Recent Russian Publications On Indian Epic

Author(s): J W De Jong
Publisher: J W De Jong

Page 20

20
THE ADYAR LIBRARY BULLETIN
śrņu me vistareŅEMAM ITIHĀSAM PURĀTANAM | bhrātṛbhiḥ sahitaḥ pārtha yathāvṚTTAM yudhisthira || (1.201.1)
An even greater variety in wording is to be found in formulaic expressions relating to battles. In many of these expressions the only common elements are: the word puddha or a synonym; the predicate there was, there happened' (āsīt, abhūt, pravavṛte, etc.) and finally, words relating to the word 'battle'. These words are of three types: (I) names or epithets of participants in the battle in the genitive: kurūņām pāṇḍavānām ca, kurupāṇḍavasainyānām, etc.; (II) adjectives qualifying the word 'battle': tumulam lomaharṣaṇam, ghorarupam bhayanakam, etc.; (III) traditional comparisons of the following type: indra (sakra) prahladayor iva, bali (vṛtra)vāsavayor iva. Instead of the word yuddha, samgrāma can be used:
tataḥ pravavṛte bhūyaḥ samgrāmo lomaharṣaṇaḥ tāvakānām pareṣām ca samare vijigīṣatām ||
(6.53.34) On the model of such verses, other verses can be formed in order to express entirely different ideas. For instance, yuddha can be replaced by sabda: tataḥ śabdo mahān āsīt tumulo lomaharṣaṇaḥ (3.270.9) and by varşam: tato varsam pradur abhūt sumahal lomaharṣaṇam (3.168.12). The second class of developed formulas is represented by some very rare examples of formulas which are almost clichés and which are used with reference to certain individuals. The first example refers to Bhima: