The Evocation of Sringara Rasa through the Interplay of Karuna Rasa and Vipralambhasringara Rasa in Dinnaga's Kundamala

IntroductionAs is the case with all other Sanskrit poets, very little is known about the author of the play Kundamala, and whatever little is known, it is again controversial. Initially, it was argued that the author of Kundamala was Dinnaga, a famous Buddhist logician. But it is almost conclusive now that the playwright Dinnaga was a Hindu with intrinsic faith in the Vedic religion, was different from the Buddhist logician, and lived around the sixth or seventh century AD. Controversies aside, the author has produced "a very aesthetically consummate work of lasting literary and dramatic merit" (Datta 1988). The play itself was discovered only in 1923 by M Ramakrishna Kavi and published by him along with S K Ramanatha Sastry from the then Madras in 1923 (Mukherjee 1999).Borrowing the episode of Rama's abandoning Sita from Valmiki's Ramayana, the playwright has constructed his plot with such incidents and motifs, dialogues and scenes- indeed, the whole play is so sodden with such samcharibhavas or vyabhicaribhavas (basic emotions and accessory feelings) as pathos, anger, indignation, restlessness, reminiscence, dejection, cogitation, doubt, despondency, intense remorse, longing, bashfulness, hope, elation and joy, and so on-that it all cumulatively develops and ramifies into karuna and vipralambhasringara rasas, the competition between which ultimately evokes sringara rasa in the responsive heart of the spectator. Finally, the wonderful unfolding of the depth of the mutual affection of Rama and Sita and the resulting psychological reconciliation between them leading to their reunion after a long separation, adds further color and appeal to the play.Over it, the playwright, Dinnaga, pays great attention to bring out the effects of the events on his characters rather than the actual incidents themselves as is indicated by the fact that he starts the play with Sita's landing in the forest and displaying the effects of Rama's decision on herself rather than Rama's act of abandonment itself. In his attempt to engender a pure state of joy (rasa) which is aesthetically aroused by the portrayal of universalized super-sensual inner states of beings duly supported by pithy dialogues that are rich in thought-content, Dinnaga proves himself to be second to none. We shall now examine in detail how the playwright accomplishes his objective of rasa nispatti, arousal of rasa in responsive spectator, through his play Kundamala by examining relevant scenes/ incidents in detail.Loko Nirankusaha-Unreined People Evoking Karuna RasaThe play begins with Sita, the queen, in advanced pregnancy-who has been exiled by Rama, the king, fearing that the public scandal about her staying in the palace of the lord of Lanka might cast a slur on the Ikshvaku family-being led by Lakshmana to the forest under the pretext of a pleasure trip to the Ganges.As they reach the banks of the Ganges, Lakshmana, noticing that the track on the banks is not fit to be traversed on a chariot, for it is blocked by a thick growth of forest trees and creepers, requests Sita: "Let your ladyship alight here" (Shastri 1983).1 Getting down, as they both walk toward the river, Lakshmana, advising her ladyship to hold the creepers with her left hand, support the knee with her right hand, and plant her foot upon each of his footprints, leads her cautiously to the stream. Halfway, Sita, expressing her desire to rest for a while, sits under the shade of a tree.As is commonly perceived that the saddest events of life are always tragically preceded by the happiest moments, Lakshmana, noticing the noble lady sitting quite comfortably under the tree and musing delightfully in the cool breeze of the Ganges, considers it as the most opportune time to break the sad news of her abandonment. At once, falling at her feet, he utters: "This Lakshmana, of luck and virtue all bereft, the sharer in the trouble of ceaseless exile, begs you to make your heart firm. …