Sahitya-kaumudi by Baladeva Vidyabhushana

by Gaurapada Dāsa | 2015 | 234,703 words

Baladeva Vidyabhusana’s Sahitya-kaumudi covers all aspects of poetical theory except the topic of dramaturgy. All the definitions of poetical concepts are taken from Mammata’s Kavya-prakasha, the most authoritative work on Sanskrit poetical rhetoric. Baladeva Vidyabhushana added the eleventh chapter, where he expounds additional ornaments from Visv...

(2) [An endeavor becomes useless and a reverse, unwanted result occurs:]

कृत्यानलः प्रतिहतः स रथान्ग-पाणेर्
  अस्त्रौजसा स नृप भग्न-मुखो निवृत्तः ।
वाराणसीं परिसमेत्य सुदक्षिणं तं
  सर्त्विग्-जनं समदहत् स्व-कृतोऽभिचारः ॥

kṛtyānalaḥ pratihataḥ sa rathānga-pāṇer
  astraujasā sa nṛpa bhagna-mukho nivṛttaḥ
|
vārāṇasīṃ parisametya sudakṣiṇaṃ taṃ
  sartvig-janaṃ samadahat sva-kṛto'bhicāraḥ
||

The fiery creature produced by black magic was repelled, O king. Its face was broken by the force of the weapon of Kṛṣṇa, who had the cakra in hand. The fiery creature stopped, returned to Vārāṇasī, and combusted Sudakṣiṇa and his priests, its creators. (Bhāgavatam 10.66.40)

Commentary:

This is Paṇḍita-rāja Jagannātha’s example:

puro gīrvāṇānāṃ pulakita-kapolaṃ prathayato
  bhuja-prauḍhiṃ sākṣād bhagavati śaraṃ sammukhayitum
|
smarasya svar-bālā-nayana-suma-mālārcitam aho
  vapuḥ sadyo bhālānala-bhasita-jālāspadam abhūt
||

“In front of the gods, Cupid was showing off the boldness of his arms by pointing an arrow at Lord Śiva. Cupid’s body was worshiped by the flowers of the eyes of the gods’ wives, yet it turned out as a heap of ashes on account of the fire from the eye on Śiva’s forehead. How amazing!” (Rasa-gaṅgādhara, KM p. 446).

The verse also illustrates the vyāghāta ornament (contrasted contradiction) (10.241).

This is another example of viṣama,

rūpāruciṃ nirasituṃ rasayantyā hari-mukhendu-lavaṇyam |
sudṛśaḥ śiva śiva sakale jātā sa-kalevare jagaty aruciḥ ||

“While relishing the loveliness of Hari’s moon-like face with a view to cast away her lack of taste for beauty, the pretty-eyed girl, alas alas, developed a dislike for the whole world, including her body” (Rasa-gaṅgādhara, KM p. 445).

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