Part 5 - The purpose of the Srngaramanjari-katha

(i) Creative art is regarded as the spontaneous expression of a genius. His talent may find expression through literary art, and it would, therefore, be unjust to his creativeness to always search for some purpose in his work. The pleasure of the poet in creativeness, however, subsequently gives pleasure to the reader and, therefore, 'to delight' came to be regarded as the aim of a poet. After the poet attained Heaven, as Bhamaha says, his body remained on earth, pure and pleasant in the shape of his poem. It continued to delight the reader and it also won fame for the poet. Acquisition of fame, therefore, appealed to the poet as an aim to be pursued. Thus, writers on poetics recognize both pleasure (Priti) and fame (Kirti) as the two purposes of a kavya. But when natural expression became difficult, the poet attempted to exhibit his erudition. Erudition Vyutpatti 2 came to be regarded as one of the requisities of a poet and it prompted the poet to impart instruction to the reader, though unobtrusively as a beloved would do. The poet being always wedded to poverty could not achieve the above-mentioned aims easily; therefore, he sought patrons, mostly kings. 'It was the duty of the king to bridge the gulf between wealth and poetic talent', and so the poet wrote also with a view to please the patron and thus to gain wealth (Artha) for himself. Other objectives like warding off evil³ and obtaining fruition of the four ends in life, dharma, artha, kama and moksa, or at least the first three though subsidiary as regards kavya came to be regarded as the poet's purposes. - - Poets of the classical period wrote with one or more of the above-mentioned purposes in view. This work does not in the beginning mention in so many words the purpose underlying it. Yet, indirectly, the purpose of story-telling in general, and this work 1. Vamana, Kavyalamkarasutrani, I, 1,5 d| Bhoja, Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva, I. 2. kirti pritim ca vindati | 2. Rudrata defines it as: chandovyakaranakala lokasthitipadapadarthavijnanat | yuktayuktaviveko vyutpattiriyam samasena || Kavyalamkara, I, 18. 3. Mammata, Kavyaprakasa, I. kavyam yasase'rtham krte vyavaharavide sivetaraksataye | sadyah paranirvrttaye kantasammitatayopadesayuje || 4. Bhamaha, op. cit, I, 2. dharmarthakamamoksesu vaicaksanyam kalasu ca | karoti kirti pritim ca | Dandin, op. cit, I, 15. 5. Agnipurana, 337, 7. trivargasadhanam natayama | catuvargaphalayattam |

in particular, is found in the request of Bhoja's friends to him to narrate a tale: aafafafasnightaradagruents; sitzu sgzqao a argcoyaf yna hai kathayatu svami (p. 1 ) From this we gather that the present work serves two of the above-mentioned ends of the poet, namely, priti and vyutpatti. The tales, obviously, give delight, and thus serve the first purpose, while the morals they convey expound some of the topics of Poetics and Erotics and thus serve the second purpose by advancing knowledge. In this chapter we shall deal with the second purpose. It attempts to teach the maxims or rules of conduct a courtesan has to follow regarding the shaping of her own way of living by a thorough understanding of the different kinds of attachments and the ways of men, and thus making a success of harlotry as a profession. The first four stories explain the topic of raga or attachment. Raga is a technical term which has been explained in detail in the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva by Bhoja. It will be discussed later. The remaining nine tales expound the maxims a courtesan has to follow to make her life a success. i In the books on Erotics and Poetics these subjects have been discussed. In the present work, however, though the topics remain mainly identical, they are presented in a literary garb which rescues them from the otherwise inevitable unsavouriness noticeable in some works of a similar character. ! On analysing the stories we find, as said above, that the varieties of raga have been illustrated in the first four stories. The topic is introduced in a simple manner. Visamasila tells Srngaramanjari that the world is full of persons of different natures; every man has his own ideas and leanings; when he comes to a courtesan his mind is 'coloured' by some sort of attachment which varies in degree and kind from that of other persons; his attitude is also different and, therefore, to understand the attitude of a man it is essential for her to ascertain the exact shade of his 'attachment'. She can then deal with him to her advantage. After this. cautionary admonition Visamasila enumerates the different kinds of ragas and classifies them into four divisions of Niliraga, Manjistharaga, Kusumbharaga and Haridraraga. The others, representing as they do only the shades of these four, are also included and, therefore, these four alone have been described in detail in the stories.

