Part 13 - Other Varieties of Sāmānyā Vāsakasajjikā

Examples of the other varieties of the Vāsakasajjikā character of woman heroine:

Śṛṅgāramañjarī gives one variety of Vāsakasajjā–That is Avasitapravāsapatikā. 

1 Avasitapravāsapatikā

प्रवासादागतनायकापेक्षासन्तोषकृतप्रयत्ना अवसितप्रवासपतिका ।

pravāsādāgatanāyakāpekṣāsantoṣakṛtaprayatnā avasitapravāsapatikā |

The nāyikā whose hero had gone abroad and returns, is called a Avasitapravāsapatikā.

This variety is not given by other authors, especially by the Rasamañjarī.

Quote from Śṛṅgāramañjarī^[1] –

“The Āmoda does not itself propose this variety of Avasitapravāsapatikā, The discussion occurs later under the ninth variety called Pravatsyatpatikā proposed by some and discussed in the Rasamañjarī after dealing with the eight varieties. Here the Āmoda points out that the author of a work on this subject, Vilāsaratnākarā, does not accept the pravatsyatpatikā as according to that writer, a similar variety, the tenth called Avasitapravāsapatikā, will have to be accepted then, it is in reply to this that the Āmoda suggests that the Avasitapravāsapatikā, could easily be included in Svādhīnapatikā. Really the Āmodakāra is of the view that it is best to abide by the old eight fold classification, as such further distinctions will land us in endless ramification.”^[2]

वारश्च ऋतुकालश्च प्रवासादागतक्रिया । प्रसादनं च रुष्टाया नायिका-यास्तथोत्सवः ॥ नवोढाभ्युपपत्तिश्च षडेते वासकास्स्मृताः ॥ अत्र प्रवासादागतक्रियाया विद्यमानत्वात् अवसितप्रवासपतिकावासकसज्जिकाभवितुमर्हति । वासकसज्जिकाशब्दादेव अवसितप्रवासपतिकाया वासकसज्जिकायामन्तर्भावः । केचन ग्रन्थकाराः परवदेशगमनरूपकारणस्यैकत्वात् अवसितप्रवासपतिकांप्रोषितभर्तृकायामन्तर्भावयन्ति । तन्न युक्तम् । प्रोषितभर्तृकायाः पतिविदेशगमनजनितदुःखाधीनत्वात्, अस्यास्तु पतिगृहागमनसंप्राप्तसुखाधीनत्वात् कथं प्रोषितभर्तृकायामन्तर्भावः संभवति । ननु अवसितप्रवासपतिकापत्युरागमने पत्युः पुरः स्वदुःखं वर्णयति, अश्रूणि च मुञ्चतीति तस्या मनसि दुःखसद्भावात् प्रोषितभर्तृका भवितुमर्हतीति चेन्ना । सा पत्युरागमने सन्तोषादश्रूणि मुञ्चति; पतिप्रवासजनितदुःखकथामेव वर्णयति, न तु तस्या दुःखम् । किन्तु तस्याः सुखमेव । तस्मादवसितप्रवासपतिकाप्रोषितभर्तृकाया नान्तर्भवति । आमोदकारास्तु -अस्याः सन्तोषसद्भावात् स्वाधीनपतिकायामन्तर्भावमाहुः । तन्ना । स्वाधीनपतिकायास्त्वेतावानेव सन्तोषो यत्प्रियो मां न मुञ्चति न मे प्रियवियोग इति । अस्यास्तु प्रवासादागतदुर्लभ प्रियतमसमागमनसंभवमहासन्तोषसद्भावात् महान् भेदः । तस्मान्निघण्टुसम्मतत्वात्सर्वथैवेयं वासकसज्जौव भवति । अन्यच्च, स्वाधीनपतिकात्वप्रयोजकं नायकानुकूल्यम्, अवसितप्रवासपतिकाया वासकसज्जिकात्वप्रयोजकोनायिकोत्सवः ।

vāraśca ṛtukālaśca pravāsādāgatakriyā | prasādanaṃ ca ruṣṭāyā nāyikā-yāstathotsavaḥ || navoḍhābhyupapattiśca ṣaḍete vāsakāssmṛtāḥ || atra pravāsādāgatakriyāyā vidyamānatvāt avasitapravāsapatikāvāsakasajjikābhavitumarhati | vāsakasajjikāśabdādeva avasitapravāsapatikāyā vāsakasajjikāyāmantarbhāvaḥ | kecana granthakārāḥ paravadeśagamanarūpakāraṇasyaikatvāt avasitapravāsapatikāṃproṣitabhartṛkāyāmantarbhāvayanti | tanna yuktam | proṣitabhartṛkāyāḥ pativideśagamanajanitaduḥkhādhīnatvāt, asyāstu patigṛhāgamanasaṃprāptasukhādhīnatvāt kathaṃ proṣitabhartṛkāyāmantarbhāvaḥ saṃbhavati | nanu avasitapravāsapatikāpatyurāgamane patyuḥ puraḥ svaduḥkhaṃ varṇayati, aśrūṇi ca muñcatīti tasyā manasi duḥkhasadbhāvāt proṣitabhartṛkā bhavitumarhatīti cennā | sā patyurāgamane santoṣādaśrūṇi muñcati; patipravāsajanitaduḥkhakathāmeva varṇayati, na tu tasyā duḥkham | kintu tasyāḥ sukhameva | tasmādavasitapravāsapatikāproṣitabhartṛkāyā nāntarbhavati | āmodakārāstu -asyāḥ santoṣasadbhāvāt svādhīnapatikāyāmantarbhāvamāhuḥ | tannā | svādhīnapatikāyāstvetāvāneva santoṣo yatpriyo māṃ na muñcati na me priyaviyoga iti | asyāstu pravāsādāgatadurlabha priyatamasamāgamanasaṃbhavamahāsantoṣasadbhāvāt mahān bhedaḥ | tasmānnighaṇṭusammatatvātsarvathaiveyaṃ vāsakasajjauva bhavati | anyacca, svādhīnapatikātvaprayojakaṃ nāyakānukūlyam, avasitapravāsapatikāyā vāsakasajjikātvaprayojakonāyikotsavaḥ |^[3]

