3.1. Use of Vīrarasa (heroic sentiment)

The drama itself starts with a valourous statement of Cāṇakya after the prologue when he says,

“Tell me who is that, while I am living, dares to attack Candragupta? Look here, who is that dares to snatch away, with force, from the mouth of the lion, whose jaws have been opened by yawning, the colour of which is red with the blood of the elephant, just tasted by him, which appears like a digit of the moon tinted red by the twilight.”^[1]

The sañcāribhāva named Garva (pride) is very clearly exhibited herein which leads to the sthāyibhāva Utsāha of a winner in the speech of Cāṇakya.

There are some more examples of Vīrarasa in the following—

kaulūtaścitravarmā malayanarapatiḥ siṃhanādo nṛsiṃhaḥ
  kāśmīraḥ puṣkarākṣaḥ kṣataripumahimā saindhavaḥ sindhuṣeṇaḥ/
meghākhyaḥ pañcamo'smin pṛthuturagabalaḥ pārasīkādhirajo
  nāmānyeṣaṃ likhāmi dhruvamahamadhunā citraguptaḥ pramārṣṭu//^[2]

In this verse the sentiment of Rājanītivīra is very clearly delineated. Here, Cāṇakya is the source of the Vīrarasa; opponents like Citravarmā etc. are Ālambanavibhāva; enmity of these above kings are Uddīpanavibhāva; writing the names of these opponents to drive them into a false position is the Anubhāva and Cāṇakya’s saying, that even Citragupta will not be able to save these kings, reflects pride of the same, so, the Sañcāribhāva named Garva can be seen. Therefore, the sthāyibhāva Utsāha for politics is clear herein.

Again, in the verse—

ye yātāḥ kimapi pradhārya hṛdaye pūrvaṃ gatā eva
  te ye tisṭhanti bhavantu te'pi gamane kāmaṃ prakāmodyamāḥ/
ekā kevalameva sādhanavidhau senāśatebhyo'dhikā
  nandonmūlanadṛṣṭavīryamahimā buddhistu mā gānmama//^[3]

The sentiment of Rājanītivīra can be felt effortlessly. Here, the people who left Cāṇakya are the Ālambanavibhāvas; negligence of Cāṇakya towards them is the Uddīpanavibhāva and the boasting of Cāṇakya saying that his intellect which by itself is more than hundred armies for accomplishment of any task is anubhāva; and this very sentence shows Garva as it’s sañcāribhāva, and all these together enrich the sthāyibhāva called Utsāha for political intrigues.

Like these, almost every speech of Cāṇakya is furnished with the sentiment of Rājanītivīra. Here, Cāṇakya is always seen trying to tame Rākṣasa, who is his opponent, with his intellect, as a person catches and tames a wild elephant by some device.^[4]

Perhaps, looking at this only, Siddhārthaka, a spy of Cāṇakya in the sixth act confesses that the diplomacy of Cāṇakya alone is the destroyer of the party of enemy which may be gained by means of an army.

Cf.

...pratihataparapakṣā āryacāṇakyanītiḥ /^[5]

But we must admit this, that apart from Rājanītivīra, the other divisions of Vīrarasa are also present in this drama. In the second act when Virādhagupta, a spy of Rākṣasa describes the past happenings in front of Rākṣasa, the sentiment of Yuddhavīra flashes in front of us in the speech of Rākṣasa-

Cf.,

ayi mayi sthite kaḥ kusumapuramuparotsyati. pravīraka pravīraka, kṣipramidānīm.
prākāraṃ paritaḥ śarāsanadharaiḥ kṣipraṃ parikramyatāṃ
dvāreṣu dviradaiḥ pratidvipaghaṭābhedakṣamaiḥ sthīyatām/
tyaktvā mṛtyubhayaṃ prahartumanasaḥ śatrorbale durbale
te niryāntu mayā sahaikamanaso yeṣāmabhīṣṭaṃ yaśaḥ//^[6]

Again, in the fourth act when Malayaketu suggests Rākṣasa for attacking the enemies, one can easily smell the sentiment of Yuddhavīra while he says—

uttuṅgāstungakūlaṃ srutamadasalilāḥ prasyandisalilaṃ
  śyāmāḥ syāmopakaṇṭhadrumamatimukharāḥ kallolamukharam/
srotaḥ khātāvasīdattaṭamurudaśanairutsāditataṭāḥ
  śoṇaṃ sindūraśoṇā mama gajapatayaḥ pāsyanti śataśaḥ//^[7]