At the outset it would be proper to understand the technical character of raga as conceived by Bhoja and other writers. (ii) In the Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva Bhoja mentions by name the three ragas: Nili Kusumbha and Manjistha. In the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva however, the same topic has been treated with exhaustiveness and completeness in enumeration, classification and illustration. Raga is considered as one of the essential elements in developing the Srngararasa,7 which is the foremost of the nine rasas usually accepted by the writers on poetics. The Srngararasa-the sentiment of love-is quite different from Bhoja's other Rasa-Srnyara the conception of which is an original contribution of his to the science of Poetics. The later writers on poetics who quote Bhoja's authority on Srngara betray confusion in understanding his theory of Rasa-Srngara, probably because of the employment by him of one and the same word, Srngara, with two different connotations as well as by his insistence upon the importance of both the kinds of Srngara. Bhoja's conception of Rasa-srngara is given here in essence in order to distinguish it from the srngara-rasa of which raga is an important element.8 Bhoja's one and only Rasa-srngara is Abhimana or Ahamkara which dwells in the soul of all persons and the difference in the degree of its intensity in a person is due to the experience of many past births. It is responsible for the emergence of other qualities and its presence endows a poem with elegance. This fundamental state of rasa is called rasa of Parakoti. In the second stage, the Madhyamavastha, the fortynine different bhavas grow out of this rasa. Stimulated by Vibhavas, Anu- 6. V, 124 b, nili kusumbhamanjistharagadya ragabhaktayah | 7. Ibid, V, 11-12 a. nayikanayakagunah pakadyah premabhaktayah | nanalanakarasamsrsteh prakarasca rasoktayah || caturvimsatirityukta rasanvayavibhutayah | 8. The following is based on chapters 18 and 19 in Dr. V. Raghavan's Bhoja's Srngaraprakasa (Bhoja’s Shringara-prakasha). 9. Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva, V, 1, 2. raso'bhimano'hamkarah srmgara iti giyate | yo'rthastasyanvayatkavyam kamaniyatvamasnute || visistadrstajanmayam janminamantaratmasu | atmasamyaggunodbhutereko hetuh prakasate ||

bhavas and so, on, the bhavas reach their prakarsa-climax-and are then called rasas, 101 The basic Srngara does not lose its character in this second stage, for consistently with his theory of srmgara eka eva rasah Bhoja holds that underneath the fabric of all the rasas still runs the single thread of Rasa-srngara. For srmgari hi ramate ( ratih ), utsahate ( utsahah - virah ), hasati ( hasah - hasya ), (scung:-atz:), (gra:-grea), fazqad (facqq: - agya:) 3/4fa 111 The passage from the second stage to the third and final stageparamakastha or uttarakoti is simple. For after the full evolution of the bhavas into rasas, they culminate in one rasa which is then technically called Preman. rase tviha premanamevamananti sarvesameva hi ratyadiprakarsanam ratipriyo ranapriyo'marsapriyo qfegrafga sfa qqoya quaylald 1 12 Madhyamavastha No. Stage 1. Purvakoti 2. 3. Paramakastha or Uttarakoti Nature One & only Name Rasa, Abhimana, Ahamkara rati-prakarsaall the bhavas 49 and more one & only srngara etc. Preman This, in short, is Bhoja's theory of Srngara which has been fully elaborated in the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva It has been already stated that this theory of Rasa-srngara in all its details is an original contribution of Bhoja to the science of Poetics. In keeping with his habit of drawing from Dandin in support of his various statements or views, Bhoja attempts to support his theory of Rasa-srngara also by falling back on the authority of Dandin. To this end he quotes the stanza: preyah priyatarakhyanam rasavadrasapesalam | urjasvi rudhahamkaram yuktotkarsam ca tat trayam || from the Kavyadarsa of Dandin 13 and harnesses it to the services of his own theory by reinterpreting it.14 And probably his terminology-Ahamkara, Abhimana and Srngara (bhava-prakarsa), rasa and Preman have been coined so as to correspond to Dandin's Rudhahamkara, Rasavad 10. Bhoja’s Shringara-prakasha, p. 472. yadyapi srmgara evaiko rasastathapi tatprabhava ye ratyadayah te'pyuddipanavibha- varuddipyamanah tadanupravesadeva samcarinamanubhavanam ca nimittabhavamupayantah rasavyapadesa labhante || 11 cf. conversely Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva, V, 13 raso ratyadirupena bhava ityabhidhiyate || also Ibid, V, 33 srmgaradyah rasa ye ca ye ca santoddhatadayah | ye ca ratyadibhedastana visesanasya manyate || 11. Bhoja’s Shringara-prakasha, p. 485. 12. Ibid, p. 516. 13. II, 275. 14. See Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva, p. 172 ff; Bhoja’s Shringara-prakasha, p. 463.

