8.3. Language of Dhanapalass fiction

The problem of the language of fiction involves the linguist, aesthetician and critic. And as has been shrewdly pointed out by Jonathan Raban, 388 our terms for describing the rhetorical characteristics of prose fiction are for the most part limited and vague; our criteria for deciding how far a novel or story constitutes a distinct 'rhetorical experience' are at present subjective and partisan. Functionalist critics like Ezra Pound would bluntly voice the opinion that 'one reads prose for the subject matter'3B that fiction is about life and its language has a purely referential status; we read a novel for its story and its storɣ * insight into character, nor for its unique verbal texture. But one cannot discriminate between the subject matter' of the novel and the language used by the novelist to 'convey' this independent entity. The language of a work of 387. Hashpkadukiakugpo 388. Tech.Mod.Fict., p.135. / 389. Hankekodufoakupp■ Op.cit.

999 fiction bears a complex relationship both to the internal structure of the particular novel and to the variety of ex- 390, ternal situations. 'It is important to realize that 'the language of the novel' is a dynamic in structure, geared at 5mu ji 391 every point to the development of the narrative. The situational segments of a language, depending on four main factors, viz., whom one is talking to, what one is talking to, whether one is speaking or writing, and what medium one is using, are referred to by linguists as 'registers'; each register being suitable for use on only limited number of occasions. And the novelist has a unique freedom to choose any register he pleases without sounding incongruous. But a register of language subtly changes its nature 392 when it is transferred into a novel. One of the natural f functions of the novelist is to record the prevailing registers of the language of his own time. Our knowledge of the manners of the past is given substance by the language preserved in the novels of an age. Dhanapalats language is necessarily ornate and exquisite, being a product of conscious linguistic craftsmanship. He is very much fond of alliterative and rhyming sequences which come for the most part naturally. This is not surprising nor a weakness, since the mode had a strong hold on the 390. Tech.Mod.Fict.,p.136. 392. ibid.,p.145. / 391. ibid., p.137. / 393. ibid., p.149.

1000 popular nind of the age. Even to-day, natural attractive ness of alliteration is seen in the way that it prevails in innumerable proverbs and popular sayings. 394 Nothing is more effective when it is well done, and especially when it is masked, as in Dhanapala's sentences, and makes itself felt as a verbal harmony, as in the following specimens : vatsa, nivapa- -- (7,20); asti ramyata nirastasakalasura loka danairidanimayuspata sambhavitasmah prabhutakalama (20,18ff.) ; pratarevotthaya prasthitah prathamataramutthitaih ----- (34, 9); anahatam dhvananmegha murajamano hara maikadesiya- vistatumburu tadyumanavinadganya ramama - (57, 12ff.) ; bhujabala casya vismapitasurasura kaimsari kisora syaiva sahejam sariramabhavata | -- (79,15); yadi para parikara eva mayasya kathaniyah sighramena vipadyate nipatita potatpitamahi makarikayastava sva | ani kim srjasi visrja vartamipi tasya , " (114,4ff.); (139,12ff.) kasya samcitakunthatapasah kanthakandai karisyati patisyantya stadrbhujalatayah svayamvara ka (175,10££.); satomasamiksamanah pranamatramuparata- parakaranasamvedanasakti ra kendriyatvamivapede so on. (216,14ff.); and Dhanapala most often inverts the usual order of the words in @xed order to make an impressive beginning or a striking end, as in : tala punyakari parijano yah sarvvada savighavarti akararocca tatraiva divase yatrabudhdima | (248,21). 394. SSOS,pp.59-63. --tamanvaham pasyati | ( 175,18ff); (197,14); krtam ' subhru sambhramena |

1001 At times a proper name, coming at the very end of a long sentence hashington extending over a couple of pages, makes a noble climax, as in tasyam ca bhuvanatryascaryabhutayam nagarya meghavahano nama | or in : 396 395 sabhama raja ; tasya sarvvada kusumaphalasamrdhdasa khini sikhara prsthe prasthitah samaraketurekada nidagha- samaye mahabhogaparisaram drstaparabhidhanam saro drstavana | where the name of a person or a place presents a definite = image at which our thought halts for a moment%3B there is a picture in our mind, and it is more final, because it is more defined than the more general thoughts aan which have 397 gone before. Dhanapala rarely repeats the same word in the same sentence or in its close proximity, some times in the same paragraph, so much so that at times he uses descriptive periphrase for it if the same word he must needs use. Words move with him very easily in rapid succession at times resulting in a quick and passionate heaping up of epithets, in the descriptions of kings and princesses, of cities and palaces, of lakes and forests, and in laments and denunciation, as in : ati laksmi madavikararekhalikrto vyasanacakrapidamanakrsto visaya- grahayantritah pramadamapremanigadera jadi krtah paramesvaryasamnipatena meghavahanah | - (14,6ff.) ; raja 395.Tilakamanjari,pp.12-14./ 396.ibid., pp.202-205. /397. SSOS,p.146.

