Essay name: Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala (study)
Author:
Shri N. M. Kansara
Affiliation: Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda / Department of Sanskrit Pali and Prakrit
This is an English study of the Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala, a Sanskrit poem written in the 11th century. Technically, the Tilaka-manjari is classified as a Gadyakavya (“prose-romance”). The author, Dhanapala was a court poet to the Paramara king Munja, who ruled the Kingdom of Malwa in ancient west-central India.
Chapter 16 - The Tilakamanjari as a Sanskrit novel
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with action, since, when we hear the characters talking in
addition to seeing them act and move, we are all the more
readily persuaded to that illusion of reality which is so
essential to our enjoyment of the yarn.
Dhanapāla has the habit of putting long-wounded dialo-
gues amounting to monologues in the mouth of his characters.
The prominent instances of such long inɛiя speeches in dia-
logue are the following ones :
313 King Meghavāhana's words welcoming the Vidyadhara Muni
the king's
and the latter' long reply and his account of the lack of
male-child and the Muni's advice and imparting of Aparājitā
314 Vidya.
The account of Meghavahana's lack of a son assumes the
form of a monologue when the king, describing how difficult
it was to convince the queen, reports the speeches of both
himself and his queen alternately.
The dialogue is more dramatic, natural and full of li-
315.
ght satire when the king encounters the Vetāla. The senten-
ces are crisp and here the dialogue assumes a highly natural
touch.
Similar is the case about the dialogue between the Go-
316 ddess Sri and King Meghavahana wherein, though the speech of
313. TM(N), pp.26(2-14); 26(14)- 27(13).
314. ibid., pp.27(17)-30(1); 30(3)-31(3); 31(13)-32(5).
315. ibid.,pp.49(2)-52(16).
316. ibid.,pp.(55(12)- 61(5).