and Preyas. The common Srngara-rasa, which is called the ratiprakarsa-srngara in the scheme, is the sentiment which with its various aspects becomes the subject of delineation and analysis of the alamkarikas. We shall now see how Bhoja treats of this srngararasa. He Srngara-rasa, asserts Bhoja, is the foremost of the rasas because rati is the best amongst the bhavas. 15 Bhoja has emphasised its importance by devoting 19 chapters out of 36 in the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva to it. calls this Srngara 'Kamasrngara' also. He states that Rasa-srngara is caturvargaikakaranam i.e. it is srngara only that prompts men to different activities for the achievement of the four purusarthas: Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksa. Corresponding to these are four srngaras, dharmasrngara, arthasrngara, kamasrngara and moksasrngara. 16 Bhoja identifies this Kamasrngara with the rati-prakarsa-srngara.17 In the 22 nd chapter of the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva which deals with Anuragasthapana Bhoja says that amongst these four Kamasrngara is the most important because it is the cause of the other Srngaras. 18 The last 16 chapters in Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva deal with the Kamasrmgara according to the following scheme:Kamasrngara* (Chapter XX) Vipralambhasrngara (chapts. XXIV-XXXII) Sambhogasrngara (chapts. XXXIII-XXXVI) The treatment of this Srngara, which Bhoja calls Kamasrngara or Ratiprakarsasrngara, with its two kinds, Vipralambha and Sambhoga, developed under the four conditions of Purvanuraga, Mana, Pravasa and Karuna in Vipralambha, and the Purvanuraganantara, Mananantara, Pravasanantara and Karunanantara in Sambhoga 15. Bhoja’s Shringara-prakasha, p. 488, Autaniayaffufqqan m za: 1 16. It may be noted that Bhoja's division into dharmasrngara etc. is different from the ordinarily accepted dharmasrngara etc. Cf. Sarvananda, Amarakosa- tikasarvasva: trividhah srmgaro dharmarthakamabhinnah | tatradyo yatha nandayantyam brahmanabhojanam | dvitiyah svadesamatmasat kartumudayanasya prabhavatiparinayo'rthasrmgarah | trtiyah svapnavasavadatte tasyaiva vasavadattaparinayah kamasrmgarah || 1 17. Bhoja’s Shringara-prakasha, p. 485 vibhavanubhavavyabhicarisamyogat (vi ) prakarsamapadyamanah pradhana ... (fa) STUTA..... (HT) aI ratirnama kamasamgarakhyam labhate | 18. Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva, p. 1. tatrapi dharmarthasrmgarayorhetubhutatvatpradhanam | ** Chapter XXII deals with Anuragasthapana, chapter XXIII with the general enunciation of the Vipralambha and the Sambhoga srngaras, Vipralambhasambhogaprakasanam. For Private & Personal Use Only.

in common to all the works on Poetics that deal with rasas. But. Bhoja with his love for analysis goes further. He takes the etymological meanings of the prepositions vi and sam and elaborates the types and stages of Srngara. The Vipralambha srngara is treated in chapters 24-32. the Sambhoga in chapters 33-36. It is relevant to our purpose to consider only the Sambhoga-srngara which we shall now examine. The preposition sam, according to Bhoja, conveys four senses: samksipta, samkirna, sampurna and 47491 Therefore, when Bhoga is developed under the four conditions of Purvanuraganantara, etc. it expresses itself in four types in Sambhogasrngara thus. Purvanuraganantara-sambhoga is of samksipta type, that is, short in point of time; Mananantara is Samkirna, that is, alloyed 19; Pravasanantara is Sampurna, that is complete; while Karunanantara is Samyak, that is, perfect. These four types of Sambhoga have four stages or avasthas which are treated in the 36 th and the last chapter of the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva The four stages corresponding to the four types of Sambhoga are Satta, Abhivyakti, Anubandha and Prakarsa. Thus it is said: samksipto bhogah sattavasthayam, samkirno bhogah abhivyaktyavasthayam, sampurno bhogah anutram- dhavasthayam, samyak bhogah prakarsavisthayam 120 The Satta stage is the origin of rati on the meeting of the nayaka and the nayika; abhivyakti is the clear perceptibility developed under the stimulus of Vibhavas and so on; Anubandha is the condition of continuation, and Prakarsa is the climax in which rati results, in the Srngara-rasa. In the further analysis of the Satta and other stages, Bhoja says there are subtle differences among them. In each stage there are twelve different shades. The twelve shades in the Satta stage are those of ragas, those in the Abhivyakti stage are the twelve premans, those in the Anubandha stage are also the twelve premans, and those in the prakarsa stage are the twelve Prema-pakas. 21 Thus the elaborate Sambhoga-srngara under the: 4 Conditions is of 1 purvaraganantara 2 mananantara 3 pravasanantara 4 karunanantara 4 Stages with 12 Shades. 4 Types in the samksipta samkirna satta abhivyakti raga preman sampurna anubandha preman samyak prakarsa premapaka 19. See Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva V, 86 manasyanantare tesam vyalikasmaranadibhih | rosasesanusamdhanatsamkarah kena varyate | wherein the sentiment of love is said to be coloured by lingering anger etc. and therefore it loses its native purity and becomes alloyed. 20. Bhoja’s Shringara-prakasha, p. 68. 21. Bhoja’s Shringara-prakasha, p. 68.

