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Study of the Civakacintamani
and says that "since Tolkāppiyar prescribes that these undesirable dualities should be eschewed by the hero or the heroine of poem, we may take it for granted that they are the attributes of a villainous character."
However, considering the fact that this cuttiram is in the meyppättiyal of the Tolkāppiyam, where the qualities of the ideal lover have been described, we feel that generalising this to indicate the characteristics not to be found in a hero and hence to be found in a villain, according to Gnanamurthy) is to read too much into this verse.
4. We have seen the prescription of Danļin for descriptions in a mahākāvya. He also says that the omission of a few of these items will not diminish the beauty of a mahākāvya. Tēvar, who is keen on perfecting his epic in accordance with these prescriptions, tries to include all of them except drinking scenes, which are against his religious code of behaviour.
A study of the descriptions in the Cc. shows a great of intermixture of Tamil and Sanskrit poetical traditions. Tēvar's knowledge of both literatures makes him borrow ideas, phrases and techniques from the literature of both the languages. The great inclination which Sanskrit mabākāvyas had for alankāras has left its stamp on the Cc. As we have pointed out at the beginning of this chapter, the descriptions found in works composed in Tamil before the Cc. were more realistic and very much less exaggerated than the descriptions in Sanskrit works of the same period. The descriptions are integrated with the theme in the Tamil poems. But in the Cc. most of the descriptions have been introduced with the aim of embellishment-a poetical attitude advocated by Dandin. For example, one of the Sanskrit conventions in such descriptions is to describe a lady from head to toe if she is human and from toe to bead if she is a Goddess. We see this in the description of Vicayai, 3 which proceeds from head to toe (kešādipādāntavarṇanā) in sixteen verses. However, this description contains both Tamil and Sanskrit poetical traditions. One can discern the iufluence of the portrayal of the Virali (the wife of the bard) in the Porüparārruppațai, 4 one of the Cankam works, as well as that of Umā, in the Kumārasambhava of Kalidasa.The clear, placid style of the Porunararruppațai is not seen here : instead the exaggerated and detailed style of Sanskrit mahakāvyas is followed. The standards of comparisons are borrowed from both the sources. In the Porunararruppatai the ears and the earings of Virali are described as follows:
ma yir kurai karuvi munkațaiy annu pūnkulai ūcar porai cal kātin
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1 T. E. Gnanamurthy, op. cit. pp. 154, 155. 2 "devatānam rūpam padangustaprabhịti varnyate. manusaņām keśad ära bhyeti dbärmikāh.."
Mallinatha, commentary on the Kumarasambhava, 1:33. 3 Cc. 164-179. 4 Porunarärrupp tai, lines 25-45. 5 Kumarasambhava, 1:33-48. 9 Porunararruppațai, lines 29-30.
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