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their feelings, events and situations. We must, however, remember that, like Aśvaghoşa, he is preacher first and foremost and a poet next. His predetermined view-point of life, and his consequent choice of a suitable story and the theme would hardly allow him to be a poet first and foremost, so far as the treatment of theme in a suggestive manner is concerned, since for him poetry has no value if it be for the sake of poetry; it is worthwhile and enduring only if it would incorporate a lofty ideal capable of moving a person to the extent of inspiring him to throw away all yearnings for things mundane. In consonance with the central theme of his story, he has done full justice to his religious duty of a preacher, while, as a worthy poet and successor of Trivikramabhatta, he has ably executed and improved upon the stylistic peculiarities as embodied in the NC, which fact must ensure a worthy place for him in the history of Sanskrit Campū literature in company of the author of the NC.
The poet is skillful at introducing appropriate didactic passages both in prose as well as verse at opportune moments in the course of the narrative, It must be noted, however, that he never stretches the didactic motif too far and has a good sense of proportion which keeps him within his poetic bounds so as not to hinder the progress of, and interest in, the story proper.
Among the didactic motifs the most notable is a small debate comprising the prima facie arguments in favour of a life of sensuality and their refutation in favour of a life of abstinence.30 It seems the Carvākas wbo advocated a life of free love were the principle opponent, a veritable 'pradhana-malla’, for the Jains of those days; and the latter were specially to be protected from the temptations as against the life of ceaseless stress and strain in observance of gradually stricter and more stiff vows requiring the devotee to accumulate merit for a better heavenly life of superior and enduring pleasures and deny himself the already available but shortlived pleasures which are invariably mixed with the dark lining of miscry. The forcefulness of the prima facie viewpoint of the Carvakas is well brought out in a couple of verses concluding the arguments in favour of free love, viz.
ततो यावदियं देहे गेहे श्रीरिव चेतना ।
श्रेयसी तावदेकैव यदृच्छाचारिता नृणाम् ॥ अनुभव विषयोपभोगलक्ष्मी त्यज परलोकभयं तु सर्वथापि । कतिपयदिवसे हि जीवितव्ये निजमनसः क्रियते कथं नु कष्टम् ।।31
30. MRA, pp. 51-66. 31. MRA, p. 54, vss. 114-115.
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