Rāvaṇārjunīya of Bhaṭṭabhīma

[Full title: Indian Contribution to Śāstrakāvya Tradition (2): Rāvaṇārjunīya of Bhaṭṭabhīma]

Rāvaṇārjunīya otherwise called Arjunarāvaṇīya is an important Śāstrakāvya written by Bhaṭṭabhīma (Bhaṭṭabhauma). His date and place were uncertain.

But it can be calculate his date as not later than 11^th Century, since the name Bhaumaka was mentioned in Suvṛttatilaka of Kṣemendra.

bhaṭṭibhaumakakāvyādi kāvyaśāsraṃ pracakṣate |^[1]

In twenty cantos, it deals with the story of fight between Kārtavīryārjuna and Rāvaṇa and at thesame time it illustrates the aphorisms of Pāṇini. The illustration of Paniniyan rules are in the same order of Aṣṭhādhyāyī omitting the Saṃjñāsūtras and sūtras related to Vedic language.

Some examples from the poem are as follows:—

śeraḥ pavitvā svakulaṃ ca pūtvā yasya praṇatya nṛpatermanuṣyāḥ |
jātāḥ praṇamyā janatāśatānāṃ mahatsu bhaktirmahate phalāya ||
sadvṛttapūtāḥ pavitānvavāyaṃ dra¹ṭuṃ tamāyanmunayo'pi mānyāḥ |
ākarṣamantrairiva satprayogairākṛṣyate sādhuguṇairna ko nā ||^[2]

Different forms of the root pūṅ is exemplifies here when followed by the affix ktvā as per the rule pūṅaḥ ktvā ca (1.2.22).

Another rule pumān striyā (1.2.67) is illustrated thus:—

cakāra kāntārahitaṃ sametya yā pratibhājaṃ śaradāśu haṃsam |
nāviprayuktāvapi sā mayūrau sarvatra hetorna samā hi vṛttiḥ ||^[3]

In the verse,

na dhārayaḥ śeṣa ivāvanenṛpaḥ smaraṃ vijigye kṛtadehamaṇḍanaḥ |
āyojyamekaṃ guruvigrahasthitaṃ vaśī parājeṣṭa yathārimaṇḍalam ||^[4]

vijigye and parājeṣṭa are examples for the rule viparābhyāṃ jeḥ (1.3.19).

In this manner the author incorporates examples for Paninian rules in his poem and Rāvaṇārjunīya is an important contribution to the Śātrakāvya literature.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Suvṛttatilaka of Kṣemendra, Dipak Kumar Sharma,v. III.4

[2]:

Rāvaṇārjunīya, v.I.20-21

[3]:

ibid,v. I.43

[4]:

ibid,v. II.9