Indian Antiquary Vol 42

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

Page 184

176
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(JUNE, 1913,
resembles) the unfathomable spirit (Brahman), that is the cause of the origination and the destruction (of the world) which consists of both good and bad people.' Thu poetic figure used here is a sleshamalmi Rapakam, i. e., a metaphor which is brought about by the double meaning of the words used. This instance reminds us very much of the play on words found in Subandhu and Båņa. This is, however, the only instance of the kind, in the whole of the prasasti, & circumstance which shows, that Harisheņa, like Kalidasa and other adherents of the Vailurbhi riti, indeed, regarded the Slesha as a poetic embellishment, but himself shunned the insipidly frequent use of the same. Harishena, however, does not direct his attention 80 much to the use of Alainkdras, as to the fine execution of the pictures of the several situations under description, and to the choice as well as the arrangement of words. Of the former, verse 4, the only vorse that can be restored completely, is a typical example in point, which depicts the manner in which Samudragupta was ordained by his father to be his successor :
4. Here is a noble man !'. With these words, the father embraced him, with shivers of joy that spoke of his affection, and looked at him, with eyes heavy with tears and overcome with love--the courtiers breathing freely with joy and the kingmen of equal grado looking up with sad faces-and said to him: 'Protect then this whole earth.'
It is not possible to have a more concise and a more graphic picture of the situation. There is not a word which is unnecessary; and one believes as if he sees the scene with his own eyes, how the old Chandragupta, in the presence of his sons, each of whom hoped to have the highest fortune, and of his court household who were afraid lest the choice may fall on an unworthy person, turns round to his favourite son. This verse is one of the best productions the Indians have given us, in the domain of miniature-portraits, which is their forte. This very example woald also illustrate Harishena's special care for the choice and arrangement of words, a qualification which can be easily seen even in other parts of the composition, both metrical and prose. In the proeo part, there are inserted between the long compounds, at definite intervals, shorter phraser, in order to enable the reciter to draw his breath and the hearer to catch the sense. In the long compounds, the words are so chosen as to bring about a certain rhythm throngh the succession of short and long syllables; and care ia taken to see that this rhythm changes from time to time. This can be best seen by a representation of the design of the compounds occurring in lines 17-22, by marking the accents as is customary in recitation. The lines in onestion contain only seven long compounds, the arrangement of whose syllables is as follows:
1. you love julv / voltu 2. úvol vulvaúl Luis3. vául-dur
4. bowl volu--/-ul Lour busuluboy-suse Zlotuul vacu- lulu-ul-lucu-ivult woulu
5. -uulutu -u-uuluululululuuluv il-tuulutluluulivul- uullul-juvefulullah Tutul-lululul tuvo lulul Luvvululuuluu tultu - wulul tuula-1 Lowl u-1 u 1 tulutat
- 6
، ا إب
ا
که در به دیگر را با ت ا ل
vicult-1 su-i iu-t-/utul cu 7. uutuul - wol-tul