This is the position of Raga in the scheme of Sambhoga-srngaru, and as the present work is concerned only with the twelve shades of ragas, we shall confine our attention only to them. (iii) Sambhoga of the Samksipta type in the Satta stage, it has been stated above, is the origin of rati on the meeting of the two. But the nature and kind of rati or love depends upon the quality of his 'raga'. Raga is called 'upadhi' or adjunct because it transmits to the mind its own colour. tatra samksepapakse ragopadhih premani dvadasaprakaram bhavati | The twelve ragas enumerated in the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva are the following: Haridra, Rocana, Kampilya, Riti, Kusumbha, Laksa, Aksiba, Manjistha, Kardama, Kasaya, Sakala and Nili, which are the same as those given in the Shringara-manjari-katha After the enumeration of the ragas, the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva proceeds to classify them according to the Sattvika, Rajasa and Tamasa nature of men. athaisa visistanayaka visayom visesarupam ucyate | sa ca sattvikadinayakabhedat sthira- sthiratvaditaratamyat prabandhena upapadyamano dvadasaprakaram utpadyate | 23 | In the 15 th chapter where Bhoja deals with the nayakas, he lists their common classification into Dhirodatta, Dhiroddhata, Dhiralalita and Dhirasanta. He goes further and divides each of these four again into various kinds according to their four features, guna, prakrti, pravrtti and parigraha. 24 According to Prakrti or nature. the nayaka is described as of three kinds; sattvika, rajasa and tamasa. The distribution of the twelve ragas between the three kinds of nayakas according to their temperaments is thus made: tatra haridvaragam rocanaragam kampilyaragam ritiragam iti satvikasya | kusumbharagam laksaragam aksibaragam manjistharagam iti rajasasya | kardamaragam kasayaragam sakalaragam nili ragam iti tamasasya | 25 So, explaining the term 'raga' technically it can be said that raga is attachment in twelve shades which colours the minds of the nayakas experiencing the Satta stage of love (purvanuraganantara-samksipta-sambhoga srmgara ) according to their temperaments. 22. Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva, p. 909. Explaining the term 'raga' in Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva and the 22 nd chapter of Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva, the author gives the etymological meaning of the word thus rajate ranjate vapi ragah karanabhavayoh | ( Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva V. 68 ) and ( ranjarage ityasmat rajadiptau ityetasmadva bhavakaranayorghani raga iti rupam bhavati | 23. Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva, p. 909. 24. Bhoja’s Shringara-prakasha p. 909. 25. Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva, p. 909. (Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva Chapter 24, p. 88).

(iv) There is no other work which treats of the subject of raga in such detail. But it is evident from stray references that the concept of raga with its different names was current long before Bhoja's time. Vatsyayana takes raga as a synonymn of love. raso ratih pritirbhavo rago vegah samaptiriti ratiparyayah | 26 Jayamargala explains it as 28 astaguno'pi ragah | 27 Vatsyayana does not specifically mention the different kinds of ragas, but in the sixth chapter we read ar naikatradrstiratisamdhanapradhano va haridvarago va yatkimcanakari vetyavetya samdidhyanna va | on which Jayamangala says: haridvarago veti | haridraraga iva rago yasya na cirasthayi | mayi virakto yatra gatastatrapi viraktah punaragantukamah kim dasyati | This shows that though Vatsyayana does not define the varieties of ragas yet he and the author of the Jayamangala are familiar with the different names and natures of the ragas. Following Bhoja the Agnipurana in the Alamkara section mentions three kinds of ragas as an Ubhayaguna of kavya. haridrasca kausumbho niliragasca sa tridha | vaisesikah parijneyo yah svalaksanagocarah | 29 This section is considered as borrowed by the compiler of the Purana from Bhoja, so we cannot vouch for its originality. 30 The only work prior to Bhoja, which mentions the varieties of raga, is Ksemendra's Samayamatrka. In it, as in our text, the bawd instructs the courtesan in the secrets of harlotry. The knowledge of the raga is described as the essential equipment for pursuing har lotry as a profession successfully. atha manmathamattanam karinamiva kaminam | bandhaya bandhaki siksamacacakse jaracchikha || purvam bhavapariksaiva karya yatnena kaminam | jnataragavibhaganam karttavyau tyagasamgrahau || 31 The ragas that he enumerates and classifies are numerous. He gives eight classes having eight kinds or ragas each, besides 16 other miscellaneous ragas. The eight classes are: 1 varnanukarin 2 dhatvanukarin 3 gaganasamgin 4 indriyasamjnaka 5 pranibhedaja 6 paksijati 7 amgavibhagin 8 maharaga 9 prakirnaka 26. Kamasutra of Vatsyayana, II, 1, 64. 27. Can 'astaguna' refer to the eight gunas of colour etc. referred to by Ksemendra ? 28. Op. cit, VI, 4, 17. 29. 346. 25. 30. For the relation between Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva, and the Agnipurana see Bhoja’s Shringara-prakasha, pp. 505-509. 31. V, 1, 3,

The first group of Ragas contains many names similar to ragas mentioned above. Thus : 32 kusumbharagah sinduraragah kumkumaragavan | laksarago'tha manjistho ragah kasayaragabhrt || haridro nilaragascetyastai varnanukarinah | suvarnaragastamrakhyo ritiragastathaparah || One raga of the second class - the ritiraga -- is mentioned in our text. All others are different from those enumerated in the Shringara-manjari-katha Among the post-Bhoja authorities Visvanatha is the only one to notice some of the ragas, and in this he does nothing more than follow Bhoja's Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva He says: adau vacyah striya ragah pascat pumsastadingitaih | nilikusumbham manjistha purvarago'pi ca tridha || 33 Among the lexicographers Yadavaprakasa, 34 Halayudha³5 and Hemacandra 36 mention and define the Nili and the Haridra ragas. (v) Now we can examine critically the basis of the classification, natures and illustrations of the ragas as given by the various texts. The basis of classification in the Srngaramanjari-katha is according to vargas or classes. Four primary ragas, namely the Nil, the Manjistha, the Kusumbha and the Haridra form the classes. There are three in each of these vargas, but there is no specific reason given for the division. The classification of the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva is more scientific. It is according to the three natures of the nayakas. Thus there is a difference in the pattern of the division of ragas in the Shringara-manjari-katha and the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva Thus: Shringara-manjari-katha (4 vargas) Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva (3 natures) nili mamjistha kusumbha haridra roti kasaya laksa rocana aksiba sakala kardama haridra kusumbha kardama rocana laksa kasaya kampilya kampilya aksiba riti sakala manjistha nili Despite this difference in the basis of classification in the two texts, it is interesting, though not surprising, to note the very close verbal similarity in the description and divisions of ragas in them. As both the works are from the pen of one author, they should 32. Ibid, vss. 4, 5. 33. Sahityadarpana, III, 195. The explanation and examples are similar to those in Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva 34. Vaijayanti, I, V, 4, 26. 55. Abhidhanaratnamala, II, 219 b, 220 36. Abhidhanacintamani, III, 476.

