Jignasa Journal Of History Of Ideas And Culture Part 02

Author(s): Vibha Upadhyaya and Others
Publisher: University of Rajasthan

Page 48

264 / Jijñāsā
with its stalk ('sanāla-padma') with both her hands by its delicate stem and strikes the tree not by the left but with the right foot (Fig.4).
A 'Stambha-Yosita' pattern (lady carved on pillar, displayed in National Museum, New Delhi; (Accession number J.55) is a true example of 'dohada' scene where the lady is represented as kicking the stem of the Aśoka tree under which she is standing by her left foot. The ancient literature, as we have already seen, describes that a green Aśoka tree yearns for the kick of the left foot of a charming damsel (Vāmapādābhilaṣi)". The railing post in which the typical scene is engraved, belongs to the second cenntury A.D. and was discovered at Mathura. She embraces the branch of the Aśoka tree by her left arm and by right one she touches her lower garment which conceals her nudity. The coiffure of the lady is exceptional in the sense that the braid of her hair is piled up in diminishing rounded tiers (Fig.5). With her broad hips, stout breasts and slender waist, she reminds us of the bodily features of Malavika, engaged in dohada scene in the Malavikagnimitram.
It is noteworthy that these are a number of such instances associated with other flowering tree are also of dohada prevalent in Sanskrit literature. For instance, the bakula, kurabaka, nava mālikā and lata associated with dohala. The Bakula tree was connected with sprinkling of the mouthfuls of wine, and 'Kurabaka' with the practice of rubbing of the breasts against it. These popular social practices bear the testimony to the wide prevalence of the custom of 'Udyānakṛīḍā (pastime play in a grove) among the ladies of ancient India.
Navamālikā-'dohada', Lata- 'dohada' - It may also be observed that sometimes the 'dohada' device was applied to a creeper instead of a tree like Aśoka. The difference lies in the fact that whereas in the case of Asoka the pleasing touch of maiden was essential, in the instance of a creeper physical contact or close proximity of a male was desired. In the former case, the Aśoka symbolised the Nayaka (hero) and the young lady represented the heroine (Nāyikā). But in the latter case, the creeper typified the heroine (Nayikā) and the male signified the hero (Nayakā). It was sometimes, believed that creeper had a longing even for its blooming before time with the pleasing touch of a romantic hero.
As for example, in the Ratnavali we find king Udayana (hero of the drama) deeply immersed day and night in the thought of evolving a device for untimely budding of the jasmine creeper (Navamālīkā lata)". In the drama, with his desire of putting forth flowers into the unriped jasmine creeper accepted as his consort (akala-kusuma-sanjana-dohada), the king is represented as learning its lore from a spiritual preceptor Mahārāja Śrīkhaṇḍadāsa who hailed from Śrī-Parvata18 when the charm of dohada as learnt from him is experimented in it by him in the presence of the jester, the branches of the young jasmine are studded with continuous clusters of bursting flowers to the utter surprise of all present there. The jester (Vidüṣaka) exclaims at the firm belief of the king in the art of 'dohada', because after its application the latter takes the jasmine as readily budded even without seeing the view20 Taking it as a great wonder, he congratulates the king and repeatedly murmurs that spell of 'dohada' had miraculously resulted into the Navamālikā (jasmine) immediately bloomed in full. In the drama, the king is finally reported as saying to the jester that there can not be any scope for doubt in 'dohada' It is incomprehesibly as effective or enchanting in serving its purpose as any gem, spell or a herb," When the enemies of Visnu saw the 'Kaustubha Mani' on his chest, they took to heels, frightened by charm and spell the serpents hide themselves in the nether region, it was the miraculous herb (Sanjivani buți) that had revived Lakṣmaṇa and the serpents killed by Meghanada in the battle. Hence, 'dohada'