Indian Antiquary Vol 42

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 11

JANUARY, 1913. THE RAMACHARITAMANASA AND THE RAMAYANA
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(37) The words with which Ráma is informed of Daçaratha's death are qualified by Tulasi Dîsa as kulisa-kathora ... katu bani (R. C.M., II, 247, 5a): Valniki in the corresponding passage has the same image of the thunderbolt, only more developed :
B, IT, 111, 9-10 (C, II, 103, 2-3): tam tu vajram ivo' tspishtam Abave Danaväriņa vâgvajram Bharateno 'ktam amanojñam niçamya tu 11 9 11 pragļihya bahů Râmo 'tha pushpitagro drumo yatha
vane paraçunâ ksittas tatha bhūmau papata sah 11 10 11 . (33) Bharata before taking any deliberation consults Rama's sandals : B, II, 127, 15-17 (C, II, 115, 23-21):
R. C. M., II, 325, 9-10 : tatas tu Bbaratah çrimân abhishichyâ'ryapâduke sa Lalavya- nita půjata prabhu-pâṁvari priti na janam tatra dharayâ mâba cha svayani || 16 | pâduke tv břidaya samâti | mângi mâmgi abhishichya'tha Nandigrâme purottame, | Bharatah câsanam Ayasu karata râja-kâja bahu bhamsarvam padukabhyam nyavedayat || 17 II .
ti || .. (39) The scratching of the ground with one's toes, which Tulasi Dasa more than once mentions as a token of grief, is also found in the R. I quote for the comparison two passages from the Ayodhydkdnda : B, II, 80, 15 (C wanting):
| R. C.M., II, 281, 66: tam aråkçirasam bhůmiņ charaņâgreņa Raghavam mali nakha likhana lagîi saba vilikhantam uvâchartam Vasishtho bhagavan pishih || 15 11. sochana II.
Aranyakanda. (10) Tulasi Dasa begins the Aranyakânda by saying that he bas already sung tbe great affection shown by the citizens and Bharata, and that he will thenceforward sing the acts that Rama wrought in the forest. No doubt Tulasi Dása refers here to the sarga 105 of the Ayodhyakanda in B, where Valmiki describes Râmn's and Sita's pastimes in a cave of the Chitrakata and then the episode of the crow. Tulasi Disa joins the tio parts together, condensing the first part within a single chanpdi and describing the second one at some length, but with great alterations. Here is the chanpdi replacing the first part of the earga :
R. C.M., III, 1, 3-4 : eko barn chuni kusuma suhîye nija kara blûshana Rama banaye
Sitabi pahirûye prabhu sidara baithe phatika-sila para sundara il With the few touches above Talasi Dasa sums up imperfectly the whole substance of the verses 11, II, 105, 1-30, in which it is described how Râmn, after showing Sita the Chitrakûts and the Mandakini, entered with her into a cave in the mountain, sat down upon a rock (gildpatta, cild) to take rest, and then placed the tilaka on her with his finger, which lie had rubled on a piece of Arsenic, and a lorned her hair with flowers.
The second part of the sarga, namely the episode of the crow (13, II, 105, 38-58), is narrated somewhat differently by Talasi Dasa. The crow for Tulasi Disa is none else than Jayanta, Indra's son, in the disguise of a bird. There is no mention of Jayanta in B, II, 105; but in another passage of the R. (common to C, B), where the same episode is repeated, we find Tulasi Dasa's version, which is certainly a later interpretation of the episode :
B, V, 68, 9 (C, V, 67, 10):
sutah kila sa Çakrasya vayasah patatam varah
Tulasi Dasa maintains the point of the loss of one eye, but does not explain it as Valmiki does, so that the fact looks strange and obscure in the R. C. M., as a reader who is not acquainted with