naturally be complementary to each other. The conjecture may, therefore, be hazarded that one -Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva - is a theoretical work whose theories the other - Shringara-manjari-katha - demonstrates; in other words, the stories of the Shringara-manjari-katha have been written to exemplify the technical differences mentioned in the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva This conjecture derives strong support from the following references in the text. srmgaramamjari ...anyamanaska bahuprakarah .. ** purusa bhavanti va tatra rago'pi tavat prathamakalaniyah | sa ca rago dvadasadha niliragah, ritiragah, aksibaragah, mamjistharagah, kapayaragah, sakalaragah kusumbha- ragah, laksaragah, kardamaragah, haridraragah, roca- naragah, kampilyaragah | tatra niliragah, riti- ragah, aksibaraga ityeko vargah mamjistharagah, kasayaragah, sakalaraga ityaparah | kusumbharagah, laksaragah, kardamaraga ityaparah | haridraragah, rocanaragah, kampilyaraga iti caturthah | prathame niliragavarge niliragad ritiraga- ksiragau kimcidasthiravapi nili ragaprakasa- nad darsitau bhavatah | mamjistharagavarge mamjistha- ragat kasayaragasakalaragau kimcidasthira vapi mamjistha ragaprakasanat prakasitau bhavatah | kusumbharagavarge kusumbharagallaksaragakardamaragau- kimcidasthiravapi kusumbharagapradarsanat prati- krtau bhavatah | haridraragavarge, haridraragad rocanaragakam- pilyaragau kimcidasthiravapi haridraragapradarsa- nat pratikrtau bhavatah | evamayam yadyapi dvadasa- prakaro ragah prakasitastathapitaresam catustaye'- ntarbhavat pradhanyaccaturdhava bhavatyah kutuhalat pradarsyate nilirago mamjistharago kusumbharago haridra ragasceti | srmgaraprakasa tatra samksepapakse ragopadhih premapi dvadasaprakara bhavati | tatra haridraragam, rocanaragam, kampilyaragam, ritiragam iti sattvikasya | kusumbharagam, laksaragam, aksibaragam, mamjistharagam iti raja- sasya | kardamaragam, kapayaragam, sakalaragam, nili- ragam iti tamasasya tat prayena purusanam visesa ( sa ) upajayante | athaisa visistanayaka visayo visesarupa ucyate | ca sattrikadinayakabhedat sthirasthira- ditaratamyat prabandhena upapadyamano dvadasa- prakara utpadyate | The classification of the Samayamatrka into eight classes is based on specific materials like colours, metals etc. The division is too elaborate and mechanical and it has not the merit of being based upon the psychological working of men's minds. The following table will show the different natures and the illustrations of the ragas. 37 37. As far as the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva is concerned, in the following table I have relied upon the transcripts of the Ms. of the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva which were very kindly supplied by Dr. V. Raghavan. The incompleteness of details in some aspects is therefore due to the inaccessibility of the Ms. See Appendix II.

$-5 RAGA 1. Haridra Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva * WORK CLASS AND NATURE Sattvika CHARACTERISTICS ILLUSTRATION Vanishes at a slight cause; kama Jimutavahana's love for Malayavati overshadowed by the sattvika element. in Nagananda Srngaramanjari-katha Haridra-varga Quickly dies out. Somadatta's love for Devadatta (4 th tale) Samayamatrka Colour-class Though protected well, vanishes in a moment. Vaijayanti Inconstant. Abhidhanaratnamala Momentary. Abhidhanacintamani Jayamangala 2. Rocana Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva Maha-sattva Contrast to the Nili-raga. Transitory. Not much attached, hence quickly Dusyanta's love for Sakuntala in fades; dharma prompts to actions; kama does not bother. Sakuntala Srngaramanjari-katha Haridra-varga Less steady than Haridra-raga. 3. Kampilya Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva Ati-sattvika Can be abandoned with efforts. Hariscandra's love for his wife in Hariscandracarita Shringara-manjari-katha Haridra-varga Less steady than Haridra-raga. 4. Riti Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva Ati-maha-sattvika Shringara-manjari-katha Samayamatrka Nili-varga Metal-class Which cannot die out even when Rama's love for Sita in Ramayana. there is a powerful cause. Less steady than Nili-raga. Becomes naught even when there is attachment.

