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...
Text 11.27
यथा वा,
गुण-गण-रस-लीलैश्वर्य-रत्नैर् लसन्तो
बहव इह जगत्यां सन्ति धन्या यदीत्थम् ।
वदत वदत[1] लोका आकरः किन्त्व् अमीषां
व्रज-पति-सुत एको निश्चितः श्री-मुनीन्द्रैः ॥
yathā vā,
guṇa-gaṇa-rasa-līlaiśvarya-ratnair lasanto
bahava iha jagatyāṃ santi dhanyā yadīttham |
vadata vadata[2] lokā ākaraḥ kintv amīṣāṃ
vraja-pati-suta eko niścitaḥ śrī-munīndraiḥ ||
guṇa—of virtues; gaṇa—of a multitude; rasa—of relishment; līlā—of pastimes; aisvarya—and of opulence; ratnaiḥ—with the jewels; lasantaḥ—resplendent; bahavaḥ—many [people]; iha—here; jagatyām—in the world; santi—are; dhanyaḥ—wealthy; yadi—if; ittham—in this way; vadata—all of you should say; vadata—all of you should say; lokāḥ—O people; ākaraḥ—the mine (the origin, source); kintu—however; amīṣām—of those [qualities and so on]; vraja-pati—of the king of Vraja; sutaḥ—the son; ekaḥ—only; niścitaḥ—is ascertained; śrī-muni-indraiḥ—by the best resplendent sages.
Hey people, if this is what you are saying: “Many individuals in the world have qualities, rapturous enjoyment, a wealth of fun pastimes, and jewels,” then keep talking, yet the best sages have determined that only Kṛṣṇa, the prince of Vraja, is the source of those. (Govinda-līlāmṛta 17.26)
Commentary:
Paṇḍita-rāja Jagannātha says vidhi-ābhāsa is simply a form of ākṣepa, and so he does not count vidhi-ābhāsa as a separate ornament. This is his example:
tapo-nidhe kauśika rāmacandraṃ ninīṣase cen naya kiṃ vikalpaiḥ |
nirantarālokana-puṇya-dhanyā bhavantu vanyā api jīva-bhājaḥ ||“O Viśvāmitra, O you whose wealth is austerity, if you want to bring Rāmacandra to the forest, then take Him away. Why should I hesitate to give you permission? Let those who have life, and even the inhabitants of the forest, become fortunate by virtue of always looking at Him” (Rasa-gaṅgādhara).
Jagannātha explains that the literal sense “Bring Him to the forest” culminates in a prohibition, and the word jīva-bhājaḥ (those who have life) suggests this: “If you take Him away from me, I will not be able to stay alive.”[3]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Vṛndāvana Cakravartī points out that another reading of Govinda-līlāmṛta is: vadata vadatha: vadata vadatheti pāṭhe, yūyaṃ vadatha cet vadata kintu... (Sadānanda-vidhāyinī).
[2]:
Vṛndāvana Cakravartī points out that another reading of Govinda-līlāmṛta is: vadata vadatha: vadata vadatheti pāṭhe, yūyaṃ vadatha cet vadata kintu... (Sadānanda-vidhāyinī).