Shringaraprakasha 9.p1.2

9.p1.2

"May Indra bring forth desirable rain, making the earth rich with abundant harvest; / may the foremost of brahmins duly produce the gratification of the gods with sacrificial offerings; / and until the end of the aeon may there be the union of good people with increased happiness; / and may the slanders of malicious people, invincible and firmly glued like cement, completely subside into tranquility." And as in the Veṇīsaṃhāra: Yudhiṣṭhira: "Nevertheless, if the Lord is most pleased, then let this be: / May people live out a full human lifespan at will with unstinting minds; / may there be devotion to the Supreme Being, O Lord, free from duality; / loving his lands, a friend to the learned, discerning in merits, ever performing good deeds— / may the king govern a well-ordered realm." That which was earlier stated as the sixty-four dramatic characteristics (lakṣaṇas), / the distinct mark of a play and other compositions, is now explained in detail: / Adornment (bhūṣaṇa) and stringing of syllables (akṣarasaṅghāta); elegance (śobhā) and illustration (udāharaṇa); / cause (hetu), doubt (saṃśaya), and exemplar (dṛṣṭānta); attainment (prāpti) and intention (āśaya); / demonstration (nidarśana) and etymology (nirukta); combination (sandhi) and qualification (viśeṣaṇa); / excess of quality (guṇātipāta), hyperbole (atiśaya), equal reasoning (tulyatarka), and accumulation of words (padoccaya); / fate (diṣṭa) and instruction (upadiṣṭa); deliberation (vicāra) and inversion (viparyaya); / lapse (bhraṃśa) and conciliation (anunīti); garland (mālā), courteousness (dākṣiṇya), and reproach (garhaṇa); / presumption (arthāpatti) and common fame (prasiddhi); inquiry (pṛcchā) and resemblance (sārūpya); / wish (manoratha) and hint (leśa); entreaty (yācñā), encouragement (protsāhana), and desire (spṛhā); / remorse (paścāttāpa) and compliance (anuvṛtti); apt argument (yukti), manifestation (nirbhāsana), and forgiveness (kṣamā); / recounting of virtues (guṇānuvāda), lamentation (ākranda), deception (kapaṭa), and censure (parivādana); / proof (upapatti), necessity (kārya), prohibition (pratiṣedha), and futile effort (mṛṣodyama); / trick speech (chalokti), vocal inflection (kāku), frenzy (unmāda), mockery (parihāsa), and self-praise (vikatthana); / chance (yadṛcchā), conjunction (yoga), discordance (vaiṣamya), and undertaken enterprise (pratijñātapravṛtti); / expression of blessing (āśīrukti), fulfillment (siddhi), and pleasant speech (priyavacana): / one should designate these sixty-four dramatic characteristics in poetic works. / And among those: That which is viewed with many poetic ornaments and poetic qualities [is 'adornment']. As in the first act of the Ratnāvalī: Yaugandharāyaṇa: "Having laid aside all talk of war, possessing amorous pleasure, dwelling in the hearts of the folk, / the Lord of the Vatsas approaches like Kāma himself, eager to witness his own great festival, with his beloved Vasantaka in his company."