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SAHRDAYĀLOKA The idea is that Rudrata, the rationalist refuses to accept any superhuman power in case of normal human beings. But some of those, who have a pure heart, and thus, perhaps like Arjuna, choose to be instruments in the hands of the will Divine, by total surrender, accomplish such feats through Divine grace. For, Rudrața wants us to believe that these humans do not fight nor conquer wars against the titanic evil forces, but they become the chosen instruments in the hands of the Divine and accomplish the impossible. So, such feats, Rudrata advises the poets, are not to be described with reference to normal human heroes, for this would look foolish. We know that Anandavardhana, without naming Rudrata talks about the same thing while dealing with theme of bigger compositions and Rămacandra and Gunacandra do mention such exceptional cases of Satavāhana and the like. These remarkable feats are to be described not in case of all heroes in common.
Rudrața also asks poets not to describe such conditions as poverty, disease, old age, miseries caused due to extreme cold or heat, and all that is causing disgust or -aversion leading to bībhatsa (rasa) or the disgusting sentiment outside Bhāratavarșa, perhaps meaning the context of the planet called earth.
Namisādhu says that Rudrața explains as to why in regions beyond earth such as ilāvstta and the like, such things as poverty, disease etc. are not to be described. It is so because in other regions beyond earth there is land studded with gold and jewels, where whatever is intended is easily achievable, and the life-span of beings is of lakhs of years i.e. of hundred thousand years free from old age. Rudrata, an intellectual curbing supernatural feats being described with normal human heroes, falls to this sort of belief which accepts the existence of regions beyond earth where people live happily for a hundred thousand years enjoying youth for ever!
But, this also forms part of the poetic convention acceptable to Rudrata, whose basic approach is that of a rationalist but who is also inclined to accept something beyond earth and something beyond the capacity and imagination of ordinary humans, when it comes to be covered by the realm of divine grace and divine agency! Thus, perhaps in Rudrața we find a combination of a rational mind and also a mystic who rises beyond the limits and scope of rationality.
Thus we see that among the ancients, it is only Rudrața who mentions praśasti, i.e. eulogy on kings and praises of deities. These are said to be in various languages and beautiful and varied in nature as noted above. We will go to see that in later Alamkāra works this panegyric appears with a number of sub-divisions.
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