5. Abhijñānaśākuntala in Kuntaka’s treatment

Abhijñānaśākuntala, the master piece of Kālidāsa has the quality of both poetry and drama. The thread of the drama is taken from Mahābhārata, but the innovative techniques of Kālidāsa took its fame all over the world. The episode of curse and the introduction of the characters like Anasūyā, Priyamvadā, Śārṅgarava, Śāradvata, Sānumatī etc. emerged from the poetic imagination of Kālidāsa. The charm of this drama from its original source is like the new sprouts and blossoms of dried tree after rain. Kuntaka cites twelve verses from Śākuntala. As in the case of mahākāvya’ s, Kuntaka cites verses from Śākuntala also for depicting contextual figuratveness and some figure of speeches etc.

1. Compositional figurativeness

According to Kuntaka, selection of proper title of the work also comes under the variety of compositional figurativeness. Straight forward titles of a composition like Śiśupālavadha, Rāmacarita are not appealing. According to him, such titles will never produce any charm to the work. Title of every composition should signify the soul of the theme. For signifying the beauty of a title he suggests the names like Abhijñānaśākuntala, Mudrārākṣasa etc. Kuntaka’s observation is valuable because some time people choose an unfamiliar novel, films etc. only being fascinated by its title. Kuntaka has selected numerous instances from the works of Kālidāsa for substantiating his five varieties of figurativeness except phonetic figurativeness. One and only work taken for discussing compositional figurativeness of Kālidāsa is Abhijñānaśākuntala. In this drama the ring play an important role for the smooth development of the theme. So the title given to this drama will definitely fascinate the readers while reading this masterpiece.

2. Contextual figurativeness

According to Kuntaka a beautiful context is enough to contribute extreme charm to a whole work. This is what he called as contextual figurativeness.

Through one of the variety of it he says that:-

“When a poet is constructing a plot of his own, based though it might be on a well-known source, if he succeeds in infusing even a small streak of originality, the beauty gained thereby will be singular. Even an episode too can shine forth as the vital essence of the work as a whole, brimful of sentiments reaching their utmost limit.”^[1]

For substantiating his argument Kuntaka cites a context from Śākuntala. The original story of Śākuntala in Mahābhārata is really a small and bare story. In the original source, Duṣyanta forgets Śakuntala without any strong reason. It is the duty of a poet to depict a literary piece with an ideal hero. Otherwise it will adversely affect the society. So for avoiding such impropriety Kālidāsa brilliantly depicts a curse episode and thus provided a strong reason for Duṣyanta’s forgetfulness.

The curse is as follows:-

vicintayantī yamananyamānasā taponithim vetsi na māmupastitham/
smariṣyati tvām na sa bodhito’ pi san kathām pramattaḥ pratham kṛtāmiva//^[2]

“That person, thinking of whom, with a mind regardless of anything else, you notice not me, atreasure of penance, come here-he will not remember you though reminded (by you), just as an intoxicated man does not (remember) the talk made before (while drunk).”^[3]

These words are the curse of the great sage named Durvāsa towards Śakuntalā because she had not noticed the sage’s arrival and does not receive him properly as she is immersed in the thoughts of her beloved. This curse episode is one of the noticeable innovations made by Kālidāsa in Śākuntala. By the request of her friends, the sage somehow modified the curse that it will last till the king happens to see the signet ring given to her. Unfortunately on the way back to the king she lost her ring in a river while taking bath. Then there aroused some dramatic incidents that a fish swallows the ring being attracted by the red stone in it thinking it as a flesh. Then a fisherman caught the fish and happened to saw the ring and at last bestows it to Duṣyanta. Thus Kālidāsa succeeds in depicting an extremely beautiful plot filled with sentiments to delight the readers. Such incidents really help to increase the beauty of the entire play. Through this curse episode Kālidāsa depicts Duṣyanta as an ideal hero.

Another notable incident of this play is that a beautiful song sung by Haṃsapadikā at the proper time helped to arouse a complete nostalgic mood in the mind of readers.

ramyāṇi vīkṣya madhurāṃśca niśamya śabdān paryutsukī bhavati yatsukhitopi jantuḥ/
taccetasā smarati nūnamabodhapūrvam bhāvasthirāṇi jananāntarasauhṛdāni//^[4]

“When a being, although in enjoyment or happiness, becomes perturbed on seeing charming objects or on hearing agreeable sounds, then, indeed, he mentally remembers, without being conscious (of the fact), the associations (friendships) of past lives remaining permanently impressed (on the mind).”^[5]

Even Duṣyanta does not have the memories of Śakuntalā, he has some great unexplainable feeling in him. Moreover the incidents like the agony of Śakuntalā while she has been rejected by Duṣyanta, his inability to recognize Śakuntalā even after the removal of her veil, Śakuntalā’s attempt to reminds the king by saying some of their former amorous secrets, and at last the repentance of Duṣyanta with considerable moderation after getting the ring etc. will really delight the readers. The depiction of pathetic condition of Duṣyanta through the words of kañcukī is noteworthy. Duṣyanta discards all his special decorations but woreonly a golden armlet in his left forearm, his lover lip became reddish due to his heaving sighs, his eyes became very tired by sleeplessness due to the anxious thought of his beloved, his slimness remain unnoticed due to his natural grace like a polished gem.

