Analysis of Śānta-rasa

[Section C: Rasas and Alaṃkāras]:—As already shown, while enlisting the Nāṭakalakṣaṇas, Nāṭaka should involve various rasas, and bhāvas that reflect psychological undertones of the plot. In accordance with this, Ānandarāya Makhin has implemented all the rasas in this play. Sanskrit dramas in general adopt any one of the three major sentiments, namely, Śṛṅgāra, Vīra, and Karuṇa as the main Rasa–Aṅgīrasa; the others fall in line as aṅgarasas nourshing the play.

The Āvedana by Śrīhariśāstrī Dādhīca for the Khurja edition of Jīvānandana Nāṭaka, considers Vīrarasa as the Aṅgīrasa of this play, since the fight between Jīva and diseases is the main theme. But falling in line with M. Duraiswamy Aiyengar, it is felt that since the final goal of the play is to achieve mokṣa and attain Jīvanmukti, Śānta should be the Aṅgīrasa of this play.

The entire play has as its ultimate aim, the achievement of the fourth Puruṣārtha, namely Mokṣa. Only with this as his final goal, Jīva fights with the diseases led by Rājayakṣmā, since a healthy body is necessary to undertake his journey towards attaining liberation. Hence the play is full of such conversations between various characters illustrative of the fact that the aṅgīrasa of the play is Śāntarasa. All the other rasas including Vīra and Raudra which dominate the scenes of fights between the two sides, are only aṅgarasas.

The depiction by Śāntarasa starts even at the introduction of the character Dhāraṇā. Dhāraṇā (retentiveness) is one of the eight limbs of Yoga. Sitting in svastikāsana, performing Prāṇāyāma and internalising the mind is Dhāraṇā.^[1] Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna and Samādhi together help one to reach the ultimate goal of liberation. With the introduction of Dhāraṇā who helps Buddhi and Jīva to obtain all necessary knowledge for liberation, the playwright lays the foundation for developing Śantarasa.

As the next step, the dramatist makes Jīva and Buddhi to stabilise their minds in the hṛtpuṇḍarika through manodvāra with the help of Bhakti.^[2] Through steadfast bhakti to the Supreme, the Jīva at the first instance attains the desired tools (Rasa and Gandhaka) essential for healthy life. In that process, as Jīva shares his experiences, he wonders at the efficacy of the statements of Vedas and Smṛtis with which his internal purity is obtained; thus testified of his purity, Bhakti helps him to achieve the vision of the Universal Parents and their grace.^[3]

As he obtains the vision of the Supreme, when in meditation with deep concentration in a transcendental level, Jīva’s body undergoes various changes like eyes getting filled with tears and body experiencing horripilation,^[4] which are symptoms of experiencing Śānta.

In the fourth Act, there is good scope for the author to continue his employment of Śāntarasa as Jīva, Smṛti, Śraddhā and Śivabhakti come together. Due to the extraordinary powers possessed by her, Śivabhakti could realise Jīva’s mentality and voluntarily visit him.

Overwhelmed with joy, Jīva, now filled with only sattva guṇa recollects the experience of the realised souls; he requests Bhakti to shower her grace upon him (IV.22):

pravahantī tu dayā tava parihṛtanīcoccavastuvaiṣamyā |
patanu mayi sphuṭamadhunā paṅgoruparīva gaganagaṅgormiḥ ||

As Bhakti occupies his mind, there is the assurance felt that Bhakti would lead Jīva to acquire the paramānanda (IV.24):

nirjitanikhilavipakṣaṃ nīrujapurasusthamapagatātaṅkam |
āhamāgatya vidhāsye paramānandābdhimāptakāmaṃ tvām ||

Again the description of the Vānaprasthas, living quietly on the banks of rivers amidst sylvan surroundings, collecting twigs and preparing them for their homas, is a fine instance of Śānta (V.3):

āśrāntapravahattuṣārataṭinīśītāluśātodarī-saṅghāyāsagṛhītaśoṣitasamitsaṃvardhitāgnitrayāḥ |
prāleyācalakānanoṭajagatā viprāstṛtīyāśrame sthitvāpuḥ kati vāṣchitāni tapasāmāścaryayā caryayā ||

In the sixth Act, the conversation between Jīva and Jñāna Śarmā gives ample scope for the playwright to build Śāntarasa. Jñāna Śarmā’s statements to the king regarding—(i) the perishability of one’s body which is an abode of all sorrows^[5] and (ii) the non-perishability, and limitlessness of the Supreme Being who is Sat, Cit and Sukha^[6]—are fine example of verses immersed with various features of Śāntarasa.

