi-antareṇa-ṛte-rahita-vikalety ādi-prayoge’pīyam eva (Uddyota 10.112cd).

[6]:

Alaṅkāra-sarvasva-vimarṣiṇī (Kāvya-mālā edition of Alaṅkāra-sarvasva p. 83); cited in Rasa-gaṅgādhara (KM p. 365).