Duṣyanta says these words by looking the picture of Śakuntalā drawn by him. ‘Oh! Bee if you touch the bimba fruit like lip of my beloved, which is softer than the tender leaf of a younger plant and is even very gently drunk by me in amorous sports, I will imprison you in the interior portion of a lotus.’ There are also some other verses in the text to delineate the pathetic plight of Duṣyanta. Such verses will create an intense feeling in the mind of whole readers. The modifications to the original story consisting of the curse episode and repentance of Duṣyanta after getting the ring helps Kālidāsa to depict Duṣyanta as an ideal hero. This drama has been subjected to the study and analysis by various scholars in later years. Kuntaka’s analysis of this drama can be seen as a first attempt to analyse the beauty of the drama as a whole.

Kuntaka cites only the curse episode as the variety of contextual figurativeness. There are some other incidents like introduction of the characters like Anasūyā, Priyamvadā, Śārṅgarava, Śāradvata, the episode of Sānumatī and the fisherman are also beautiful modifications made by the master poet. Kuntaka would like to point out the most fascinating instance to get the attention of the readers. Through this all other small incidents can envisage the readers themselves.

3. Sentential figurativeness

In the third unmeṣa Kuntaka has given a detailed description about sentential figurativeness.

Before discussing it in detail he has briefly mentioned about the figurativeness find in the words of a sentence. Kuntaka defines it as follows:-

rasādidyotanam yasyāmupasarganipātayoḥ/
vākyaikajīvitatvena sāparā padavakratā//^[6]

“In a poem where the prepositions and indeclinables (upasargas and nipātas) are employed only to suggest rasas as the sole essence of a poem as a whole, we have what may be called another type of ‘word-beauty’.”^[7]

Kuntaka cites yet another verse from Śākuntala as an instance to this. The verse is as follows:-

muhuraṅgulisamvṛtādharoṣṭham pratiṣedhākṣaraviklavābhirāmam/
mukhamamsavivartti pakṣmalākṣyāḥ kathamapyunnamitam na cumbitam tu//^[8]

In this verse Kālidāsa beautifully depicts Duṣyanta’s intense passion towards Śakuntalā after seeing her in a hermitage at first time. Duṣyanta is deeply fascinated by the beauty of Śakuntalā and regrets to miss his first chance to kiss the beautiful maiden. In this verse ‘tu’ strengthen the repentance of Duṣyanta and also provide extreme charm to this particular verse. Thus though the word ‘tu’ situated in a particular place of this verse it contributes beauty to the whole verse.

In the third unmeṣa after discussing the three entities associated with poetry like word, content and process of communication (śabda, artha and uktivaicitrya), Kuntaka then categorize the things described.

He defines it as follows:-

bhāvānāmaparimlānasvabhāvaucityasundaram/
cetanānām jaḍānām ca svarūpam dvividham smṛtam//
tatra pūrvam prakārābhyām dvābhyāmeva vibhidyate/
surādisiṃhaprabhṛtiprādhānyetarayogataḥ//^[9]

“Subject of poetry described in all their undimmed propriety and beauty of nature come to be classed under two heads, namely, the sentient and non-sentient. Of these the first class can be subdivided again under two heads-god’s etc. and lions etc. These may be either primary or subsidiary in the poet’s treatment.”^[10]

The first i.e., the primary kind is made beautiful by a spontaneous presentation of emotions like love.

The second is rendered lovely by a description of the animals etc. in a way natural to their species.

mukhyamakliṣṭaratyādiparipoṣamanoharam/
svajātyujitahevākasamullekhojvalam param//^[11]

“The first i.e., the primary kind is made beautiful by a spontaneous presentation of emotions like love. The second is rendered lovely by a description of the animals etc. in a way natural to their species.”^[12]

Kuntaka cites the next verse of Śākuntala as an example to the second variety mentioned above. In this variety the poets beautifully describes the individual character of each species appropriate to their genus, very naturally and aesthetically for appealing the readers. The verse mentioned below reveals Kālidāsa’s excellence in explaining the natural traits of a deer.

