Surūparāghava of Ilattūr Rāmasvāmiśāstri

[Full title: Kerala Contribition to Śāstrakāvya Tradition (7): Surūparāghava of Ilattūr Rāmasvāmiśāstri]

Surūparāghava is a Vyākaraṇaśāstrakāvya, written by Ilattūr Rāmasvāmiśāstri. ‘Gomatīdāsa’ Ilattūr Rāmasvāmiśāstri (1823-1887) was an outstanding scholar-poet of Kerala. He gained deep knowledge not only in Sanskrit and Malayalam, but also in subjects like Tarka, Vyākaraṇa, Sāhityamīmāṃsā and Tattvajñāna. Sastri’s devotions were of a high order and he considered himself as ‘Gomatīdāsa’–A servant devotee of goddess Pārvatī. Rāmasvāmiśāstri has contributed much to the literary world of Sanskrit. His works can be classified into several sections as Kāvya, Campūkāvya, Prabhandhas, Śāstras, Stotras, Āṭṭakatha etc.

Surūparāghava is the master creation of Rāmasvāmiśāstri. It is a Mahākāvya written on the pattern of Bhaṭṭikāvya describing the story of Rāmayaṇa and illustrating the rules of Paṇini along with common figures of speech.

Vadakkumkur Rajarajavarma in his Keralīyasaṃskṛtasāhitya caritra [caritram], stated that the kāvya contains over eighteen cantos. But only up to 33^rd śloka of the eighth canto has been obtained.

The poem starts with an invocatory verse, in which Lord Śiva is offered prayers. The verse is thus—

īśānaṃ sarvavidyānāṃ somaṃ somārdhaśekharam |
īśvaraṃ śāśvataṃ vande saccidānandavigraham ||^[1]

From the second verse onwards the story of Rāmāyaṇa is being described and it starts like this-

śrīmatyaryamāṇe vaṃśe bhavati sma kalānidhiḥ |
rājā daśaratho nāma sudhābdhāviva candramāḥ ||^[2]

In the first eleven verses the poet uses the ten lakāra forms of the root bhū.

1. bhavati,
2. babhūva,
3. bhavitā,
4. bhaviṣyati,
5. bhavantu,
6. abhavat,
7. bhavet,
8. bhūyāt,
9. abhūt and
10. abhaviṣyat.

[These] are the forms used by the author in verses from second to eleven.

The first 34 verses are devoted to illustrate some of the important Alaṅkaras. Some of the Alaṅkāras used in the verses are—upamā, anyonya, utprekṣā, kāvyaliṅga, parivṛtti, arthāntharanyāsa, virodhābhāsa, rūpaka, ananvaya, kāvyaliṅga etc.

In addition to the illustration of Alaṅkaras, certain grammatical implications are also illustrated in this poem. Since the poem is a Śāstrakāvya which demands interpretation, each verse has been briefly discussed by the author himself.

From the 35^th verse of the first canto, the usage of ajantapulliṅga and its application in the śabdas are illustrated. After this the usage of ajanta strīliṅga and its application are explained. In the second canto, the examples for the usage and application of ajantanapuṃsakaliṅga are given. The application of halantapulliṅga, halantastrīliṅga and halantanapuṃsakaliṅga are also explained with examples here in the second canto.

The strīpratyayas are described in the third canto, and in the fourth the kārakavibhaktis are illustrated. Certain Anuprayogas are illustrated in the fifth canto.

The ajantapulliṅgaprakaraṇa starts with the verse—

satyasakto vṛṣastho'sau jitakāmo'calāśrayaḥ |
bhūtiyukto na kairvandyaḥ sarvajño rājaśekharaḥ ||^[3]

In this, satyasaktaḥ, vṛṣasthaḥ, jitakāmaḥetc are examples for ajantapulliṅga.

This prakaraṇa is devoted to aṃjantapulliṅgaśabdas.

Ajantastrīliṅgaprakaraṇa starts with the verse—

sarvasyāmapi rathyāyaṃ viśvasyāṃ dvāri veśmanām |
śobhitāmubhayoraṇyorubhayyā toraṇasrajā ||^[4]

In this versesarvasyām, rathyāyām, viśvasyām etc. are examples for ajantastrīliṅgas.

There are many verses which illustrate the Ajanta strīliṅgas.

adhyūṣuṣastāṃ nagarīmindrasyevāmarāvatīm |
rājyāṅgāni samṛddhāni sarvāṇyapi cakāśire ||^[5]

In the above verse, rājyāṅgāni, samṛddhāni etc. are examples for Ajanta napuṃsakaliṅgas. Like these, Halantapulliṅga, strīliṅga and napumsaka śabdas are also illustrated.

The Paniniyan rules of strīpratyayas are beautifully illustrated by the author. Some examples are as follows.

atha prajāḥ samyagavan sa rājā priyāsu jāyāsu pativratāsu |
prajāmavāptuṃ ramaṇaṃ samīje nārāyaṇaṃ maṅgaladevatāyāḥ ||^[6]

The feminine terms used in this verse such as prajā, priyā etc. got the particle ṭāp based on the rule, ajādyataṣṭāp (4.1.4).

