Part 3c - Guṇa (3): Prasāda

The words indicating pleasant and charming effect is said to be Prasāda, as stated, by Bharata.^[1] Vāmana uses the term śaithilya to interpret Prasāda.^[2] It is the easiness regarding composition which is called Prasāda by Vāmana. Again, Mammaṭa is of the opinion that, that is considered as Prasāda, which appears immediately like fire kindled with dried up fuel or clean cloth with clear water and this is a common quality of all the rasas.^[3] Viśvanātha also expresses similar view. According to him, that is Prasāda, which exists in all the flavours and the four styles of composition, pervades the heart, as fire spreads itself through dry fuel. Words conveying Prasāda serve to manifest their meaning as soon as they are heard.^[4] Again, this guṇa is said to be existing in a poetical composition irrespective of the sentiment prevailing.^[5] Lucidness or Arthavyakti is included under the merit named perspicuity or Prasāda, because lucidness of words is none other than their conveying the meaning immediately.^[6] It may be mentioned here that Daṇḍin, in his Kāvyādarśa opines that the quality Prasāda is very famous one, like that of the moonlight.^[7]

As the style of Maṅkhaka is quite complex and this complexity of expression, somehow substantially lessens the degree of the quality Prasāda in Maṅkhaka’s poem, even then there are so many instances, where the perspicuity is beautifully revealed

In canto III of the Śrīkaṇṭhacarita, in the verse, kuberasakhyāḥ kakubho^[8] ….., there is Prasādaguṇa. Here in this verse, there is the reference of Kashmir, which is familiar to Kubera, the Lord of wealth and this place is situated at the north direction as well as this place bears the name Satīsara, which is, as it were, a bathing place of the creator, after creating the world, full of diversity, in the like manner of accomplishing a sacrifice.

Again, in canto XIII, in the verse, where there is the description of applying saffron on a body which is of the colour of gold. It sounds like applying sandal paste on crystal stone. The purport of this is, as both the body and saffron are of same colour, as well as sandal paste and crystal stone are also of same colour, therefore, it does not matter whether applied or not. Actually, it is an appreciative statement for the golden hued body of a particular female, where there is Prasāda.

Besides this, there is Prasāda in canto XXV, in iti sa śravanottaṃsaṃ^[9] ….., tigmānaladṛśaḥ^[10] ….., svayaṃ maulīndu^[11] ….., prabandhena jagadbandhu^[12] ….., aho dhanyo’smi^[13] ….., mahatkaṣṭamaho^[14] ….., mānuṣyajanma^[15] …., dhiktānkṛtaplutiryeṣāṃ^[16] ….., dṛṣṭiḥ sārasvatī^[17] ….., kiṃ vānyadguṇa^[18] ….., cāmīkarasya saurabhya^[19] ….., yatkimapyasti mūrkhāṇām^[20] ….., vimatsaraśca vidvāṃśca^[21] ….., santaśca tādṛśāḥ^[22] ….., madagrajanmanaḥ^[23] …… and tataḥ sāphalyadīkṣāyai^[24] …….

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

apyanukto vudhairyatra śabdovā pratīyate/
sukha śabdārtha sambodhanāt prasāda parikīrtyate// Nāṭyaśāstra., XVII. 97, page 151

[2]:

śaithilyaṃ prasādaḥ/
Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti., III. I. 6

[3]:

śuṣkendhanāgnivat svacchajalavatsahasaiva yaḥ/
vyāpnotyanyatprasādo’sau sarvatra vihitasthitiḥ// Kāvyaprakāśa., VIII. 70, page 294

[4]:

cittaṃ vyāpnoti yaḥ kṣipraṃ śuṣkendhanamivānalaḥ/
sa prasādaḥ samastesu raseṣu racanāsu ca/
śadastadvyañjakā arthabodhakāḥ śrutimātrataḥ// Sāhityadarpaṇa., VIII. 7-8

[5]:

samarpakatvaṃ kāvyaoya yattu sarvarasāṃ prati/
sa prasādo guṇo jñeyaḥ sarvasādhāraṇa kriyāḥ// Dhvanyāloka., II. 10

[6]:

arthavyakteḥ prasādakhyaguṇenaiva parigrahaḥ/
arthavyaktiḥ padānāṃ hi jhaṭiyarthasamarpaṇaṃ// Sāhityadarpaṇa., VIII. 11

[7]:

prasādavat prasiddhārthamidorindīvaradyuti/
lakṣma lakṣmiṃ tanotiti pratīti subhagaṃ vacaḥ// Kāvyādarśa., I. 45

[8]:

kuberasakhyāḥ kakubho lalāṭikā yadeti kaśmīrapadābhidheyatāṃ/
satīsaronāma tadasti maṇḍalaṃ vicitrasargāvabhṛthaḥ prajāpateḥ// Śrīkaṇṭhacarita., III. 1

[9]:

Ibid., XXV. 1

[10]:

Ibid., XXV. 2

[11]:

Ibid., XXV. 3

[12]:

Ibid., XXV. 4

[13]:

Ibid., XXV. 5

[14]:

Ibid., XXV. 6

[15]:

Ibid., XXV. 7

[16]:

Ibid., XXV. 8

[17]:

Ibid., XXV. 9

[18]:

Ibid., XXV. 10

[19]:

Ibid., XXV. 11

[20]:

yatkimapyasti mūrkhāṇāmamātsaryaṃ tu sūktiṣu/
tatkvopayogi saundaryaṃ ṣaṇḍhasyeva puraṅdhriṣu// Ibid., XXV. 12

[21]:

Ibid., XXV. 13

[22]:

Ibid., XXV. 14

[23]:

Ibid., XXV. 15

[24]:

tataḥ sāphalyadīkṣāyai svapariśramavipruṣāṃ/
tadevāsya prabandhasya neṣyāmi nikaṣāśmatāṃ// Ibid., XXV. 16