RAGA 5. Kusumbha Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva WORK CLASS AND NATURE Rajasa Shringara-manjari-katha Kusumbha-varga Samayamatrka Colour-class Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva Sahityadarpana 6. Laksa Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva Rajasa Shringara-manjari-katha Samayamatrka Kusumbha-varga Colour-class CHARACTERISTICS ILLUSTRATION Vanishes at a slight cause; dipped] Vasudeva's love for the gopis in in kama. Harivamsa Becomes detached and works evil; Madhava's love for Kuvalayavali cannot tolerate flattery. protected; Remains safe when vanishes on negligence. Resplendent though vanishes soon. " " Can vanish at a slight cause. Less steady than Kusumbha. When stimulated, becomes attached; when cold, detached. Can fade only when there is great cause. Less steady than Nili-raga. (3 rd tale) .... Pururavas's love for Urvasi in Vikramorvasiya .... a Vatsaraja's love for Vasavadatta in Tapasavatsaraja 7. Aksiba Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva Rajasa Shringara-manjari-katha Nili-varga 8. Manjistha Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva Rajasa Shringara-manjari-katha Manjistha-varga Difficult to dissolve there is a substantial cause. Does not get detached but fades. even when Samayamatrka Colour-class Can enjoy for a long time under Kuvalayasva's love for Madalasa in Madalasopakhyana Vikramasimha's love for Malatika (2 nd tale) .... Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva Sahitya-darpana favourable or unfavourable conditions. Does not vanish but shines. " " Bet ....

RAGA WORK CLASS AND NATURE CHARACTERISTICS ILLUSTRATION 9. Kardama Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva Tamasa Can be removed by a small cause. Agnimitra's love for Iravati and Mahadevi in Malavikagnimitra Shringara-manjari-katha Kusumbha-varga Less steady than Kusumbha. .... 10. Kasaya Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva Tamasa Dies out on a sound reason. Sivagana's love in Vikrantasuraka. Shringara-manjari-katha Samayamatrka Manjistha-varga Colour-class Less steady than Manjistha. 11. Sakala Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva Tamasa Srngaramanjari-katha Manjistha-varga 12. Niti Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva Ati-tamasa Shringara-manjari-katha Nili-varga Samayamatrka Colour-class Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva Rough; softness dissolves it. Difficult to be removed even with Aja's love for Indumati in Raghugreat efforts. Less steady than Manjistha. Difficult to be removed at all costs. Vaisampayana's love for Mahasveta in Kadambari. Though it leads a man to destruc- Ravidatta's love for Vinayavati (1 st tale) tion it does not vanish. Though rebuffed, it is steady; sticks on till the body perishes. Which neither shines nor vanishes. Rama's love for Sita Constant in love. " " " vamsa. Sahityadarpana Vaijayanti |Abhidhanaratnamala Abhidhanacintamani " "> " ****

The tabular analysis brings out two points clearly: 1. There is not much difference in the descriptions of the ragas. 2. The four ragas, Nili, Haridra, Manjistha and Kusumbha that the Shringara-manjari-katha considers to be principal, are accepted as important by all the writers. They seem to be the most distinguished and oft quoted ragas. Both the Shringara-manjari-katha and the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva take the fastness of the colours into consideration. ff is the key to the gradation. In the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva Bhoja has a method in selecting the ragas to be explained. He has taken the treatment of the Sattvika nature first, then the Rajasa and then the Tamasa. Within his division also, he has taken the lightest in colour and the less constant first. Thus for example in the tamasa class he takes Kardama, Kasaya, Sakala and Nili in order of deepening of colours and the intensity of attachments. Considering one raga after another we follow Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva's method in treating the ragas of the Sattvika nature first. Due to the predominance of Sattva in these people their ragas do not leave any permanent impressions on their minds and do not impede their normal work in any manner. The lightest amongst this class of ragas is the Haridra-raga. Haridra is turmeric, bright yellow in colour.33 Its colour is not fast and it fades in the sun. So the Haridra-raga of a man also vanishes at the slightest excuse suraksito'pi haridrah ksanenaiva virajyate | 39 Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva says that in this case Kama is ineffective owing to the excess of qualities like compassion which are characteristic of the sattvika temperament. Before examining the illustrations supplied mostly by the Shringara-manjari-katha and the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva it is important to bear in mind that the examples in the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva and others are to be judged from a general or social or even philosophic point of view, while the examples of Shringara-manjari-katha are based on a narrower view, namely, the interests and approaches of courtesans. Therefore, the interpretations, meanings and values attached to a raga according to their benefits would be quite different. For instance the unflinching steadfastness of the Nili-raga which would be considered admirable by all, is viewed with great aversion in the interest of the courtesan's profession and is therefore condemned. The example in the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva of the Haridra-raga is Jimutavahana's love for Malayasundari in Nagananda. His love for her does not prevent him from following his heart's desire, viz., sacrificing his life for others. In Shringara-manjari-katha Suradharman's love for Devadatta (4 th tale) does not prevent him from leaving her house for the safety of the jewel. His return, however, is due to pity on seeing the miserable con- 38. At one place in the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva, it is described efta Figcer qanfafai (p. 88 chapter XXIV). 39. Samayamatrka, V, 22 a. as

