Analysis of Pāṇḍu

King Yakṣmā having understood through his spy about the hero’s visit to Puṇḍarīkapura, sends his servant Kāsa to his minister and son Pāṇḍu to apprise him of the situation. When the second Act opens, Kāsa is seen going to Pāṇḍu’s place.

On the way he meets his wife Chardi and from their conversation the above fact is understood.

nakṣatrāṇāṃ dvijānāṃ ca rājābhūdyo vidhuḥ purā |
taṃ yajjagrāha yakṣmāsau rājayakṣmā tataḥ smṛtaḥ ||
deheṣu yaḥ kṣayakṛteḥ kṣayastatsaṃbhavācca saḥ |
rasādiśoṣaṇācchoṣo rogarāḍrogaraṣjanāt ||

In the meantime (in the main scene of the second Act), Pāṇḍu who is in his secret personal chamber, orders his door-keeper Galagaṇḍa to bring all commanders in-chief of his army.

When Galagaṇḍa, enters the chamber of Pāṇḍu, he sees Pāṇḍu yawning and describes the appearance of Pāṇḍu thus–Pāṇḍu’s eyes are ruddy; the mouth being opened wide is seen having long, reddish tongue stretched out; shoulders are raised up; his fingers are twisted (II.8):

āraktasaṅkucadapāṅgamudagradaṃṣṭraṃvyādāya vaktramurupāṭaladīrghajihvam |
uccairbhujau valayitau grathitāṅgulīkau kurvan saśabdamiha jṛmbhaṇamātanoti ||

Further, to Galagaṇḍa, Pāṇḍu’s fearful wide opened mouth as he yawns, looks like the very big entry to the netherworld (II.9):

jṛmbhāvasare dāruṇamānanavivaraṃ sajihvametasya |
nipatitadīrdhakapāṭaṃ pātāladvāramiva hi paśyāmi ||

Thus the playwright describes Pāṇḍu having an appearance similar to a Rākṣasa so as to stress the importance and power of the disease (com.p. 82):

pāṇḍunāmno vyādhermahato nāṭakapātratvena parikalpitatvāt tasya rākṣasasyeva bhīma-ākāratvamapi saṃbhāvyopavarṇitamiti ca jṣātavyam ||

When sleep is disturbed (tamoguṇa dominates), laziness and lethargy are quite common among the human beings. Yawning is one way of breathing out the unrequired impure air and breathing in the fresh air, where more of oxygen would go in to the respiratory system. The play-wright utilizes this nature, to picturise Pāṇḍu as a “demon” and thus creates an aversion (jugupsā) towards him whenever he presents himself.

Again when the thirteen Sannipātas, the commanders, come onto the stage and see Pāṇḍu, they find him pre-occupied. He seems to have some great worry in his mind; with eyes fully risen upwards, he is described as gazing up steadily for a longer time.

The heavy and deep sighs, indicate that great worry is embedded in the depth of his mind (II.10 cd):

uttānastimite dṛśāvapi cirāduccairvitāne'rpayan ātyarthaṃ śvasitodgamairvivṛṇute cintāṃ nijāntargatām ||

He seems not to have taken proper bath; he is dressed in silk garments in a hurried manner; he does not eat his food at the right time and wears his ornaments in a very disorderly manner (II.11):

na snāti vāriṣu ciraṃ tvaritaṃ dukūlaṃ vaste vilambasahano na kadāpi bhuṅkte |
bhūṣāgaṇaṃ vahati kiṣca viparyayeṇa rājā yuvaiṣa hṛdi kāryavicārakṛṣṭaḥ ||

Pāṇḍu’s meeting and discussion with the various commanders (diseases) brings out the real responsibility of a worthy minister and the chief-commender of the army. Pāṇḍu’s thorough knowledge of the strength of his team-members, complete awareness of the situation prevailing in and around the battle-field and exhibition of his own personal capacity, are well-brought out in this Act.

When Pāṇḍu hears from Karṇamūla, the spy that the hero is making efforts to obtain Rasa and Gandhaka, he immediately talks of the ways to attack the root-cause of the stability of the city (body).

He plans to destroy diet-control by inducing the eagerness of the tongue to eat even the restricted food items (II.31):

sādhito'pi sa kiṃ kuryādrasaḥ pathyakramaṃ vinā |
jihvācāpalamudbhāvya sa eva dhvaṃsayiṣyate ||

As an able commander of the army, he puts forth various searching questions to Karṇamūla so that he could get a full picture of the fortification of king Jīva’s city (body).