1002 or in : tasam ca madhye sabdadhamiva vidhana, kaisiki miva rasavrttinama, upajatimiva chandojatina, yaha jatimivalamkrtinam vaidarbhimiva ritinam prasattimiva ka - vyagunasampada, pamcamakutimiva gitina, rasoktimiva bhanitinamadhikamudmasa - manama, or in : (divyarupa kanyaka madradama, | ) (159,15££); ---- amuktattahasamara byasphotana krtakata dipamupanantatandavama, --- (sarah ) -- (204,8ff.) . register With the change of/rezard and mood the language AUD also changes into graceful or forceful, simple or subtle, sweet or harsh, as in : vatsa, svagatam te | samghu krtam yadatragato'si | anena tava nisargasundarena drstamatrena dehakarena purusakareneva bhutena srimananditam me kimapi netrayugmama | dhanyastvameko jagati or in : kamalagupta, kimayamasthane viplavaprapamcah | nayanasrstya samamadha janma jina saphalamabhunmama | or in : ga ·1 (101,14ff.); (113,7); drste bhavati (218,llff.); sarvamavadharitam te vacaname | amgikrtascayam nayakah | kimtu tisthatu tavatha- vadahamihastha |svasthanamupagata tu kamcimadhyamata grahisya myainam |(288,21¤£.); or in : mahabhaga, bhagyamadrsa mihanito'si utistha | sarvvada sukhocitamapi dehi katicitpadani gamanakhedasya tanuma | anugrhana darsanena vanavasino 'sya janasya vasatima (256,12ff.);

1 or in : 1003 utpadita sagotraputraparivara vairini tvayahama, | (335,18) • His sentences vary in length, as does the compounds therein. He is adept at organizing syntactical dENERI sequences consisting of a quick succession of short phrases or sentences, marked with fluency, as in : yatra naramgapanasakadalaprayamasanam nalikeri phalarasaprayam panam, muktaphalaprayama- marana, krpaprayam dharmanusthanam, danaprayam karmma, satyasamcaprayamacaranam, sastra- vicaranaprayo vinodo nivasi lokasya | (260,1lff); or in : • yadim ca satyameva tasyastrastamrgadrsastadrsam rupam tato jitam jagati vidhaghara- jatya | duramapasarito nihsaratapravado nijah samsarena | praptamavadhi- mabalarupakalpana silpavaidagdhyam vidheh | stambhito rambhadisura vilasini vargasya saubhagyagarvah | nivrta lavanyagunaganana rataih | pravrtah saptalokilokali - cananamacintito mahotsavah | (175,lff.). In elaborate descriptions, for instance, of Ayodhya, Vindhya forest, Adrstapara lake and etc., consisting of long-winded compounds often extending to a couple of lines, he conjoins the component subordinate sentences by means of antecedents with a variety of case-endings, such as, ya yasyam ca yasca yasya ca yasmimsca etc. And he ski 11fully weaves therein beautiful patterns of allusions from mythology, philosophical systems, religious beliefs, musicaz xx=gnekx_science of music, painting, dancing, Erotics and what not.

1004 His lexical and morphological craftsmanship is exhibited on various occasions, such as : imapatinam brmhitena vajinam henitena syandananam citkrtena sutkarena capayastinam tamkrtena rathakaitananam katutkarena rudhirapaganam ghutkarena (87,13ff.); naracanam samaramerinam makarana kuru sthira caitah | cintaya atmiyakalpama, | arpaya idanayoramjanama, | niyojaya bhujayugalama | (145,5ff.); --- kathamavartayadbhih prabhavamavayadbhih samarthya samayamanah satvikata muda hara dbhih 1. kirtayadmih --- sahasikata mudghayadmih --- punyaparinatim prapamcayadbhih satyadigunaganam grnadbhih mahimanamu - ----- padmam mudamaghat | (63,3ff.). His syntactical patterns have often that a peculiar throb of life in idiomatic structures, 398 some of which evince a probable influence of the popular Prakrit or ApabhramAx sa dialects spoken around Ujjayini and Dhara in those days, as in the following instances : atyantamapurita kopena bhutva purah asti me vilambah (299,21); utsadita vairini tvayahama, (335,18); yah guptena bhutva --: prapaniya lekhah (335,18); (349,15); tatra hi krte (328,8); -- tisthati sa te jivitesah (346,22ff.); dapaya prayanama (290,19ff.); 398, See Appendix S