Akbar Shah in his Śṛṅgāramañjarī says Avasitapravāsapatikā is a sub variety of Vāsakasajjikā. He quotes the Āmodākara to establish that the returning after a journey is also one of the Vāsakas. Some authors associate Avasitapravāsapatikā to Proṣitabhartṛkā. He refutes this too. He argues that a proṣitabhartṛkā is sad as her husband has gone abroad while an Avasitapravāsapatikā is happy due to his return. The tears of the latter are that of joy compared to that of the former which is filled with sorrow. When she enumerates her sorrowful days to her husband, they are just recollections while she is happy and do not denote sorrow as such. The Āmodakāra feels that the Avasitapravāsapatikā could be classified into Svādhīnapatikā, as she is happy. 

Akbar Shah refuses that too, he says that the Svādhīnapatikā is happy owing to her non separation of her husband but an Avasitapravāsapatikā is happy due to her reunion with her nāyaka.

अद्यागते प्रियतमे ननु दूरदेशात् जाने पुनः सखि जगन्मम जातमेतत् ।

adyāgate priyatame nanu dūradeśāt jāne punaḥ sakhi jaganmama jātametat |
jyotsnā gatā sapadi śaityamanantapuṇyā paśyāmi kāntavadanaṃ jitapūrṇacandram ||^[4]

Here, the nāyikā tells her sakhi that her lord who had been to distant land and whose face is brighter than the moon is arriving and she is fortunate to see him.

दीर्घा वन्दनमालिका विरचिता दृष्ट्यैव नेन्दीवरैः पुष्पाणां प्रकरः स्मितेन रचितो नो कुन्दजात्यदिभिः ।
दत्तः स्वेदमुचा पयोधरभरेणार्घो न कुम्भाम्भसा स्वैरेवावयवैः प्रियस्य विशतस्तन्व्या कृतं मङ्गलम् ॥

dīrghā vandanamālikā viracitā dṛṣṭyaiva nendīvaraiḥ puṣpāṇāṃ prakaraḥ smitena racito no kundajātyadibhiḥ |
dattaḥ svedamucā payodharabhareṇārgho na kumbhāmbhasā svairevāvayavaiḥ priyasya viśatastanvyā kṛtaṃ maṅgalam ||^[5]

Excluding the blue lotus, she decorated the threshold with the garland of her eyes. Not including the Kunda and jasmine flowers, she used her smile as the strewn flower offering and instead of the pot with water; the pair of breasts dripping with perspiration was made the kalaśa. Thus the slender bodied nāyikā prepared the auspicious reception for her lover as he entered the house after a journey with her own body.

An example:

Padam[6] Language—Telugu Ragam—Punnāgavarāḷi, Composer—Kṣētrajña	The wife meets her nāyaka after a long time.
Pallavi Ninnu jūḍa galigenē yinnāḷḷaku Ninnu jūci nālugaidu nelalāye muvvagopālā!	I have been able to see you after a long time. O Muvvagōpālā! four or five months have passed since I last saw you
Charanam Ninna rēyi kalalōna kannula gaṭṭinaṭluṇḍa Vennuḍa digguna lēci vedaki kānaka Kannīrucē paiṭa daḍisi karagi cintanonditi Nannu dalacitō lēdo nā nōmu phalamā	Last night when you appeared before me in my dream, it felt real. Rising from my bed, I searched for you and failed to see you. With my (pallu) upper clothes soaked with tears, I pined for you with grief. O reward of my austerities did you think about me or not?
Viḍemani yannamani vēḍukani niddurayani Yeḍabāsinadi modalēmiyu lēdugā Aḍavilō proddu gūka andhakāramaina vānalo Taḍasi dōvagānani dānivale yunna tanaku	I have not had a single pleasure since you left me-no dinner, no betel and nut, no entertainment and no sleep. It felt as if the sun had set amidst wilderness leaving darkness and rain. I grope like the one who is drenched and has totally lost her way in the wild.
Kannavārāḍukonēdi kannelu navvukonēdi Vinnāvo vinalēdo? Vinarā yī vinta Ninnugūḍinadē modalu nī tōḍidē lōkamai Yunnā nintē vērē manasai yuṇṭinā muvvagōpālā	The loud thinking of my parents and the chatter of the maids must have reached your ears, yet you will be surprised to hear that ever since you have had me, you are the centre of my world and my mind remains undeterred. O Muvvagōpālā.

Footnotes and references:

[back to top]

[1]:

These are the words of Dr. V. Raghavan given as a footnote in Page 17 of Śṛṅgāramañjarī.

[2]:

Śṛṅgāramañjarī, 17.

[3]:

Ibid.

[4]:

Ibid., xciii. 18.

[5]:

Amaruśataka, xlv. 69.

[6]:

Kshetrayya, Muvvagopala Padavali: Amours of the Divine Cowherd with Jingling Bells, Telugu Lyrics of Kshetrayya with Poetic English Translation and Notes on Aesthetics, trans. Dr.B.Rajanikanta Rao (Vijayawada: Rajani Pulications, 1994), 16–18.