Mallikamakarandanatakam

Author(s): Ramchandra Mahakavi, Punyavijay
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Mallikāmakaranda
of Citrangada to describe the beauty of the heroine in the concluding Act of the play. Exuberance or preponderence of verse in the play also attests to his lack of sense of proportion or restraint - although it is possible to seek justification for the dramatist in his models like Mrochakatika and Mälali Madhava.
Rāmacandra's Style
Vaidarbhi and Gaudi are the two main kinds of style. The distinguishing features of the Vaidarbhi style are clearness (clarity, lucidity, perspicuityprasāda) and sweetness (mādhurya). The quality of clearness causes the sense to become intelligible on merely hearing the words. The quality of sweetness is produced by the use of consonants other than cerebrals, with their appropriate nasals, 'y' and 'n' with short vowels, and no compounds or short compounds. The characteristic of the Gaudi style is force or strength or vigour (o jas). It results from the use of compound letters, doubled letters, conjuuct consonants of which 'r' forms part, cerebrals other than 'n palatal and cerebral sibilants, and long compounds and high-sounding expressions. No poet, in fact, can confine himself entirely to only one kind of style. He has to employ one or the other style in consonance with the sentiments to be portrayed. The Vaidarbhi style is appropriate in the sentiments of love jn enjoyment (sambhoga Srågāra), pathos (Karuna), love in separation (vipralambha-sșrgāra) and calm (śānta). The Gaudi style is appropriate in the sentiments of heroism, fury and wonder (vira, bhayānaka, raudra, and adbhuta).
The sentiments in Mallikā-Makaranda are mainly those of love, heroism, horror and wonder. Excepting some passages, both in prose and in verse, and some dialogues in the Vaidarbhi style, the play as a whole is written in the Gaudi style. He has a large command of the Sankrit vocabulary. The language is, as a rule, dignified. Whatever be his meaning, Ramacandra generally writes with force. His style is forceful and powerful and not polished or graceful. The story of Mallika-Makaranda centres round the spontaneous love, at first sight, between the two lovers Mallika and Makaranda. Usually the sentiment of love is portrayed by poets in the Vaidarbhi style. But as the path of love between these two lovers never runs smooth and is beset with difficulties, dangers and calamities the poet has, in the main, employed the Gaudi style. There is hardly any scope for the depiction of the sentiment of laughter. The one-sided love of Citrāngada for Mallikā giving rise to the comic sentiment, the ironical conversation between Citrangada and Makaranda, and the final scene of marriage between Mallikä and Makaranda (representing Candralekha and Citrangada as duped) are only exceptions. Some of the passages, both in prose and verse lack