devanam priyena 1005 (406,21); busaya matvavadhirayadbhih (119,11); muktakanthamaticiram prarodita, -- (417,16); -(283,2); mulyamudaghatryadbhih --- (118,16); mugdho varakah sarvatha yadasti tadastu 6(60,5); (422,12ff.); -(192,12). sthapitam lagnam, and --- haste cakara There is a similar air of living language in the peculiarly striking syntactical structure of the following remark of Taraka: kumarasyapim yadi idrsya narendranuvrtya yadi bhaktya yadi loka- marganusaranena yadhanyadesayatra sthitivilokana kutuhalena yujyate gantum prastutasyapi prayojanasya sidhdakyame - ( 323, 1ff). vavasarah | The prose sentences of Dhanapala many a time incorporate partial rhythm of a number of Sanskrit metres: Thus, a fragment of Anustubh can be easily noticed in : ko'ham tava parajaye or in (98,8); or in : kimasti jagati yastvam samarakarmanam karoti vimukhama yatu mukhthairnrpatibhih samam samakalameva nitva or in : (98,9); --(98,9ff.); param kotimarudha svamibhavasya sarvvada | ( 23,5).

1006 The biginning of Prthvi metre is seen in : + prasadapaya tvaya racitamcatura prasadhanah the (268, 3). ; Similarly, the beginning of ■ Malini metre can be noticed in : parinatavayaso'pi sadhastarunata pratipadhante | (268,4). The concluding fragment of the fourth quarter of the A Arya metre is found in: sattve sthita satyanirmukta svapne'pyajatasvairinisamga appeal A shade of Dandaka metre can be marked in: (23,6ff.). kujitanumiyamananilapallavaprabhandhakaravagunthitakalakanthakulasya - - (106,711.)'. At times Dhanapala utilizes the peculiar syntactical style used in debates. Thus, a tinge of Argument by Elimination is quite apparent in : katham punah prayatavyam | na tavata yujyate gamanam | naupi vaitaddyavartmani saprtanamparikarasya utsuke sarvatah rajalo ke katipaya ptapurusa - krtasa hayakena sakyate tatkartuma, | tada- mityarthadupagatam, ekakina nisithe prasthatavya- (197,8ff.). And as has been pointed out by Santyacarya, the author of the Tippanaka commentary on the Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala, Dhanapala has ■ employed the Vadipatra style in the verse depicting the unrivalled beauty of various limbs of Malayasundari, as is evident from the phrases like 'patram datte ' anuvadati • and "purvapakaroti 399 'dusayati ' That Dhanapala is a master of Sanskrit prose is, of 399. Tilakamanjari,p.255(23ff.); also see supra p,862 where the verse is quoted in full.

1 1007 course, a foregone conclusion as can be deduced from the varieties of his syntactical structures, his effective use of pithy idiomatic and proverbial usages, his vast vocabulary derived from a deep study of various Kosas, social as well as positive sciences, fine arts and keen observation of life around him. Grammatical ab aberrations are rare in Dhanapala as is evident from Appendix R. So far as vocabulary is concerned, Dhanapala seems to have normally preferred familiar words using them in widely popular senses. But when he uses familiar words in unusual senses and some unfamiliar words like (= atribe of 'cihnaka ki kara Magadha region), '' (= a type of red jewel), '14 paryana (= insignia; crest), for (= mount of a horse or an ele- bhogamvali pracalaki phant), (= a peacock), 'stant) (= a panegyric), and so on, he seems to have drawn them from the Trikandasenakosa of Purusottamadeva, since they are not found in the Amarakosa nor in the Nama-mala☎ of Dhananjaya nor in that of Bhoja. His fondness for coining new words seems to have a■ won him encomiums from Hemacandra who acknowledges to have drawn upon him in his Abhidhana-cintamani.401 P There has been a marked influence of local Erakrit or Apabhramsa on Dhanapala's vocabulary in the Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala; we come across word like 'cihuracaya ' enix 400. See Appendix Q. '' and others which are found 401. cf. Abhidhana-cintamani of Hemachandra, Intro. vs.3b of his own Vrtti: vyutpattirdhanapalata |

1008 only in his Prakrit Dictionary called Paia-lacchi-namamala. Moreover, there are a few words like and others, which have been noticed as purely Desya words by Hemacandra in his Desi-namamala. And we are really puzzled in this matter when the poet evinces his awareness about the traffic of words from Sanskrit 402 to Prakrit, though it seems the process here has been the other way round ! Similarly, inspite of the poet's awareness and dislike for the linguistic interchange of the alveolar and the labial fricatives, viz., ■ 's' (11) and 'S' (7), in Sanskrit 's' words as has been slyly expressed by him in an introductory verse 40% he himself may have to be held guilty of the same process, unless we shift the blame on to the scribe! But from a purely linguistic point of view there is no question of blame. On the other hand, it would amply prove that Dhanapala was fairly in rapport with the popular linguistic trnd of his time which must needs be reflected in the language of the poet.