At first he enquires Karṇamūla about the various people in Jīva’s city–the loyal, powerful and friendly, the inimical, and the neutral (II.33):

kathaya kīdṛśī prakṛtīnāṃ pravṛttiḥ |—
ke svāmini dṛḍhabhaktāḥ ke prabalāḥ ke ca durbalā nagare |
ārimitrodāsīnāḥ ke punaraṅga tvayā dṛṣṭāḥ ||

Since people governed by Vāta, Pitta and Kapha, Pāṇḍu asks about the mind (II.35/36; p.117):

ātha kīdṛśo manaso vṛttāntaḥ |

On being answered that the mind of king Jīva is controlled by Vijñāna Śarmā, Pāṇḍu queries about Jñāna Śarma, the opponent of Vijñāna Śarmā (II.36/37; p.118):

ātha vijṣānaśarmaspardhino jṣānaśarmamantriṇaḥ kīdṛśaḥ prakāraḥ |

Pāṇḍu, rightly plans for different ways and means of overpowering Jīva, like captivating the manas (mind) of Jīva, which is by nature fickle and can easily be diverted, and also luring the sense organs; the mental stability can also be destroyed by the six in-born enemies, Kāma and others (II.39):

yaccaṣcalaṃ prakṛtya viṣayeṣu mano nisargadurdāntam |
tatkāmādibhiretairbhedayituṃ śakyate śanakaiḥ ||

Further, Pāṇḍu adds that when the mind becomes dependent on these vices, annihilating Jīva becomes an easy task.

Also of the three doṣas, if Kapha controls Vāta and Pitta, then the two other would become easy prey for the attack of his army men (diseases) (II.39/40; p.121):

tasmin sarvaviṣayādhiṣṭhāne manasi svādhīne sukara eva kāryaśeṣaḥ | kiṣca yāḥ kilādyāstatra tisraḥ prakṛtayastāsu yastīkṣṇopāyaiḥ saṃyamitavṛddhiḥ śleṣmā tasyopacayaṃ kenāpyupāyena vidhāya tenaiva tāvapi kṣobhayituṃ śakyete |

Pāṇḍu also plans that if Jñāna Śarmā were to distract the attention of Jīva from the war front, there may occur a rift between Jīva and Vijñāna Śarmā which may affect the prakṛtis (people/ tridoṣas), then king Yakṣmā can easily conquer Jīva (II.40; 40/41):

vijṣāno'yaṃ yadyapi svāmibhaktastatrāpyasyāsannidhāne vivikte |
bhedo rājṣastasya taistairupāyaiḥ śakyaḥ kartuṃ jṣānaśarmopajāpaiḥ ||
evaṃ rāja-mantriṇorvirodhena viśliṣṭe prakṛtimaṇḍale'cirādeva hastagatā mahārājasya yakṣmaṇo jayalakṣmīḥ |

Here, the author depicts the boldness of Pāṇḍu in taking quick decisions, but only after careful assessment of the situation. Pāṇḍu instructs his military teams to be on the alert to manage any situation and tells them to surround the city of Jīva.

Pāṇḍu’s presence on the stage is again seen in the fifth Act. When all the efforts taken by his soldiers to break the Yogic samādhi of the hero fail, Pāṇḍu decides that he will have to attack Jīva in his own way as a famous rājanīti states (V.24/25; p.272):

yo yādṛśena sādhanena praharati sa tādṛśasādhanenaiva pratihantavyaḥ |

Hence, as already planned, to disturb Jīva’s concentration, he summons Apathyatā and instructs her to enter into the body of Jīva and make him indulge in untimely and unhealthy food and sports (V.25/26; p.274):

pāṇḍuḥ -jīvaṃ praviśyatamapathyeṣu āhāra-vihārādiṣu niyojaya |

When Yakṣmā in anger wants to immediately attack the enemies, Pāṇḍu, as suiting an able minister calmly counsels him by saying, that with the three devices–sāma, dāna and bheda, being available, straight attack need never be used (V.42):

triṣūpāyeṣu satsvantyo na yukta iti tāntrikāḥ |
upāyamimamevāto mano me prayuyukṣate ||

He whispers into the ears of Yakṣmā his plan of sending Apathyatā and making Jīva powerless.

Here, the author depicts Pāṇḍu as the perfect minister with full knowledge of Daṇḍanīti.

In the following sixth Act, a detailed narration of the war between the two groups is discussed. The brilliant play-wright presents information about Pāṇḍu in a singular manner, from which none can infer the end of this character.

Almost all the enemy-warriors having been destroyed, Yakṣmā laments about his heavy loss; but he is not aware whether his minister Pāṇḍu is killed or has escaped (VI.91):

jīvasya dhvajinīcarānatibalān śakroti kaḥ śāsituṃ
  durvārairyudhi pātitāni mama yaiḥ sarvāṇi sainyāni ca |
pāṇḍurmesacivaḥ parairavadhi vā bhītaḥ palāyiṣṭa vā
  no jāne mama jīvato bata hatāḥ putrāstathā bāndhavāḥ ||

Thus, the author depicts Pāṇḍu as a demon at the beginning and as an efficient minister throughout. The author leaves the end of this character for the surmise of the audience and readers.