Ritthnemichariyam Part 2

Author(s): Swayambhudev, Ramnish Tomar, Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 18

which can be translated as 'Arjuna challenged the Kuru king : There are you; here am I : this is the battle. Try to save Jayadratha's head, if you can; come on! Let you all try to hold me, even for one moment !' The resemblance between Sc. IV 3a and the second pāda of this Ghattā is unmistakable. It is not without some significance that metrically the battā has 13 mātrās in the odd pādas and 15 in the even ones.
(13) Again Sc. VI 44.1 relating to the Bhārata narrative and given anonymously is to be considered on the same lines. It reads :
ekka(? u) ji Ajjunu, saggammi kahim(? ep)pinu /
Doņu su-dukkhena, dara ruai punuppunu // Translation : ‘Arjuna was the only one (who could have accomplished this) but he is now in heaven: uttering such words Drona was gently weeping, again and again, in deep grief'. If we consult Svayambhū's Harivaṁsa, we find that the situation described in Sc. VI 58 relates to the Svayamvara of Draupadi, when one after another the famous princes, failing to string the bow as stipulated, return crest-fallen to their seats and then disguised Arjuna steps forth, strings the bow and prepares to pierce the target. This spectacle immediately stirs up in Droņa's heart sorrowful memories of Arjuna, who could have easily performed that feat of archery but who had reportedly perished in fire at Vāraṇāvata along with his brothers and mother. The wording at one place in Svayambhu's passage closely resemble that of Sc. VI 44.1. Harivañía 21 8 8b reads :
niya-sisu saramtau ruvai guru /
Translation : Remembering his pupil (Droņa ) guru was weeping'.
At RC. 51.20.5 also we find the comparable rhyme : ajjunul kahim punu.
(14) At Sc. IV 2.2 the following line is cited from Caturmukha as an instance of hum being a light syllable (i.e. hū) in the wordfinal position.