Part 2c - Rasa (3): Raudra or the sentiment of furiousness

Raudrarasa has anger as its sthāyibhāva. The mythologists are of the opinion that it is of red-colour, Rudra is its presiding deity. Here ālambanavibhāva is an enemy and his behaviour or activities are regarded as uddīpanavibhāvas. Its liveliness may be enchanted by striking with fist, fallings, rudeness, cuttings and tearing, fights and confusions. The contractions of the eye-brows, biting of the lips, swelling of the arms, threatening gestures, boosting, brandishing of weapons, reviling and angry looks etc. are supposed to be its anubhāvas, while sternness, flurry, horripilation, perspiration, trembling, intoxication, delirium, impatience etc. are treated to be the vyabhicāribhāvas.^[1]

Maṅkhaka employs Raudrarasa in exuberance in canto XVIII. Especially, this sentiment is relished in the description of anger of the Gaṇas. The Gaṇas are excited with immense anger, when they come to know about the oppression of the demons upon the gods. Their severe anger is marked by their reddish eyes and trembled eye-brows.^[2] The redness of face and eyes is a salient feature of the sentiment of fury and this is the point of difference between Raudra and Vīra. In both the cases, enemy is the ālambanavibhāva, but the sthāyibhāva in Raudra, is krodha (anger), while, in Vīra, it is utsāha (energy).^[3] In the verses, viz. te’kṣibhru^[4]….., anyonyamardana^[5]…., kaścidviśaṅkaṭapaṭu^[6]…, āghaṭṭayankaratalena^[7]….., etc. there is the description of the Gaṇas, striking their own shoulders with hands, rubbing of hands, speaking of rude words, striking earth with hands respectively, which are all delineation of Raudrarasa.

Again, in canto, XIX, in the verse ghaṭṭayatsu ruṣā^[8] ….., dantakṣatāni tanvānā^[9].…, kāntisteṣāṃ ca^[10] …., prakopapāṭalarucaste^[11].…, kopāya samarotsāha^[12] ….., there is the sentiment Raudra, of which dantakṣatāni tanvānā….. is an example of the amalgamation of Raudra with that of Śṛṅgāra.

The Raudrarasa is also to be met with in some instances of canto XXII, wherein, there is the description of the wrathful activities of the demons, as they notice the onward march of the army of the gods to their cities. Their excitement and anger are very well portrayed by Maṅkhaka in the following stanzas viz. tanniśamya puravairiṇo^[13] ….., and also, XXII. 2-9, mṛdnataḥ karayugaṃ^[14]....., kopapāṭalimasaṃvibhaktatāṃ^[15] ….., kalpitaściramayo^[16] ….., gāḍhapāṭalavilocana^[17] ….., te gāḍhagāḍha^[18] …... It may be noted here that, in the instances of the agitation of the Gaṇas, there is the indications of the destruction of their enemies and also in the furious activities of the demons, there is the hint of self destruction of the enemies of the gods. Maṅkhaka of course, takes recourse to figurative expressions here.

Regarding the examples of the sentiment of fury, B.N. Bhatt and B.C. Mandal are of divergent opinion, Bhatt includes these, under the heroic sentiment, whereas Mandal, not only gives examples, also provides justification for keeping those, under the instances of fury from the standpoint of Viśvanātha, when he mentions about the sthāyibhāva or the permanent feeling in these instances, is that of anger, which forms the sentiment of fury. And the difference of the sentiment of fury from that of heroism depends on the very expression of anger, the permanent feeling of the sentiment of fury.^[19] Whatever, Maṅkhaka employs the Raudrarasa aptly in his Śrīkaṇṭhacarita, which no doubt enhances the aesthetic beauty of the poem.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

raudraḥ krodhasthāyibhāvo rakto rudrādhidaivataḥ/
ālambanamaristatra tacceṣṭoddīpanaṃ mataṃ/
muṣṭiprahārapātanavikṛtacchedāvadāraṇaścaiva/
saṃgrāmasaṃbhramādyairasyoddīptirbhavet prauḍhā/
bhrūvibhaṅgauṣṭhanirdaṃśabāhusphoṭanatarjanāḥ ātmāvadānakathanamāyudhotkṣepaṇāni ca /
anubhāvāstathākṣepakrūrasaṅdarśanādayaḥ/
ugratāvegaromāñcasvedavepathavo madaḥ /
mohāmarṣādayastatra bhāvā syuvyabhicāriṇaḥ//
     Sāhityadarpaṇa., III. 227-230

[2]:

daityodayāsavarasaṃ śravaṇānutarṣa-mārgeṇa te gaṇagaṇā vinipītavantaḥ/
rajyadvilocanakapolatalāḥ skhaladbhirvākyairvilolavalitabhru vikāramūhuḥ//
     Śrīkaṇṭhacarita., XVIII. 1

[3]:

raktāsyanetratā cātra bhedinī yuddhavīrataḥ/ Sāhityadarpaṇa., III. 231

[4]:

Śrīkaṇṭhacarita., XVIII. 2

[5]:

Ibid., XVIII. 5

[6]:

kaścidviśaṅkaṭapaṭubhrukuṭīkarāla-bhālasthalaḥ kimapi ghorataraṃ babhāṣe/
nīto ruṣā kaluṣatāṃ sa haṭhātpravīro vācāṃ kathaṃ tvaparuṣaṃ prasaraṃ vyanaktu// Ibid., XVIII. 7

[7]:

Ibid., XVIII. 15

[8]:

Ibid., XIX. 3

[9]:

dantakṣatāni tanvānā nṛtyadbhru daśanacchade/
krodhakriyaiva sā teṣāṃ vallabhā samajāyata// Ibid., XIX. 5

[10]:

Ibid., XIX. 6

[11]:

Ibid., XIX. 7

[12]:

Ibid., XIX. 8

[13]:

tanniśamya puravairiṇo balaṃ sarvato’pyabhisaratpuraḥ purīḥ/
mandireṣu sahasaiva jajñire gāḍharoṣaparuṣā suradviṣaḥ// Ibid., XXII. 1

[14]:

Ibid., XXII. 11

[15]:

Ibid., XXII. 16

[16]:

Ibid., XXII. 18

[17]:

gāḍhapāṭalavilocanāñcitā sā camūrarucadagrayāyinī/
bibhratī tulitalohayā tviṣā kopapāvakahasantikālipiṃ// Ibid., XXII. 43

[18]:

Ibid., XXII. 48

[19]:

Mandal, B.C., Śrīkaṇṭhacarita., page 123