6.4. The character of Rākṣasa

[Full title: Characterisation in Mudrārākṣasa (4): The character of Rākṣasa]

Next to Cāṇakya and Candragupta, it is Rākṣasa who claims the attention of the reader in the Mudrārākṣasa. Rākṣasa bears a good contrast to Cāṇakya in this drama. Therefore if it is supposed that Cāṇakya is the nāyaka here, Rākṣasa becomes the Pratināyaka. Dhanañjaya in his Daśarūpaka has defined pratināyaka as a person who is greedy, brave but haughty, hard-hearted, sinful, addicted to worldly affairs and the enemy of the nāyaka.^[1] But one and the only characteristic i.e. Rākṣasa is an enemy of Cāṇakya, the characteristic of a pratināyaka. No such other demerits of a Pratināyaka can be found in the character of Rākṣasa. Even as Cāṇakya admits it, Rākṣasa is endowed with prajñā, vikrama and bhakti all together.^[2] If Cāṇakya’s aim is not selfish and hence perhaps noble, Rākṣasa’s aim is nobler still.

Rākṣasa is fighting the cause of his masters even after they have been exterminated by Cāṇakya. That his devotion to his master is the highest is evident as he continues to serve him even after his departure to the other world.^[3] All this (Rākṣasa’s) political intrigues are for Nandas only, not even for Malayaketu.

As he himself admits in the second act thus—

“It is not because I have forgotten my loyalty, not because my heart is engrossed in the enjoyment of the objects of senses, not because I am afraid of the loss of my life, nor because I am desirous of selfglorification, that I have closely and carefully devoted my attention to politics, but because his majesty (i.e. Nanda) though gone to heaven may be propitiated by the destruction of his enemies.”^[4]

Such kind of devotion is also praised by Cāṇakya in act I.

Cf.—

aho! rākṣasasya nandavaṃśe niratiśayo bhaktiguṇaḥ/^[5]

Rākṣasa has given away even all the worldly pleasures and physical embellishments after his mater’s extermination.

Cf.—

cirātprabhṛtyāryaḥ parityaktocitaśarīrasaṃskāra iti/^[6]

Thus Rākṣasa promised to Malayaketu that the former will not wear the slightest decoration on his limbs, so long as, the later has not been placed in the Sugāṅga palace after being destroyed the whole circle of the enemies.^[7] For the attainment of this goal, no doubt Rākṣasa tried to do away with his enemy Candragupta, by any means.

On the other hand Rākṣasa’s high sense of duty and steadfast loyalty draws the unwilling admiration even of his political adversary. It is precisely Rākṣasa’s noble qualities which prompt Cāṇakya to go to the length of elaborate schemes to win him over; and it is precisely these noble qualities which lead ultimately to his downfall. He is course, also given to intrigue like Cāṇakya but he does not live and breathe in intrigue as Cāṇakya does. There is, however, no feeling in Cāṇakya’s strategy; there is too much of it in Rākṣasa. Rākṣasa trusts too easily in the relentless battle of intrigue. Rākṣasa believes on Jīvasiddhi and considers him a loving friend. Being highly pleased with Siddhārathaka for rescuing his friend Śakṭadāsa, Rākṣasa bestows on Siddhārathaka the ornaments of his own person.^[8] These particular ornaments were given to him by Malayketu. Rākṣasa put on those ornaments only out of regard for Malayaketu and also for the Kañcukīn who had brought them, though the former has given away all embellishment.^[9] Cāṇakya plays a trick and send to Rākṣasa the ornaments of the late father of Malayketu by some means. It is in this considerate and emotional nature of his where lies the root of Cāṇakya’s success in entrapping Rākṣasa. Rākṣasa begins to show tiredness and finally loss of nerve when charged with treachery by Malayketu. And at last when he was known that even Jīvasiddhi also has cheated him, he neurons out of remorse “Alas! The enemies have captured my very heart.”^[10]

Fallen on evil days, this former minister of the Nandas has become sentimental and superstitious, if he was not so ever in his early days. Opposite to Cāṇakya, who believes in his own strength, Rākṣasa believes in fate. Throughout the drama Rākṣasa finds fault with his destination.^[11]

According to him fate is the cause of the downfall of the Nanda dynasty and not the Brāhamaṇa i.e. Cāṇakya—

daivaṃ hi nandakulaśatrurasau na vipraḥ.^[12]

Rākṣasa even believes in prejudices, like seeing of a snake or a Kṣapaṇaka are bad signs.^[13] He also consults astrologers.

As a politician he falls short of the height reached by Cāṇakya and commits blunders in various ways. He blunders, almost calls his secret agents by their names. He is unable to keep his secrets from his servants. Rākṣasa has no perfect mastery over his mind. Being more distracted and worried he also finds his memory failing him at times. He even finds it difficult to recognize quickly his spies, and for what purpose they are appointed.

