Nayakumarchariu

Author(s): Pushpadant, Hiralal Jain
Publisher: Balatkaragana Jain Publication Society

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ŅAYAKUMARACARIU
For poetic embellishment the author has drawn considerably upon the Hindu mythology contained in the Purāras. Brahmā has been called the 'Lotushorn' and ' aja' (I, 5, 10; IX, 7.5) and Rudra or Siva figures with his consort Pārvati, his three eyes, his trident, his bowl and garland of skulls. The stories of his burning of Cupid and cutting off the head of Brahma also come in for review (III, 14, 9; IV, 12, 9; VIII, 6, 2; IX, 7, 5). Similarly Visnu appears with his consort Laksmi and the cowherd-maids (Gopis ) and his lifting up the Govardhana mountain and slaying of Madhu aud
iśupāla are familiar events to the poet III, 7, 16; VII, 3,9; VII, 15, 3; VIII, 4, 13; VIII, 16, 6; IX, 3, 8). The lifting of the earth by the boar, the churning of the
cean by the gods and the earth being supported on the hood of a serpent are also within his knowledge (I, 4, 8-10; VII, 1,6.). Other gods such as Indra and his consort Paulomi, Yama Vaivasvata and Kubera or Dhanapati find frequent mention while Brhaspati's learning and his defeat by his rival, Rambha's personal charms and Cupid's flower arrows have received our poet's recognition (I, 4, 2; IV, 6, 8; IV, 6, 15).
For the same purpose the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyana have been freely drawn upon. The five fiery Pandavas and their destruction of the Kaurava forces, Arjuna's going to Drona for instructions and his enmity with Karna, the liberality of the latter and his fight against his own brothers, the purity of the character of Bhisma and his turning away from the battle-field, the righteousness of Yudhisthira and his troubles of exile, and Vrkodara with his mace serve the poet for his similes and metaphors (I, 4; II, 14, 12; III, 14, 4; IV, 10, 17; VIII, 15, 1-4). He mentions Arjuna as Nara and Karna as Ravinandana which shows that he was not deriving his knowledge of the Bhārata story exclusively from the Jaina books. He mentions Rāma and Sitâ as ideal man and woman, Sugrīva and Hanumat as waiting upon Rama and Hanumat's loyalty for his master though he was a monkey, and Rävana's fighting the forces of the gods (I, 4, 3; IV, 6, 8-9; IV, 11, 2.) His allusion to the death of Ravana at the hands of Laksmana (III, 14,5 ) is clearly derived from the Jaina Padmapurāna, but his probable reference to Vasistha's falling into trouble for his hospitality to Viśvāmitra can be from no where else than Valmiki's Rāmāyana (III, 3, 3, see notes).
The poet's reference to three buddhis, three saktis, pañcānga mantra, arisadvarga, seven vyasanas and seven rājyangas shows his knowledge of works on state-craft such as Kāmandakıya Nitisāra and Kautiliya Arthaşāstra (1,8).
Some of the poet's similes are derived from the stellar region;for example, his pun on kumbha as water jar and the constellation aquarius or the elephant's temple and the constellation in union with Saturn, on Hasta as the elephant's trunk and the constellation Carvus in union with the moon. He also speaks of the Sun being eclipsed by Rāhu and of Yuti, that is confluence of planets, as auspicious (I, 10, 2; III, 17, 9-12; VII, 8,5; IX, 2, 5.)
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