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OCTOBER, 1893.]
NOTES ON TUL'SI DAS..
poet of any age. In the specimens taken from his other works I have shown what power the poet had over language, and how full that language would be either of tenderness, or of soulabsorbing devotion to the Deity whom he adored, and if I now give an extract from the Tul's-krit Ramayan it is not as a specimen of the work, but to show Tal'sî Dâs in his lighter, perhaps more artificial mood, in which, with neatness and brevity of expression worthy of Kalidasa or of Horace, he paints the marvellous transformation of nature which accompanies the change from one Indian season to another. I allude to the well-known passage in the Kishkindhya-kand which describes the rainy season, and the coming of autumn (Ch. 14 and ff). I follow Chhakkan Lâl's text, as usual, in this paper.
A word as to the style. Tu'lsi Dâs here adopts a series of balanced, antithetic sentences,each line consisting of a statement of fact and of a simile,-the latter often of a religious nature. This method of writing closely resembles that adopted by Kâlidâsa in portions of the first book of the Raghuvamsa, and still more that of the Book of Proverbs. Thus, (Prov. xxvi, 7 and ff.
"The legs of the lame are not equal;
So is a parable in the mouth of fools. As he that bindeth a stone in a sling;
So is he that giveth honour to a fool. As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard; So is a parable in the mouth of fools.
In the same style, Tul'sî Dâs here says
As the sheet lightning flickereth,
So is the short-lived love of the wicked. As the clouds heavy with rain bow down to the earth, So boweth (humbly) the wise man full of wisdom.
As the mountains heed not the assaults of the raindrops,
So the holy man heedeth not the words of the wicked.
Chaupas. Ghana ghamanda nabha garajata ghorá Priya-hina mana darapata môrá Dámini damaka raha na ghana mahin Khala kai priti jatha thiru nahin II Barakhahin jalada bhumi niardé |
Jatha nawahin budha bidyá páé Bunda agháta sahahin giri kaise
Khala ke bachana santa saha jaise 11 Chhudra nadi bhari chali tordi
Jasa thôra hu dhana khala itará 11 Bhumi parata bha dhabara páni
Janu jivali máyá lapafání || Samili samiti jala bharahin taláwa |
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The translation given by me below will be found to be more full than the above, but it will be seen that, throughout, the text is built on this principle.
Jimi sadaguna sajjana pahin áwá || Sarita jala jala-nidhi mahun di
Hoi achala jimi jiva Hari pat Ꭰöha. .
-
Harita bhúmi trina sankula Jimi pakhanda báda ten
samujhi parahin nahin pantha | gupta hohin sadagrantha ||'14 ||
