IT IS IN THE EXPERIENCE of every reader of the Rāmāyaṇa that upon every read, the epic evokes untainted Rasānanda – Aesthetic Joy, transcending space and time. All the eight rasas – śṛṅgāra, hāsya, karuṇa, vīra, raudra, bhayānaka, bībhatsa, and adbhuta are evoked through the epic. There are innumerable instances that evoke rich vātsalya and sneha. The rasas culminate in śānta if the connoisseur has closely understood the sublime values suggested through various characters and situations.
Many aestheticians and poets have declared karuṇa as the governing rasa of Rāmāyaṇa. However, sambhoga- and vipralambha-śṛṅgāra also occupy large parts of the epic.
The proportion of hāsya is lesser compared to the other rasas; healthy and clean humour occurs in a few instances. The vānaras in the Svayaṃ-prabhā cave, the vānaras enjoying their drink in the Madhu-vana, and the manner in which Kumbhakarṇa was woken up from his deep slumber tickle our bones.
Almost all vyabhicāri-bhāvas, i.e., transitory emotions that the Nāṭya-śāstra mentions, occur in the Rāmāyaṇa. One can show numerous instances where nirveda (indifference), glāni (exhaustion), śaṅkā (suspicion), asūya (jealousy), and other transitory emotions are experienced by the characters. The eight sāttvika-bhāvas occur at various places in the epic as well.
There is hardly a need to comment on the aucitya in the Rāmāyaṇa, for this grand epic has set the golden standard for poetic propriety in Indian literature; in fact, it can stand as a model for world literature.
Readers will greatly benefit if they familiarise themselves with the basic concepts of Indian aesthetics by perusing the works of Prof. M. Hiriyanna, Dr. V Raghavan, Dr. T. N. Srikantaiya, Dr. K Krishnamoorthy, Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, and Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh.Unless it can be imagined in the audio-visual medium, a kāvya cannot be relished. In other words, nāṭyāyamānatā, i.e., the dramatic effect is the hallmark of any kāvya. As we go through the Rāmāyaṇa, we can imagine the events and characters as though they were in flesh and blood before us. It runs like a play in our mental arena. Needless to say, this dramatic quality of the epic has inspired innumerable playwrights to compose plays based on its story.
All forms of dhvani can be identified in the Rāmāyaṇa. There are innumerable instances of vastu-dhvani and rasa-dhvani, and with some effort, it wouldn’t be difficult to identify alaṅkāra-dhvanis as well.
One of the best examples for vipralambha-śṛṅgāra-rasa-dhvani occurs in the Yuddha-kāṇḍa –
vāhi vāta! yataḥ kāntā tāṃ spṛṣṭvā māmapi spṛśa|
tvayi me gātra-saṃsparśaścandre dṛṣṭi-samāgamaḥ|| (sarga 5, verse 6)
Rāma says, “O wind! Touch my beloved as you blow, and come, touch me. Through you, I will experience the pleasure of contact with my beloved and our eyes will meet in the moon!”
Rāma’s intense craving for a reunion with his beloved Sītā is evident from the verse.
Vālmīki wrote the ādi-kāvya in a period when aesthetics in general, and poetics, in particular, was in its infancy. The concepts of rasa, dhvani, aucitya, vakratā, alaṅkāra, etc., were perhaps known intuitively to master artists, but they had not taken the concrete shape that later evolved. Thus, Kālidāsa’s declaration that Rāmāyaṇa is kavi-prathama-paddhati – the first grand path paved for poets is absolutely right.
A good literary work not only draws from the spoken language but also adds value to the language. That is the nature of a great poet – he not only draws from the worldly language but also enriches it. Vālmīki’s is thus, a landmark contribution to the Sanskrit language as a whole.
The Rāmāyaṇa has quite a few instances of śabdālaṅkāras (figures of sound) including anuprāsas (alliterations). There are close to thirty different arthālaṅkāras (figures of sense) that can be identified in the epic. The best ones occur in the Kiṣkindhā-, Sundara-, and Ayodhyā-kāṇḍas because they are filled with descriptions of nature. The Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa, which can be called the heart of the Rāmāyaṇa contains episodes that are rich with tender emotions; the Yuddha-kāṇḍa is full of events. Nevertheless, Ayodhyā- and Yuddha-kāṇḍas are not devoid of splendid alaṅkāras. It is interesting to note that the Bāla-kāṇḍa and Uttara-kāṇḍa have a lesser number of alaṅkāras compared to the rest of the epic. This may be because they are later-day additions to the epic; the absence of alaṅkāras may also be because of the fact that the two kāṇḍas are so full of sub-stories and supernatural elements, that there is little scope for embellishments.
Most of the Rāmāyaṇa is composed in the anuṣṭubh meter, where śloka is a specific variety. There are also instances where Upajāti, Vaṃśastha, Puṣpitāgrā, Vasantatilaka, and Rucirā are employed. The language is chaste and contains quite a few pre-Pāṇinian usages; they are not to be considered grammatical errors, but rather as ārṣa-prayoga – a valid usage by a ṛṣi.
Most of the aṣṭādaśa-varṇanās – the eighteen descriptions that Indian aestheticians identify as being essential to a great epic are present in the Rāmāyaṇa. They include descriptions of seasons, night, moonrise, hunting, kingdom, warfare, love, and so on.
The Rāmāyaṇa also makes references to various forms of art. We see that the epic itself was melodious to hear because of an aesthetic arrangement of syllables which could be set to tāla and could be sung to the accompaniment of a vīṇā.
There is a mention of dance and drama troupes in Ayodhyā run by women alone. Various musical instruments are mentioned in the Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa and Sundara-kāṇḍas. Sage Bharadvāja makes comfortable arrangements for the stay of Bharata and his entourage in his āśrama. Upon his command, the environs magically start entertaining them. Various apsarās dance before Bharata; upon Bharadvāja’s instruction, the bilva trees start playing mṛdaṅgas, bibhītaka trees turn into sticks and aśvatthā trees turn into dancers. This is perhaps a reference to a group dance called śamyā-rāsaka mentioned in the medieval treatises on dance; the dandiya-raas, kolāṭa, or ‘stick dance’ popular in India today is thought to have originated from the śamyā-rāsaka.
In Laṅkā, Hanūmān observes women belonging to Rāvaṇa’s antaḥpura sleeping around musical instruments in an intoxicated state; some hugged them like lovers and others placed their heads or feet over them. This naturally shows the degradation of values in the rākṣasa kingdom. Music and musical instruments held in high regard elsewhere in India were treated like commodities for sensual pleasure in Rāvaṇa’s kingdom.
We see the puṣpaka-vimāna through Hanūmān’s eyes – this serves as evidence for the art of sculpting, carving, and painting that existed during Vālmīki’s times.
The realistic description of Ayodhyā, Kiṣkindhā, and Laṅkā throws light on city planning. There are also quite a few instances where both sophisticated and rustic residential architecture is described.
The Rāmāyaṇa also captures different kinds of cuisines followed by people belonging to different strata of society and in different regions across the country.
To be continued
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