Cf.—

kasmin prayojane mamāyaṃ prahita iti prayojanānāṃ bāhulyānna khalvavadhārayāmi/^[14]

Rākṣasa fails to impress Malayketu or his own servants with his personality.

The servants of Cāṇakya stand in awe of him, while Siddhārthaka, openly defies him. Rākṣasa is more emotional and considerate. He is full of tears to see the sad plight of his spy Virādhagupta.^[15] But in the conversation between Virādhagupta and Rākṣasa, the latter’s political intrigues can be seen when in spite of the failure of all his previous plans at once making himself ready to take advantage of the reported split between Cāṇakya and Candragupta, and giving immediate instructions to his spay Stavakalaśa in this connection.

Rākṣasa is a strong opponent of Cāṇakya, as Cāṇakya admits himself.^[16] He bears a good knowledge of astrology.^[17] Rākṣasa also is a scholar of Nāṭyaśāstra and Nāṭyaśāstra.^[18] Besides these kinds of knowledge Rākṣasa was a famous and great warrior at the time when he was the commander in chief of the Nanda army. King Nanda had faith on his powers.^[19] He alone can have the power to destroy the commanders of Candragupt’s army.^[20] Cāṇakya knows that Rākṣasa is a store house of merits. For this reason alone the former wants to appoint the latter as the minister of Candragupta.^[21] Rākṣasa had a glorious past but a dark present as stated by Viśākhadatta.^[22]

Fidelity, unflinching devotion, however, are the strongest points of the minister of the Nandas. He is all full of joy on seeing Śakaṭadāsa reported to have been impaled on the stake, safe again. But afterwards he is highly grieved to think that Śakaṭadāsa has proved faithless.^[23] But Rākṣasa never blames Śakaṭadāsa severely for that account and is greatly relieved to know that Śakaṭadāsa was after all not a unfaithfull friend.^[24]

After being dismissed by Malayketu, Rākṣasa comes back to Pāṭaliputra mainly to save the life of his dvitīyaṃ hṛdayaṃ (second heart), Candanadāsa.^[25] Rākṣasa himself said when he heard that Candanadāsas is captured by Cāṇakya—

“You had rather said that Rākṣasa himself, with wife and son, was put into irons.”^[26]

This trait is the most appealing to the audience. For Candanadāsa he has staked his very life and has ultimately given up his own long cherished desire to average the destruction of his former masters and accepted the ministerstry of his enemy.

At the time of surrender to Cāṇakya, Rākṣasa clearly states—

“Viṣṇugupta, I bow to the affection for a friend which makes one undertake anything whatsoever.”^[27]

So very kind is Rākṣasa, that out of consideration that he, once stayed with Malayketu, the former orders the later to be freed when brought by Bhāgurāyaṇa etc. to be duly punished. He has no illusions about his capacity as compared with that of Cāṇakya. When he was offered, the badge of the Prime Minister’s office, the śāstra by Cāṇakya, he frankly admits his unfitness to take the same, especially as it was wielded by Cāṇakya till then.^[28] It is evident, that, nothing weighed more with Rākṣasa, than love of his friend, causing him to accept anything for that matter. After all there is a point in saving the life of the dearest friend who did not care for his own, when he gave shelter to Rākṣasa’s wife and son, in their hour of need. Thus is the brave, devoted and intelligent minister of the Nandas seen to be accepting Candragupta’s service.

It is to be admitted that only a superior politician with Cāṇakya’s mettle could frustrate Rākṣasa. When Cāṇakya is informed by the Caṇḍālas that Rākṣasa is captured, out of joy, Cāṇakya shouted saying thus–“Who bound with the skirt of his garment the fire red with the mass of its mighty flames? Who reduced the ever moving (wind) to a state of stillness with his snares? Who crossed by means of his arms the dreadful ocean, abounding in crocodiles and alligators?^[29] Thus comparing Rākṣasa with the fire, wind and ocean, Cāṇakya admits the vastness of Rākṣasa’s merits and states about the difficulty in making Rākṣasa under the influence or under control. But yet Cāṇakya does not think Rākṣasa as a minister or a person of equal status with him. Both Cāṇakya and Rākṣasa have equal means to reach the goal. Still there are some differences between the personalities of these two, for which Cāṇakya becomes victorious and Rākṣasa becomes the loser.

