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Authorship of Rtusamhara: Reappraisal
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The Ṛtusamhära is unanimous with Raghuvamsa in its belief that the elephant shed ichor on hearing the trumpetings of rival elephants. In the Ṛtusamhara the rumbling of the clouds is mistaken for the cries of the elephants while in the latter actual elephants provoke Aja's tasker to ruthing. The verses in question may be reproduced in full to facilitate a better understanding of the situation.
वनद्विपानां नववारिदस्वनैर्मदान्वितानां भवतां मुहुर्मुहुः ।
कपोलदेशा विमलोत्पलप्रभाः सभृंगपूपैर्मदवारिभिश्चिताः ॥ Rtu II. 15.
तस्यैकनागस्य कपोलभित्त्योर्जलावगाह क्षणमात्र शान्ता । वन्वेतरानेकपदर्शनेन पुनर्दिदीपे मददुर्दिनश्रीः ॥ Raghu V. 47.
The winter is known for the profusion of Kasa and lotus flowers and is described as such in Ṛtusamhara and the unquestioned works of Kalidasa." The representation of the glistering fish as a waist band of the ladies is common to the Cycle of seasons' and the Kumarasambhava. 10 That clouds when empty of their watery contents move faster is alluded to in Raghuvamhsa and Megh.. besides Rtu." The Sakuntala agrees with the little poem in describing the moon as showering heat on persons separated from their spouses,12
Ordinarily when describing the gait, loveliness of face, eyes and eye-brows of women they are usually said to surpass the different objects in Nature, but in the following verse, in the description of winter, the poet takes the contrary view.
हंसैर्जिता सुललिता गतिरङ्गनाना
मम्भोरुहे विकसितैर्मुखचन्द्रकान्तिः । नीलोत्पलैर्मदकलानि विलोचनानि विनमाश्च रुचिरास्तनुभिस्त
| Rtu III. 17
As here, the gait of the swans is compared to that of the elegant women in the Vikramorvasiya.13 Like the present verse the Megh. speaks of the dark-blue colour of eyes of the ladies 14 and the same poem compares the ripples spreading circularly on water to their eye-brows. 15
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The Syama creeper serves as a standard for the description of the charms of female body. When bent with foliage, it is said in the Rtasamhāra to surpass in beauty the tender arms of the ladies.
श्यामाः लताः कुसुमभारनतप्रबालाः
स्त्रीणां हरन्ति धृतभूषणचा हुकान्तिम् । Rtu III. 18.
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