Mudrarakshasa (literary study)
by Antara Chakravarty | 2015 | 58,556 words
This page relates ‘Use of Suvadana metre’ of the English study on the Mudrarakshasa: an ancient Sanskrit dramatic play (Nataka) authored by Vishakhadatta which deals with the life of king Chandragupta. This study investigates the Mudra Rakshasa from a literary perspective, such as metrics, themes, rhetorics and other poetical elements. Chandragupta ruled the Mauryan Empire during the 4th century BCE, hence this text can also be studied as a historical textbook of ancient India.
2.15. Use of Suvadanā metre
[Full title: The Chandas employed in Mudrārākṣasa (15). Suvadanā]
The definition of suvadanā given by Gaṅgādāsa in his Chandomañjarī is:
jñeyāsaptāśvaṣaḍbhirmarabhanayayutābhlaugaḥsuvadanā/[1]
Where the gaṇas, ma, ra, bha, na, ya, bha, la and ga are present being paused after every seven (sapta), seven (aśva) and six (ṣaḍ) syllables, the meter there is
Suvadanā. This meter is also used only once in Mudrārākṣasa through the speech of Malayaketu delineating Vīrarasa. Let us scan the verse to determine the meter:
| ma | | | ra | | | bha | | | na | | | ya | | | bha | | | la | | | ga |
| - - - | | | - ⏑ - | | | - ⏑ ⏑ | | | ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ | | | ⏑ - - | | | - ⏑ ⏑ | | | ⏑ | | | - |
uttuṅgā|stuṅgakū|laṃ║ sruta |madasa |lilāḥ║ pra |syandisa |li |laṃ║
śyāmāḥ śyā|mopaka |ṇṭha║druma|malimu |kharāḥ║ ka|llolamu |kha |raṃ║|
srotaḥkhā|tāvasī |da║ttaṭa |muruda |śanai║ru |tsādita |ta |ṭāḥ║
śoṇaṃ si|nduraśo |ṇā║ mama | gajapa |tayaḥ║ pā |syanti śa|ta |śaḥ║||[2]
Hence, it is proved that it is a case of Suvadanā where ma, ra, bha, na, ya, bh, la and ga gaṇas are there being paused after every seven, seven and six gaṇas.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Chandomañjarī, II.206, p.150
[2]:
Mudrārākṣasa, IV.16