Setubandha

Author(s): Krishnakant Handiqui
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 46

INTRODUCTION
33
mountains, and the distressed animals flung about by the waves. Pravarasena, on the other hand, devotes an entire Canto to a grotesque and wearisome description of a huge conflagration of the ocean let loose by Rāma's arrows. • In the Rāmāyaṇa 6.15 the Ocean appears before Rāma, wearing scarlet robes and garlands and ornaments of gold. In the Southern and North-western recensions3 he comes surrounded by the great rivers led by Gangā and Sindhu. In the Bengal recension he is accompanied by his ministers. In the Setubandha 6.1 ff. the Ocean emerges, grievously wounded, supporting his arm on his consort Gangā So far the picture is Pravarasena's own, but he goes on to say that the Ocean was wearing a pearlstring which was so charming that it alleviated his sorrow at the loss of the Kaustubha gem. A verse corresponding to this occurs in some manuscripts of the Rāmāyaṇa, and is given in a footnote in the critical edition under 6.15.2.6 It is probable that the verse in question formed part of the text of the Rāmāyaṇa used by Pravarasena. It also throws light on the expression ekkävali-raana which has been misunderstood by the commentators, who explain it as ekāvaltraina, a pearlstring of surpassing beauty.? It is, however, clear
16.14, 16 ff. 2 In the Rāma story in the Mahābhārata the Ocean appears in a dream and suggests
the building of a causeway, and Rāma does not carry out his threat to chastise
the Ocean 3 6.22.22 NS ed. ; 5.96.19 Lahore ed. 4 5,96.3. Calcutta ed. with the comm. of Lokanātha. 1941. 5 Lahuia-kotthuha-vira ham mandara-giri-ma hana-sambhame vi amukkam, tārekkāvali
raaņam sasi-mairāmaa-sahoaram vahamāno // Setu 6.4. 6 एकावलीमध्यगतं तरलं पाटलप्रभम् । विपुलेनोरसा बिभ्रत् कौस्तुभस्य सहोदरम् ।। It will be seen that Pravarasena takes over the word sahodara from the Sanskrit
verse, though he uses it in a different context. 7 See Extracts 6.4.