Part 3a - Guṇa (1): Mādhurya

Joy consisting in the melting of the heart is called Mādhurya.^[1] This means, the speech which bestows happiness to the mind is regarded as sweetness or tenderness i.e. Mādhurya. Again, Bharata is of the view that the speech which has been heard for many times or uttered many times but, there does not arise any kind of feeling of agitation that is to be remembered as Mādhurya.^[2] Vāmana opines that separated or independent words are of Mādhurya quality.^[3] Udbhaṭa in the same line of Sāhityadarpaṇa, states that speech which provides happiness is Mādhurya.^[4] Regarding its employment, Viśvanātha holds that this Mādhurya is to be used successively higher in Saṃbhogaśṛṅgāra, Karuṇa, Vipralambhaśṛṅgāra and in Śānta.^[5] Viśvanātha further states that r and ṇ short, and such letters, excepting the cerebrals ṭa, ṭha, ḍa, ḍha, as are preceded by the last of the series i.e. the dentals, cause the manifestation of Mādhurya, as also an absence or a paucity of compounds and a melodious style.^[6] The Mādhurya is used mostly in delineating the sentiment of love, when there is expressed charming feeling attached to the erotic sentiment, it is called Mādhurya.^[7] It is that type of pleasure or happiness which one gets while relishing the love in union and the heart of hearts of the connoisseur, as if, melts and there pervades some non-terrestrial softness and bliss, however it is respectively more pleasurable in Karuṇa and then in Śānta.^[8]

Maṅkhaka uses Mādhuryaguṇa in depicting Saṃbhogaśṛṅgāra in his poem. The poet gives descriptions of the amusements of Śiva and Gaurī, wherein, the quality Mādhurya is noticed.

In the canto VII, Śiva addresses Gaurī, with his erotic speech to observe the beauty of the mountain Kailāsa. He invites^[9] Her to enjoy the gait of the dancing, joyous bees at the advent of the spring. He also urges Her to behold the spotted deer etc., which has made the forest variegated. Thus, some of the verses which are characterized by the guṇa known as Mādhurya, while depicting Saṃbhogaśṛṅgāra, found in the poem are viz. malayarajasā^[10]....., mukhamarudiva^[11]….. etc. Maṅkhaka uses Mādhurya, also in case of parting of lovers in canto XXI.

There is a verse, where the poet says that the soldiers are departing to the battle field; as they are parting from their beloveds, they have kept patience just because of their getting embrace and nectar of the lips of their beloveds.^[12] Consequently, they are moving forward with delight, taking that embrace and kiss, as to be their cherished treasure. Mādhurya is seen in the pathetic scene of the poem also.

In canto XVII, Śiva noticed the pale as well as faded faces of the gods and understands their plight and sorrow. At the oppression of the demons, the gods lose their patience, their faces take the form of morning moon i.e. become glowless and their very facial expressions indicate their despondency, as noticed by Lord Śiva.^[13] Besides, Maṅkhaka employs Mādhuryaguṇa in the appreciative sentences of the gods to Lord Śiva i.e. in case of quietistic sentiment also, this quality is found.

As for example, the gods expressed their feeling of self-disparagement before the Lord, in some verses in the canto XVII. Therein a verse, gods extol Śiva, saying that by nature, the water of the Ganges is pure, likewise, as the holy water of Ganges divides into three streams, the Supreme Reality or Pure Śiva divides itself into Brahmā, Hari and Hara.^[14]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

cittadravībhāvamayo hlādo mādhuryamucyate/
Sāhityadarpaṇa., VIII

[2]:

bahuśo yat śrutaṃ vākyamuktan vāpi punaḥ punaḥ/
nodvejati yasmadhvi tanmādhuryamiti smṛtaṃ// Nāṭyaśāstra., XVII. 100

[3]:

pṛthakpadatvaṃ mādhuyaṃ/ Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti., III. 1. 20

[4]:

tatra mādhuryamāhlādakatvaṃ /
Kāvyālaṃkārasārasaṃgraha, VI, page 81

[5]:

saṃbhoge karuṇe vipratambhe śānte’dhikaṃ kramāt/
Sāhityadarpaṇa., VIII. 2

[6]:

mūrdhni vargāntyavarṇena yuktāṣṭaṭhaḍḍhānvinā/
raṇau laghū ca tadvyaktau varṇāḥ kāraṇtāṃ gatāḥ/
avṛttiralpavṛttirvā madhurā racanā tathā// Ibid., VIII. 3, 4

[7]:

madhuraṃ raṣavadvāci vastunyapi rasasthitiḥ/
yena mādyanti dhīmanto madhuneva madhurvratāḥ //
Kāvyādarśa., I. 51

[8]:

āhlādakatvaṃ mādhuryyaṃ śṛṅgāre drutikāraṇaṃ/
karuṇe vipralambhe tacchānte cātiśayānvitaṃ//
Kāvyaprakāśa., VIII. 68

[9]:

surabhimanugṛhāṇa devi nṛtyanmadhukaraketakabandhubhiḥ kaṭākṣaiḥ/
bhavatu śabalamantikaṃ vanānāṃ viharadanaṅgavilāsakṛṣṇasāraiḥ//
Śrīkaṇṭhacarita., VII. 10

[10]:

malayarajasā hṛtāvakāśaṃ tanuṣu cakoradṛśāmasūyayeva/
stabakakapaṭato’dya dhīramāste viracitapāśamaśokamañjarīṣu// Ibid., VII. 16

[11]:

Ibid., VII. 22

[12]:

cacāla kaścitparitoṣavihvalaiḥ padaiḥ pravīro dhṛtadhairyavipruṣaḥ/
svavallabhāyā nibiḍhāvagūhanāmavāpya pātheyamivādharāmṛtaṃ//
Ibid., XXI. 22

[13]:

prāptānāṃ mama savidhaṃ vidhūtadhairyā caryāsau vipulamupaplavaṃ vyanakti/
viśliṣyannijamahasāṃ mukhāni yadvaḥ prātastyaṃ rajanipatiṃ viḍambayanti//
Ibid., XVII. 35

[14]:

nanvevaṃ kimapi vinirmalaṃ prakṛtyā tvadrūpaṃ surasaridambuvatpunīte/
srotobhistribhiratha kāraṇātmabhistadviśvātmankṛtakamapi vyanakti bhedaṃ//
Ibid., XVII. 19