This sūtra means that the pratyaya ṭāp will addedto the words like ajā etc.

śarvāṇi rudrāṇi bhavāni mātarmṛḍāni sarvāṇi mayārpitāni |
gṛhāṇa dākṣāyaṇi śaṅkarīti nivedayāmāsa nivedanīyaṃ ||^[7]

In this verse, the words śarva, rudra etc. got ānuk by the rule indravaruṇabhavaśarvarudramṛḍahimāraṇyayavayavanamātulācāryāṇāmānuk (4.1.49) and then got the strīpratyayaṅīṣ by the sūtra—puṃyogādākhyāyām. In the word dākṣāyaṇī, the pratyaya ṅīṣ is by the sūtra ṣidgaurādibhyaśca (4.1.41).

There are many more examples of Strīpratyayas are given in the third canto.

Most of the Paniniyan rules of kārakas are illustrated in the fourth canto of the poem. Some examples are-

bhūpaṃ kumārodayamabhravīdyastasmai dadau ratnaghaṭaṃ narendraḥ |
ko vā na kiṃ vātamayācadiṣṭaṃ kasmai na kiṃ veṣṭamadatta so'yam ||^[8]

Here, by the association of the roots yāc and brūñ, the terms bhūpa and ta got the karmasaṃjñā and hence they are used in dvitīyā vibhakti.

This is explained by the Vārtika-

duhyācpacdaṇḍarudhipracchicibhrūśāsujimathamuṣām |
karmayuksyādakathitaṃ tathā syānnīhṛkṛṣvahām ||

Another verse explaining dvitīyā vibhakti is—

samayā nagarīmabhito varaṇaṃ parito vipaṇiṃ rathiko janatāṃ |
milito sahasobhayato viśikhāṃ svamanyahani sma sa darśayati ||^[9]

This verse is an example for the Vārtika—abhitaḥparitaḥsamayānikaṣāhāpratiyoge'pi. The association of the Avyayas abhitaḥ, paritaḥ, samayā, nikaṣā, hā and prati leads to the employment of dvitīyāvibhakti.

To illustrate karaṇakāraka the author gives many verses. For example;

kṣaṇena patrāṇi likhet bahūni krośena corān dravato'pyabhīyān |
vinītibhājā saha lakṣmaṇena kāryāṇi kurvan sa nināya bālyam ||^[10]

In this verse, the rules apavarge tṛtīyā (2.3.6) and sahayukte'pradhāne (2.3.19) are explained.

An example for the sampradānakāraka is—

prayātalokasya śubhāya rāmaḥ svāhāgnaye syāt bhavatāt pitṛbhyaḥ |
svadhālamastveṣa niśācarebhyaḥ svastyastu rāmāya namaḥ śivāya ||^[11]

In this verse the rule namaḥsvastisvāhāsvadhālaṃvaṣaḍyogācca (2.3.16) is well explained the sampradānakāraka.

gacchan sa rāmaḥ saḥ lakṣmaṇena jighāṃsumārāt gaganāt patantīm |
madhye pathaṃ kāmapi ghorarupaṃ niśācarīmaikṣata sāttahāsam ||^[12]

This verse us an example for Apādānakāraka. Here, the terms ārāt and gaganāt have got Apādānatva on the basis of the rule dhruvamapāye'pādānam (1.4.24). Hence they are used in pañcamī vibhakti based on the rule apādāne pañcamī (2.3.28).

Along with the kārakas, Karmapravacanīyas are also discussed.

anudarśanamarthamarthināmakarodanvadhikaṃ sa vāñchitān |
upa taṃ surabhūruhorpaṇe hyupa taṃ tejasi sarvadevatāḥ ||^[13]

Here, on the basis of the rule anurlakṣaṇe (1.4.84), got the karmapravacanīyasaṃjñā and employ dvitīyāvibhakti based on the rule karmapravacanīyayukte dvitīyā (2.3.8).

Besides these, some Anuprayogas are also given in the fifth canto. The following chapters hold grammatical implications, but there is no specific order.

From the above examples, we can conclude that Surūparāghava is a simple text for learning grammar. This text is useful for both beginners and scholars. The text has originality in composition as well as technical implications. Though the kāvya deals with the Rāmāyaṇa theme, the portion available is only partial. If the whole kāvya is obtained, there is no doubt it would have been an asset for Sanskrit learning and literature of Kerala. A student of grammar as well as poetics get benefitted by the close study of the text Surūparāghava.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Surūparāghavaṃ, Ilattūr Rāmasvāmiśāstri, v.I.1.

[2]:

Ibid, v.I.2.

[3]:

ibid, v.I.35

[4]:

ibid, v.I.67

[5]:

ibid,v. II.1.

[6]:

ibid, v.III.1.

[7]:

ibid,v.III.28

[8]:

ibid, v.IV.5

[9]:

ibid, v.IV.20

[10]:

ibid,v.IV.33.

[11]:

ibid,v.IV.47.

[12]:

ibid,v.IV.49.

[13]:

ibid,v.IV.26