Madhuvidya

Author(s): S D Laddu, T N Dharmadhikari, Madhvi Kolhatkar, Pratibha Pingle
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 590

Some Reflections on
The Raghuvamsa
M. A. Mehendale
1 Raghuvamsa 4.80 reads as : tatrākṣobhyam yaşorasim niveśyavaruroha sah: paulastyatulitasyadrer adadhāna iva hriyam // Mallinātha interprets the stanza as follows: Raghu established a heap of his fame, which was unshakable, on the Himavant and descended from it. He thereby, as though, put to shame the Kailasa mountain which was moved by Råvana, by not marching on it. The idea is that since the Kailasa mountain was once moved by Råvana it had sustained defeat at his hands. Raghu did not want to invade it again since he thought it below his dignity to defeat someone who was defeated before. By the very act of non-invasion Raghu, as, though, put the Kailasa mountain to shame Kailasam agatvaiva pratini vrtta ity arthahl na hi Sūrāh pareņa parājitam abhiyujyanta iui bhavaḥl): Shri M. R. Kale, in his edition of the Raghuvamsa, while elaborating the suggestion of Mallinātha remarks : "Raghu thought it beneath his dignity to advance against Kailasa as the mountain was once overcome by Rāvana who was a Brahmana, and therefore was not worthy of his superior prowess as a Ksatriya" (p. 102).
This interpretation is extremely unlikely. In support of his interpretation Millinātha should have shown that all the kings who were assailed and defeated by Raghu in this expedition were such as were never defeated before by any one else. But this was not the case. Moreover it is extremely unlikely that Raghu even otherwise would be intending to attack the Kailasa, the seat of Siva. In addition, the above interpretation does not take into account the very significant epithet aksobhya 'unassailable' used by Kalidasa to describe Raghu's yasorasi 'heap of fame'. What the poet really intends to say is that the heap of fame established by Raghu on the
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