Cāṇakya even states about the difference between them–

“It is not Nanda who was conceited and whose affairs of state were managed by bad ministers, it is Candragupta (with whom you have to deal). You are not Cāṇakya; enmity to the principal person is the only point of resemblance in your imitation of myself.^[30]

Right from the very beginning up to the very end of the play, magnanimity and nobility of Rākṣasa attracts the mind of the readers. In spite of his ultimate failure and in spite of his defects and drawbacks as a politician sympathy goes for him than for his rival Cāṇakya. Rākṣasa in fact is embodiments of some of the loftiest human virtues compelled with some minor characteristics which can make a reader feel that he is a man of our own flesh and blood.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

lubdho dhīroddhataḥ stabdhaḥ pāpakṛt vyasanī ripuḥ// Daśarūpaka, II. 9

[2]:

Mudrārākṣasa, I. 15

[3]:

Ibid., I. 14 and the preceding speech of Canakya. Also of II. 20 and the preceding remark of Rākṣasa and Viradhagupta. Also read II. 22.

[4]:

nedaṃ vismṛtabhaktinā na viṣayavyāsaṅgamūḍātmanā prāṇapracyutibhīruṇā na ca mayā nātmapratiṣṭhārthinā atyarthaṃ paradāsyametya nipuṇaṃ nītau mano dīyate devaḥ svargagato’pi śātravavadhenārādhitaḥ syāditi// Ibid., II. 5

[5]:

Ibid., p. 34

[6]:

Ibid., p. 117

[7]:

na tāvannirvīryaiḥ paraparibhavākrāntikṛpaṇai-rvahāmyaṅgairebhiḥ pratanumapi saṃskāraracanāṃ/ na yāvanniḥśeṣakṣapitaripucakrasya nihitaṃ sugāṅge hemāṅkaṃ nṛvara tava siṃhāsanamidaṃ//Ibid. II. 10

[8]:

Ibid., p. 168

[9]:

Ibid., p. 120-121

[10]:

hanta ripubhirme hṛdayamapi svīkṛtam/ Ibid., p.385

[11]:

See Ibid., II. 8, II. 16,VI. 6 etc.

[12]:

Ibid., VI. 7

[13]:

kathaṃ prathamameva sarpadarśanaṃ/ Ibid., p. 122 also see, kathaṃ prathamameva kṣapanaka/ Ibid, p. 309

[14]:

Ibid., p. 268

[15]:

aye devapādapadmopajīvinovastheyam/ Ibid., p. 128

[16]:

gurubhiḥ kalpanākleśairdīrghajāgarahetubhiḥ/ ciramāyāsitā senā vṛṣalasya matiśca me//Ibid.,VII.8

[17]:

bhadanta, tithireva na śuddhyati / Ibid., p. 313

[18]:

karyopakṣepamādau tanumapi racayaṃstasya vistāramiccha nbījānāṃ garbhitānāṃ phalamatigahanaṃ gūḍhamudbhedayaṃśca/ kurbanbuddhyā vimarśaṃ prasṛtamapi punaḥ saṃharankāryajātaṃ kartā va nāṭakānāmimamanubhavati kleśamasmadvidho vā //Ibid., IV. 3 also, sādhye niścitamanvayena ghaṭitaṃ bibhratsapakṣe sthitiṃ vyāvṛttaṃ ca vipakṣato bhavati yattatsādhanaṃ siddhye/ yatsādhyaṃ svayameva tulyamubhayoḥ pakṣe viruddhaṃ ca ya ttasyāṅgīkarṇena vādina iva syātsvāmino nigrahaḥ // Ibid., V. 10

[19]:

Vide, Ibid. II. 13,14

[20]:

atha tava balamukhyānghātayetsyāpi pīdā/ Ibid., III. 25

[21]:

buddhyā nigṛhya vṛṣalasya kṛte kriyāyā–māraṇyakaṃ gajamiva praguṇī karomi// Ibid., I. 26

[22]:

Ibid.,VI. 10

[23]:

saṃvadantyakṣaraṇi /śakaṭadāsastu mitramiti ca visaṃvadantyakṣarāṇi//Ibid., p. 373

[24]:

diṣṭyā śakaṭadāsaṃ pratyapanīto vikalpaḥ/Ibid., p. 465

[25]:

Ibid., p. 53

[26]:

nanu vaktavyaṃ saṃyamitaḥ saputrakalatro bandhanāgāre nikṣiptaḥ / Ibid., p.

[27]:

sarvakāryapratiattihetave suhṛtsnehāya/ Ibid., p. 476

[28]:

ayogya vayamsya viśesatastvayā grhītasya grahane/Ibid., p. 473

[29]:

VII. 6

[30]:

utsiktaḥ kusacivadṛṣṭarājyatantro nando’sau na bhavati candragupta eṣaḥ/ cāṇakyastvamapi ca naiva, kevalaṃ te sādharmyaṃ madamukṛteḥ pradhānavairam// Ibid., III. 12