Herein the source of Vīrarasa is Malayaketu who conveys his valour to the audience in a symbolic way showing his pratāpa. Again he says—

“The array of my elephants, the note of whose roar is deep, will invest the city emitting, like pouring down a rain of spray mixed with the water of their rut, as a row of clouds that is pouring and whose cry is its deep roar, does encircle the Vindhya mountain”.... and so on.^[8]

Here, Malayaketu being the source of Vīrarasa, king of Pāṭaliputra, i.e., Candragupta is the Ālambanavibhāva; the act of murder of Malayaketu’s father is the Uddīpanavibhāva; the actions of the large herd of the elephants present in Malayaketu’s army is the anubhāva; the courage to destroy the enemies is the Sthāyibhāva and Malayaketu’s Smṛti and Garva are the vyabhicaribhāvas. This verse is one of the finest examples of Yuddhavīra here in this drama.

Moreover, the vow of Rākṣasa in the second act, not to wear a single piece of ornament unless he can destroy the enemies surrounding the throne;^[9] and the remembrance of the vow of Malayaketu in the fourth act^[10] increase excitements of Vīrarasa in this drama.

Again, in the sixth act Rākṣasa is depicted as the Balavīra when he stands forward with the sword in his hand to free Candanadāsa from Cāṇakya’s bondage and declares—

“This sword now drives me to an act of daring, overpowered as I am through love of friend-The sword dark blue in appearance, like a water-charged-cloud and the sky, appears to be thrilling with its fondness for fight and with union secured with my hand, and the strength of which is consequence of its high temper has been seen by my enemies tested on the touch stone of battle.”^[11]

On the other hand the character of Candanadāsa, a friend of Rākṣasa is described as Dānavīra. He doesn’t even care for his life and family while protecting the family of his bosom friend Rākṣasa. He denies to handover the family of Rākṣasa to Cāṇakya and says—

...santamapi gehe amātyarākṣasasya gṛhajanaṃ na samarpayāmi, kiṃ punarasantam^[12]

Hearing this answer Cāṇakya himself compares Candanadāsa to the great king Śibi and appreciates him.

Cf.

sulabheṣvarthalābheṣu parasaṃvedane janaḥ/
ka idaṃ duṣkaraṃ kuryādidānīṃ śibinā vinā//^[13]

Rākṣasa too is portrayed as a Dānavīra, because in the last act he also came to save Candanadāsa to the execution ground without caring for even his own life and principle.

Cāṇakya was very much acquainted with this truth. Cf.

tyajatyan priyavatprāṇān yathā tasyāyamāpadi/
tathaivāsyāpadi prāṇā nūnaṃ tasyāpi na priyāḥ//^[14]

In the seventh act Rākṣasa is portrayed as Kṣamāvīra also, as he suggests Candragupta to free Malayaketu from bondage and saves his life even though once Malayaketu showed disrespect towards Rākṣasa.^[15]

Thus it is seen that most of the divisions of Vīrarasa is finely delineated by Viśākhadatta, the descriptions of which keeps on lingering in the minds of the reader from the starting till the end. But, though Vīrarasa is the principal sentiment of the drama, yet, there are some other sentiments also helping the principal one for smooth running of the story. Let us examine them one by one.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Mudrārākṣasa, I.8

[2]:

Ibid., I.20

[3]:

Ibid., I.26

[4]:

svacchandamekacaramujjvaladānaśakti-mutsekinā madabalena bigāhamānaṃ/ buddhyā nigṛhya, vṛṣalasya kṛte kriyāyā-mārayaṇyakaṃ gajamiva praguṇikaromi // Ibid, I. 27

[5]:

Ibid., VI. 1

[6]:

Ibid., II. 13

[7]:

Ibid., IV. 16

[8]:

Ibid., IV. 17

[9]:

Mudrārākṣasa, II.10

[10]:

Ibid., IV. 5,6

[11]:

nistriṃśo’yaṃ sajalajaladavyomasankāśamūrti–ryuddhaśraddhāpulakita iva prāptasakhyaḥ kareṇa / satvotkarṣāt samaranikaṣe dṛṣṭasāraḥ parairme mitrasnehādvivaśamadhunā sāhase māṃ niyuṅkte // Ibid., VI. 19

[12]:

Ibid., p. 88

[13]:

Ibid., I. 23

[14]:

Ibid., I.24

[15]:

Ibid., p. 477