This idea is once again brought to the fore by Jīva,when he declares that it is useless to have faith in the perishable body and that one should resort to the Supreme through concentrated bhakti (IV.70):

tvadupadeśavaśaṃvadacetasā vapuṣi naśvarake mamatāṃ vṛthā |
vidadhatā śivabhaktirasāyanaṃ śiva śivāntaritaṃ paramārthadam ||

The sincere worship of Jīva with deep devotion makes the Univeral Parents appear before him. On the request of Jīva, lord Parameśvara imparts the complete knowledge of Yoga to him. As soon as Jīva had completed the saṅkalpa, automatically every aspect of the Yogic experiences get transferred to the hero and thus he now becomes a fully enlightened personality.

Then Jīva realises that he had been blessed by the Lord with Supreme knowledge which could be achieved only by controlling the sense organs absolutely by Yogic practice. In the process it nullifies the knowledge about the mundane pleasures that bind the Jīva to the world. The evolved Jīva could visualise all these changes with the special knowledge acquired by him.^[7]

When, in the Yogic fire, Jīva’s worldly activities are poured as oblation, Jīva becomes a really satisfied person enjoying the highest Bliss (VII.27cd)–

parmānanda ghano’smi nityatṝptaḥ.

At such a stage he feels that he is akin to the Lord since his sahasrāra padma is filled with the amṛta of Bliss with all the āvaraṇas, created by māyā , having been removed (VII.32):

mūrdhanyamaṇḍalaniketasudhāṃśubimbaniḥṣyandaśītalasudhāplutinirvṛtāṅgaḥ |
meghāvṛtivyapagame gaganaṃ yathācchaṃ caitanyamāvaraṇavarjitamasmi tadvat ||

There are a number of other passages and verses which can be quoted as illustrations of the fact that this play is based on the sentiment of rasa of Śāntarasa. Though the hero with the help of his skillful minister, had tried all possible ways to prevent affliction like diseases and to preserve perfect health of the material body, his ultimate aim is to attain the supreme life of Jivan-Mukti during the present life through Bhakti-yoga. Hence Śāntarasa is the aṅgarasa in this play.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

I.23:
kṛtvā svastikamāsanaṃ karayugaṃ vinyasya jānudvaye nāsāgrārpitatārakā natamṛjūkṛtyavalagnaṃ dṛḍham |
niśvāsocchvasitoparodhaghaṭitastaimityapīnastanī citte me kṛtasaṃyameva kurutaṃ dhūrtā mahat kautukam ||

[2]:

I.47:
śakyaṃ tat khalu puṇḍarīkanagaraṃ gantuṃ manodvāratastatrāste śivabhaktirityanupamā kāpi pramodāspadam |
dṛṣṭvā tāṃ tathā paricayastasyā vidheyastvayā catvāro'pi bhavanti te karatalaṃ prāptāḥ pumarthā yathā ||

[3]:

III. 21/22; p.159:
āho śruti-smṛtivihitānāṃ karmaṇāṃ prabhāvaḥ | yāni mayā samayeṣu samanuṣṭhitāni madīyam āntaḥkaraṇamaśodhayan | śodhite ca tasmin bhagavadbhaktirnāma kāpi kalpalatā prathamamaṅkuritā | paścādupacita-paricayā ca sā mama hṛdayānuraṣjanī krameṇa bhagavantau parameśvarau sākṣāt darśitavatī |

[4]:

III. 28:
śuddhāntaḥkaraṇena santataparidhyātārkakoṭiprabhaprāleyadyutikoṭiśītalaśivārūḍhāṅkagaṅgādharaḥ |
sānandāśrukaṇo dṛśoḥ sapulako gātreṣu sapraśrayastutyuktirvadane kṛtāṣjalipuṭo mūrdhanyabhūvaṃ ciram ||

[5]:

VI.13:
śaśvannaśvarameva viśvaviditaṃ pāpaprarohasthalaṃ medomajjavasāsthimāṃsarudhiratvagromarūpaṃ vapuḥ |
etasminmalamūtrabhāṇḍakuhare heye manīṣāvatāṃ duḥkhe nyāyavido vimohamiha ke tanvanti nanvantime ||

[6]:

VI. 14:
jagatprotaṃ yasmin vividha iva sūtre maṇigaṇaḥ samastaṃ yadbhāsā tadapi ca vibhāti sphuṭamidam |
ākhaṇḍānandaṃ yanniravadhikasaccitsukhamayaṃ nirākāraṃ yattattvamasi paramaṃ brahma na paraḥ ||

[7]:

VII.26:
yā prasyakṣapadārthamātraviṣayā sā yogasaṃskārataḥ saṃskārān pratibadhnatītarakṛtān dhīḥ kāpi me jṛmbhate |
sūkṣmaṃ yattu vidūramavyavahitaṃ sarvān viśeṣān sphuṭaṃpaśyāmyeṣa yathāvadadya paramārthodbhūtayā prajṣayā ||