dition of Devadatta's household. Compassion is the motive here, as S P says: a fe am a hiHa mega qu qzaiahicheunfaft: 140 The Samayamatrka does not give any explanation for the raga but only the colour of Haridra is taken into consideration. The next raga of this class is the Rocana-raga. Rocana is a bright yellow shining pigment. A nayaka of the rocana-raga is a sattvika type of man who possesses sattva-guna in a greater degree. His attachment does not obstruct his other activities prompted by dharma, etc. Therefore it is not difficult to forget it, but a great cause is necessary to give it up. As for instance Dusyanta's love for Sakuntala, which was forgotten due to the curse of Durvasas. Shringara-manjari-katha gives no illustration but includes it in the Haridra class. Kampilya is a tree which has bright red seeds. As a colour it is deeper than Rocana. Not only a great cause is necessary to remove it, but a great effort is to be made as well. Therefore it is said to belong to a nayaka of ati-sattvika nature. The example in the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva is that of Hariscandra in the Hariscandra-carita where Hariscandra forced himself to forget his love for his wife to free himself from the clutches of Visvamitra. Shringara-manjari-katha has no example but places it in the Haridraraga-varga. The last of the Sattvika-ragas, Riti, is the fastest. It belongs to the ati-mahasattvika nayaka. The example in the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva is from the Ramayana. Rama continued to love Sita even after driving her out due to the people's criticism. Shringara-manjari-katha offers no example, but places Riti-raga in the Niliraga varga. the Niliraga varga. Samayamatrka says: ritinamnastu malinyam snehenapyupajayate | | Now we come to the ragas of the Rajasa hero. The characteristic of these ragas is that when another raga happens to influence them, the original ragas only deepen further but do not vanish altogether. Of these the first is Kusumbha. Kusumbha is saffron, bright red in colour. The nayaka possessing the Kusumbharaga is smart. He has no consideration for Dharma or Artha, but only Kama. As soon as this person gets attached to another person of greater merit, his attachment for the first person vanishes. Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva gives Vasudeva's love in Harivamsa as an instance, in which case Vasudeva's love for the gopis becomes less on meeting the ladies of Dvaraka In the Shringara-manjari-katha Madhava possesses the Kusumbharaga. After enjoying Kuvalayavali's company he desires to go away. When she and her mother follow him he forgets his attachment, 40. P. 909.

punishes them and feels satisfied with what he has done. According to Samayamatrka this raga vanishes when it is not protected. Though not specifically mentioned we can take Somadatta (7 th tale) and Vinayadhara (10 th tale) as heroes of the rajasa-prakrti possessing Kusumbha-raga. When Somadatta realizes that he is deceived he is stung to the quick and takes revenge. Similarly Vinayadhara returns to punish the bawd after he had been driven out. The SKAª¹ and the Sahityadarpana+2 explain it as being bright, but liable to fade away. ( yadapaiti ca sobhate ) As a colour it belongs The example in the Laksa is lac which is bright red in colour. to a person who has too much rajas in him. Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva is of Pururavas losing his love for the queen on seeing Urvasi. Shringara-manjari-katha has no example but puts it in the Kusumbha-varga. Samayamatrka compares the characteristics of the lac with this raga. taptah slisyati laksanakah slesam nayati sitalah 43 Aksiba is also a tree. This raga can be removed only with great difficulty. The instance in Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva is Vatsaraja's love for Vasavadatta as described in the Tapasavatsaraja. There Vatsaraja is made to forget Vasavadatta with great efforts by his ministers for the purpose of turning his mind towards the conquest of his lost kingdom. Shringara-manjari-katha has no example but places it in the Niliraga-varga. Manjistha is Indian madder. As a raga it is deepest among the rajasa raga, and it cannot be given up even with great effort. Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva quotes Kuvalayasva's love for Madalasa in the Madalasopakhyana as an instance. In the Shringara-manjari-katha, Manjistha-raga forms a class by itself, and it is described as being so fast that it fades but never vanishes completely. yannapaityati ca sobhate 44 Vikramasimha (2 nd tale) is of this nature. He boldly approaches Malatika, but being once offended stops going to her though his attachment for her is never lost. The Samayamatrka describes it as taptah sitasca manjistho sthirabhogaksamah samah | cc: 45 i.e. persistent under any circumstances, favourable or otherwise. The peculiarity of the ragas of the Tamasa class of nayakas is that they neither vanish as in the case of the ragas of the Sattvika nayakas, nor do they deepen as in the case of the rajasa ragas. But when they are spurned they change into another raga, that is, some 41. V, p. 610. 42. III, 197. 43. V, 20. 44. Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva, V, p. 610; Sahityadarpana, III, 197. 45. V, 21.

