Jivanandana of Anandaraya Makhin (Study)

by G. D. Jayalakshmi | 2019 | 58,344 words

This page relates ‘Analysis of Raudra-rasa’ of the study on the Jivanandana (in English) which is a dramatic play written by Anadaraya Makhin in the 18th century. The Jivanandana praises the excellence of Advaita Vedanta, Ayurveda (medical science) and Dramatic literature as the triple agency for obtaining everlasting bliss.

Just like Vīra, Raudra also has ample scope in the drama:

(i) Raudra is dominant in the second Act, when the diseases declare of their powers in attacking the enemy. A fine specimen is found in the words that are spit out in fury by the Atīsāras.

They declare that if they were sent to the enemy camp, they would achieve the death of all those living beings, by attacking their eye-balls, face bones and flesh and would also destroy the mental and physical strength of them (II.21):

netre majjāyituṃ mukhaṃ glapayituṃ jatrudvayaṃ vyaṣjituṃ
  pārśvāsthnāṃ gaṇanīyatāṃ gamayituṃ sattvaṃ bhṛśaṃ luṇṭhitum |
saptatve'pi nije sthite ghaṭayituṃ paṣcatvamevāṅgināṃ
  śaktānnaḥ prahiṇoṣi yatra tarasā tat sādhayāmo vayam ||

(ii) This furious sentiment is expressed in the description of Kāmadahana (VI.37)[1], in the description of Vīrabhadra destroying Dakṣayajña (VII.13)[2] and in the narration of other episodes related to Śiva and Pārvatī.

(iii) When the war between Jīva and Yakṣmā had become vigorous, the hero's sufferings from the Vāta-oriented diseases become unbearable. The power of Vāta is such that when in fury, it turns into caṇḍamāruta and creates havoc all over; this is expressed in the following verse exhibiting Raudrarasa.

The violent wind as it blows ferociously dislocates the stars, disperses the clouds in the sky and dissects them into tiny pieces; crushes the lofty peaks of the mountains and scatters them on the earth; it dries out the ocean and uproots the trees and throws them into the sky (VI.50):

tārācyāvayituṃ dhanān vikirituṃ kṛtvārkatūlopamān
  bhitvā pātayituṃ bhuvi kṣitibhṛtāṃ tuṅgāni śṛṅgāṇi ca |
sadyaḥ śoṣayituṃ samudramavanīṃ kartuṃ tu pāṃsvātmanā
  drāgunmūlya ca bhūruhān bhramayituṃ śakto bhavatyambare ||

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

VI.37:
dṛṣṭvā dakṣakṛtāparādhajanitakrodhojjhitāṅgīṃ satīṃ yaḥ śāntastapasi sthitaḥ sa giriśaḥ svaṃ pratyupāttāyudham |
kopoddhāṭitanaiṭilekṣaṇapuṭaproddāmadhūmajvalajjvālājālavijṛmbhaṇena sahasā bhasmīcakāra smaram ||

[2]:

VII.13:
śūlāgrakṣatadakṣakaṇṭharudhiraiḥ śoṇe raṇaprāṅgaṇe kīrṇo dantagaṇaścapeṭadalitādarkasya vaktrāntarāt |
vīraśrīkarapīḍanotsavavidhāvetasya vaiśvānaraprakṣiptojjvalalājavibhramakaro nāloki lokena kim ||

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