The verse grīvābhaṅgābhirāmam…^[13] will really bring forth the clear picture of a deer while reading it.

“Flinging a glance ever and anon at the pursuing chariot in a way graceful on account of the bending of his neck, having with the major portion of his hinder part entered the fore part of his body through the fear of the descent of an arrow, and strewing his path with half-chewed darbha grass dropping from his mouth gaping through exhaustion, behold how he, on account of his lofty boundings, traverse more through the sky, and less on the ground.”^[14]

These makes clear that Kuntaka was very careful in taking verses for every minute explanation. He had selected few verses for explaining certain figures of speeches like dṛṣṭāntaḥ, corroboration (arthāntaranyāsa) and apahnuti. The instance for explaining figurativeness named poetic concealment or apahnuti is given below.

According to this figurativeness as its name indicates, the natural quality of the described subject is concealed for endowing some unique nature to it.

tava kusumaśaratvam śītaraśmitvamindordvayamidamayathārtham dṛśyate madvidheṣu/
visṛjati himagarbhairagnimindurmayūkhais-tvamapi kusumabhāṇān vajrasārīkaroṣi//^[15]

“Your having flowery arrows, and the moon’s cool rays: both these things appear to be untrue in the case of persons like me; (for) the moon showers fire with rays having cold in the interior; and you, too, make your flower-arrows have the hardness of adamant.”^[16]

These are the words of Duṣyanta after having deep love towards Śakuntalā. In this verse the poet brilliantly depicts the poetic concealment through suggestive way but not directly. Here the poet applies hardness and cruel nature to the already delicate natured objects like flower-arrows of cupid and moon rays. Kuntaka’s appraisal of this drama is explicit by his citation for both minute observations and contextual analysis. Through the contextual analysis, Kuntaka leads the attention of the readers in to the soul of this drama.

4. Grammatical figurativeness

The first verse cites from Śākuntala by Kuntaka is an example of figurativeness related to number (saṅkhyāvakratā), one of the varieties of grammatical figurativeness. When the poet deliberately interchanges the numbers for creating vaicitrya is known as saṅkhyāvakratā. Here the poet uses singular or dual number in the place, where actually other number is essential. He may use two different numbers in a same sentence for creating this type of vakratā. As an example to this, Kuntaka quotes the last line from one of the famous verses from

Abhijñānaśākuntala of Kālidāsa, which is:-

vayam tattvānveṣānmadhukara hatāstvam khalu kṛtī//^[17]

These are the words of Duṣyanta to the bee when he sees the bee moving around the face of a beautiful girl, who attracted Duṣyanta at the first sight in a hermitage. He says that we are discontented by the search of the truth about this girl but the bee indeed is blessed. Because the bee repeatedly touches the tremulous eye of that girl with its corner moving playfully, humming smoothly in her ear feeling as if it is whispering a secret to her. Though she is waving her hand the bee is drinking her lower lip, the sole treasure of pleasure. Here the poet uses the word vayam instead of saying aham, which means the poet uses the plural ‘we’ instead of the singular ‘I’ for indicating that Duṣyanta is really a stranger to Śakuntalā and also shows that there is no any deep relation between them at that moment. Such interchange of number will create an inexplicable beauty to the verse and surely entertain the readers.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

K. Krishnamoorthy,op.cit,p.541.

[2]:

ibid,p.249.

[3]:

M.R. Kale, The Abhijñānaśākuntala of Kālidāsa, p.123.

[4]:

ibid,p.250.

[5]:

ibid,p.161.

[6]:

K. Krishnamoorthy,op.cit,.p.120.

[7]:

ibid,p.406.

[8]:

ibid,p.121.

[9]:

ibid,p.137.

[10]:

ibid,pp.423-424.

[11]:

ibid,p.138.

[12]:

ibid,p.424.

[13]:

grīvābhaṅgābhirāmam muhuranupatati syandane baddhadṛṣṭiḥ paścārdhena praviṣṭaḥ śarapatanabhayād bhūyasā pūrvakāyam/ dharbhairardhāvalīḍhaiḥ śramavivṛtamukhabhraṃśibhiḥ kīrṇavatmā paśyodagraplutatvādviyati bahutaram stokamurvyām prayāti/.

[14]:

M.R. Kale, op.cit, p.15.

[15]:

K. Krishnamoorthy,op.cit,.p.237.

[16]:

M.R. Kale, op.cit, p.89.

[17]:

cālāpāṅgām dṛṣṭim spṛśasi bahuśo vepathumatīm rahasyākhyāyīva svanasi mṛdu karṇṇāntikacaraḥ/ karau vyādhunvatyāḥ pibasi ratisarvasvamadharam vayam tattvānveṣānmadhukara hatāstvam khalu kṛtī//.