changes set into their natures. Of this class the least harmful is Kardama. Kardama is mud. Its colour does not stick, therefore as a raga it is not fast. For example, Agnimitra's love for Mahadevi and Iravati which disappears on seeing Malavika. A minor point may be mentioned here. In Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva Pururavas's love for the queen is quoted as an instance of Laksa-raga. Here Agnimitra's love for the two former queens, which fades on seeing Malavika, is placed in the Kardama class. The question is: what is the reason for this differentiation of calling one rajasa and the other tamasa in spite of the apparent similarity of situations in both the cases? Perhaps an explanation may be sought in Agnimitra's betraying his unsteadiness in love twice while in Pururavas's case it is not so. The Shringara-manjari-katha offers no example for this raga, but places it in the Kusumbha-raga-varga. Kasaya is dull brown red colour.46 The example given in the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva is Sivagana's love in Vikrantasura. Shringara-manjari-katha gives no example, but places it in the Manjistha-raga-varga. Pratapasimha (11 th tale) may be taken as an example of this type of hero. He is ugly and sensuous. When Malayasundari teases him he gets wild and like a ruthless 'tiger' injures her. The Samayamatrka describes it as sthiro rauksyena kasayah snehayogena nasyati | 47, that is, he is rough in his attachment but could be adversely affected by affection. Sakala is a fast colour and cannot be removed with great effort even when there is a cause for it. Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva gives the example of Aja's love for Indumati in the Raghuvamsa. Shringara-manjari-katha places it in the Manjistha varga. It is difficult to identify Sakala.48 We come lastly to the important and most common Nili-raga. Nili is indigo, dark blue in colour. The attachment of the hero is fastest, most intense in this case, and it is impossible to remove it under any circumstances. Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva says it belongs to the ati-tamasa hero. The example given is Vaisampayana's love for Mahasveta in the Kadambari. 48. Cf. kasayau gardabhasya karnau | (Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva, p. 88. Chapter XXIV). 47. V, 21 b. 48. In the Saivatantra the word sakala is applied to soul which has not advanced beyond the lowest stage of progress, and which is bound by sin, ignorance and the bonds of action. Cf. Sarvadarsanasamgraha of Sayanamadhava (p. 70) pasustrividhah vijnanakalapralayakalasakalabhedat | ' trtiyastu malamayakarmatmakabandhatrayasahitah sakala iti samlapyate | The work further quotes from Bhoja's own work, Tattvaprakasa to the same effect. Can the conception of Sakalaraga have any reference to this technical meaning of the word in Saivatantra?

Shringara-manjari-katha puts it similarly that though the man is destroyed in a hundred ways he does not give up his raga, just as a cloth dyed in indigo does not lose its colour even when washed by soda and the like in many ways. The example is Ravidatta of the first tale. He is versed in all the sastras and arts but does not know how to make practical use of them. He has no sense of discrimination. Unwittingly he gets caught in the snares laid out by the courtesan Vinayavati and does not even understand her pretext in driving him out. Foolishly he waits for her and his tamasika deep attachment does not leave him till he dies. Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva says: 42 yannapaiti na cati- ¶¤a | 4ª and gives Rama's love for Sita, making a golden statue of hers after driving her out, as an example. Sahityadarpana also follows it and says: yatha sriramasitayoh | 50 Samayamatrka says: nilo dehaksaya- sthayi varyamano'piniscalah | 15 The lexicographers put it uniformly (to mean) that the hero is steady in love. 52 Now a point may be noted. It has already been pointed out above that instances in the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva and Shringara-manjari-katha may differ because in one it may be from a general point of view, while in Shringara-manjari-katha it is only from the point of view of the courtesan's gains and approaches. Niliraga therefore would be a plague to the courtesan's life, and therefore it is called Tamasa. Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva also says Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva also says tadatitamasasya | In view of this it is surprising how Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva gives Rama as a nayaka of Tamasa nature. In this context we may refer again to the Riti-raga. In Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva it is described as belonging to the Maha-sattvika-nayaka, and the example there given is similar to the one in the Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva, namely, Rama's love for Sita. Therefore is would be more appropriate to take Rama's love for Sita as an example of Riti-raga. This is how the different ragas are explained and illustrated. Generally speaking it can be said that the divisions are made according to colours, and their qualities of fastness etc. are taken into consideration. The Samayamatrka has also a colour division but the "erotic classification of different types of men after different kinds of birds and beasts" is not very happy. Bhoja derives the word from ranj, to colour, and the sattva, rajas and tamas elements are usually associated with brightness, redness, and darkness and the materials associated with them have shades of these three 49. V, p. 609. 50. III, 196. 51. V, 22. 52. Yadavaprakasa, Vaijayanti, I, V, 4, 26. Halayudha, II, 219 b. Hemacandra, III, 476.

colours; therefore, the colour basis for the classification of the different kinds of ragas is significant and logical. This is how Bhoja and others treat of the subject of raga. In so far as the present work deals with the ragas we can say that one of its main purposes has been to illustrate the ragas technically dealt with in the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva This points out incidentally its close relationship with the Sarasvatikanthabharana of Bhojadeva and the Shringara-prakasha of Bhojadeva, and strengthens Bhoja's claim to the authorship of this work. The second purpose of the text, as has been mentioned in the beginning, is to describe certain dangers a courtesan has to guard against, and to lay down certain rules of conduct she has to follow to make her life a success. This is done through illustrative stories which shed interesting side-light upon the institution of courtesan and also upon certain aspects of the social life of those days. There are certain technical points regarding the ganika as a 'type' of nayika to be considered also. This will be dealt with in the next chapter.