Indian Antiquary Vol 42

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

Page 20

THE INDIAN ANTIQUAR.
[JANUARY, 1913.
innovation by Talasi Dasa.18 It is the sarga C, VI, 40 (failing in (A), B), where Valmiki inserts an episode wbich, though appearing at first sight to greatly differ from that of Tulasi Disa, yet has a very close analogy with the latter. Rama ascends the Suvela with his retinue (C, VI, 49, 1) and thence turns his eyes to the ten cardinal points (40,2 ) and sees Laúka, above which Rivana is sitting on the top of the gopura (40, 8).
The first epithets with which Valmiki describes Râvaņa here are: gretachdmaraparyanta and vijayachchhatrapobhita (40, 4), next come also the epithets : nila/fmitasamkáça hemasamchhaditámbara (40, 5), and lastly the simile :
samdhyâtapena samchhannam megharaçim ivå 'mbare 1 6 11 In my judgment there can be no doubt as to Tulasi Dasa's having derived from the above description by Valmiki the first part of his innovation, viz., Râma's illusion of actually taking Rävaun and his umbrella for a mass of clouds.
Then Valmiki goes on saying that Sagriva, as soon as he saw Ravana, leaped upon him and tore the crown from his head and dashed it to the ground:
ity uktva sahaso 'tpatya pupluve tasya cho 'pari
aksishya mukutam chitrat pâtayâmîsa tad bhuvi || 11 || And this is certainly the source of the second part of Tulasi Dâsa's innovation, vit., of Rama's striking down with an arrow Ravana's umbrella and crowns (along with Mandodari's earrings). Talasi Diss, who always strives to exalt Rama as much as possible, has deemed it convenient to ascribe to him even this feat, wbich in the R. is performed by Sugriva, and in consequence has been forced to change the particular of the leap and wrestle (convenient for the monkey, but not for Rama) into that of the arrow.
As for the ascension of the Savela mountain and the consequent view of the rising moon, I think both of them are derived from surga C, VI, 38 (B, VI, 14), where Valmiki, too, describes the ascension of the mountain and the fall of the night illuminated by the foll moon (C, VI, 38, 13 ; B, VI, 14, 24).
(76) Mandodari tries to persuade Rivaņa to give up fighting against Rama -it cannot . be an ordinary man that slew Viradha, Klaara, Trigiras and Kabandha and killed Vklin with a single arrow : B, VI, 33, 230 and ff. (C wanting):
R. C.M., VI, 36, 14-15: Kharag cha nibatah samkhye tada Rimo na mânushah badhi Birâdha Khara Dokhanahim# 26 || Triciraç cha Kabandha cha Virådho Daņdake 1118 hateu Kabandha | Bali eka hatah çare ai 'kena Bali ca tadâ Ramo na mânu- sara mârea tehi janahu Dasakan shah || 27 II.
dha ll . (77) Râma laments over Lakshmana, whom he thinks to be dead, whilst he has simply fainted, and says :-other wives, other sons, other kinsmen can be easily procured, but another uterine brother cannot be found in the world : B, VI, 24, 7-ga (C wanting):
R.O.M., VI, 61, 7-86: yatra kvachid bhaved bhâryâ putro'nye 'pi cha bândhavah suta bita nâri bhavana parivara 11 7 | tam tu doçam na paçgâmi yatra sodaryam hohim jâhim jaga bârahim bârâ l...! apnusâm |....
milai na jagata sahodaralo bhrata 11
15 Even if Talast Disa should have derived it from some of his secondary Bobroes, rather than from the R. direofly, tha passage in the R, in question must be looked apon as the ultimate souro
1' Mark the correspondence: sodaryderohodara.