6. Gāthāsaptaśatī in Kuntaka’s treatment

It is a Prakrit anthology of Sātavāhana Hāla of middle of the 1^st century C.E. It is written in Mahārāṣṭri Prakrit. As the name indicates it consists of seven hundred verses composed in ārya metres. It really lost its own individual beauty due to some interpolations and emendations. The theme of Gāthāsaptaśatī is closely related to the life of common people. The characters of this work include common people like a farmer and his wife, village headman and his daughter, householder, his wife and children etc. Descriptions about kings are rarely mentioned in it. Hāla loves the language of common masses and he is really an exception in standing against devabhāṣa though in power. This makes the composition of Sattāsi, the Prakrit word of Gāthāsptaśatī. This is one of the older works displaying creativity with in a conventional frame work. This is not a complete composition of the poet himself, but he collected them from his previous and contemporary writers. Hāla mentions at least the names of 398 poets. Though it is really erotic in nature, it discusses about various topics like common life of the village people, particularly of the Deccan region and perfect depiction of the nature etc.

This anthology has description of the rivers like Yamunā, Narmadā, Godāvarī, Revā, Tapti etc. Moreover it also discusses about the flowers like Kuravaka, Kadamba, Punḍarīka etc. and the birds likes Śārikā, peacock, swan, crow etc. and the animals likes Cow, Elephant, Lion etc. A glance at this anthology makes us to think that the compiler had aimed to give advice to the human beings for well behavior.

One of the older commentators named Gaṅgādhara had written the important and early commentary of this anthology.

ratikelihṛtanivasanakarakisalayaruddhanayanayugalasya/
rudrasya tritīyanayanam pārvatīparicumbitam jayati//^[1]
(raikelihiaṇiasaṇa karakisalaaruddhaṇaṇjualassa
ruddassa taiaṇaaṇam pavvaiparicuṃbiam jaai)

“When Rudra disrobed her during amorous sports, Pārvatī closed a couple of his eyes with her tender palms and gave a (sudden) kiss on his third eye, which indeed triumphs.”

Kuntaka cites this verse as an example of figurativeness related to verb (kriyāvaicitryavakratā), one of the variety of lexical figurativeness (padapūrvārdhavakratā). Goddesses Pārvatī covered the two eyes of Lord Śiva with her two hands. The third eye of Śiva is victorious because apart from the other two eyes it is covered by the kiss of Pārvatī. It is really a beautiful and apt example for figurativeness related to verb. Here the verb used by the poet ‘triumph’ for the third eye will really delight the connoisseurs.

Kuntaka cites the next verse as an example of one of the varieties of the brilliant style (vicitra mārga) propounded by Kuntaka, the definition given for it is as follows:-

yadapyanūtanollekham vastu yatra tadapyalam/
uktivaicitryamātreṇa kāṣṭhām kāmapi nīyate//^[2]

In this variety, Kuntaka says that sometimes a dull subject due to its overuse will rise to a unique height of excellence merely through artistic expression.

anyad laṭabhatvamanyaiva ca kāpi varttanacchāyā/
śyāmā sāmānyaprajāpate rekhaiva ca na bhavati//^[3]
(aṇṇam laḍahattaṇam aṇṇaccia kāvi vattaṇacchāā
sāmā sāmaṇṇpaā vaiṇo reha ccia ṇa hoi)

“Unlike others is her sprightliness and her bearing again is unlike the rest. The lovely maiden cannot be the work of the general creator, not one jot or little.”^[4]

Here the poet just describes the beauty of a maiden but in a different and charming style with his artistic excellence in order to attract the connoisseur. This verse is not in present available texts of Gāthāsaptaśatī. Kuntaka’s observation would not get wrong, so the manuscript available to him must possess this particular verse. Later this verse may in oblivion either due to scribal error or something else.

Kuntaka cites the third and final verse from Gāthāsaptaśatī as an example of beauty in the speciality of tense (kālavaicitryavakratā), one of the varieties of grammatical figurativeness (pratyayavakratā). When time or tense become beautiful due to the presence of utmost propriety, it comes under the division of this type of figurativeness. According to grammarians, it is the expressions like ‘laṭ’ which denotes the present tense.

Here actually an efficient poet creates a beautiful chemistry between the subject and the propriety of time.

samaviṣamanirviśeṣā samantato mandamandasañcārāḥ/
acirādbhaviṣyanti panthāno manorathānāmapi durlaṅghyāḥ//^[5]
(samavisamaṇivvisesā samantao mandamandasañcārā
airā hohinti pahā maṇorahāṇam pi dullaṅghā)

“Ups and downs in the roads will all be leveled, Journeys everywhere become slow and slower still. Before long, they will exceed the reach of even of one’s mind-chariots.”

Here a lover bears the extreme pangs of the separation from his beloved. By imagining the future, the lover is also unable to bear the beauty of his circumstances, the stimuli that increase his pangs of separation. He says these words with dilemma that soon the reverie might also not be able to overcome the main road. In this verse ‘hohinti’ (bhaviṣyanti), the word denoting the future tense enhances the charm of this verse. There is no variant reading in the verses cites by Kuntaka from Gāthāsaptaśatī.

In Dhvanyāloka Ānandavardhana cites the same verse as an example of suggestiveness of tense. From such situations, it is clear that Kuntaka was undoubtedly influenced by Ānandavardhana. But Kuntaka never blindly imitates him. He developed his own theory taking inspiration from Ānandavardhana and acquired a unique position in the realm of Sanskrit.

These are some minute but beautiful observations of Kuntaka on few verses found in some śatakas and anthologies. Beautiful emendations made by either Kuntaka or the scribes are also discussed. Some other verses cited by Kuntaka were included in the anthologies compiled after him.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

ibid,p.32.

[2]:

ibid,p.53.

[3]:

ibid,p.57.

[4]:

ibid,p.343.

[5]:

ibid,p.114.