Part 4 - Style of the Maṅkhakośa text

The Maṅkhakośa has been set in verses and it contains 1007 verses. Therefore, the Maṅkhakośa is a versified koṣa text. It may be mentioned here that in all the three kāṇḍas, the Amarakoṣa is consisting of total number of 1497^½ original verses and the number of interpolated ones are fifty-eight.^[1] In the text of the Maṅkhakośa, the verses are mostly, found to be composed in the Śloka chandas or the metre Anuṣṭubh.

As for illustration, the following verse may be cited—

yavānyāṃ jīrake dīpe nālaṅkāre tu dīpakaṃ/
kauśikā gādhijolūka guggulvindrāhituṇḍikāḥ//^[2]

Herein the verse, the sixth syllable, in all the four quarters is found to be guru, whereas the fifth is laghu, the seventh syllable, in the second and the fourth quarter is again hrasva, and the others are dīrgha. Again, there is the figure of speech Upamā, characterized by the particle iva, found in the first verse of the Maṅkhakośa.^[3]

Again, in the said verse, there is Bhāva, in the eulogy of Vighnajit i.e. Lord Gaṇeśa. Besides, the quality perspicuity or Prasāda is to be observed in the introductory verses of this koṣa. The style of composition is sometimes lucid and sometimes a little bit obscure also. The lexicographer desists from employing long compounded words. Thus, the rīti appears to be Vaidarbhī in the introductory stanzas. The style Vaidarbhī is said to exist in a poetic composition presenting letters of softer pronunciation, thereby causing elegance to it. Herein, the Vaidarbhī type of composition, the words are slightly compounded or not at all compounded and the verses at the very beginning of the Maṅkhakośa are found to have such characteristic features.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Sharma, Har Dutt, Nāmaliṅgānuśāsana, Introduction, page iv

[2]:

Zachariae, Theodor, Maṅkhakośa., page 3

[3]:

pātu vodhidharaṃ dūravikīrṇakaraśīkaraḥ/
duḥkhabījacchide varṣatkarakā iva vighnajit//
     Maṅkhakośa., verse 1