Rasarnavasudhakara 2.350

English (machine translation) 2.350

Language: English

2.350

"Let there be no fear in your mind, thinking, 'I am a wrongdoer';
my sword never wishes to strike those who have turned their backs."

2.350.p1

(Sarasvatīkaṇṭhābharaṇa; Kāvyādarśa 2.293)

And he commented: "Here, regarding the fear in your mind that 'I have committed an offense'—let there be no such fear. My sword never ventures to strike those whose backs are turned. In this way, egoism thoroughly established is perceived. This aesthetic sentiment called the arrogant, which has pride as its nature, is produced."

2.350.p3

First of all, pride is not present here. Rather, upon beholding an enemy who was previously an offender and afterwards frightened, there arises compassion toward the lowly, indicated by the words: 'I do not slay one who turns away from battle; do not fear.' Through this is perceived 'brilliance', an involuntary expression of masculine courage in a sovereign among heroes. Or if it is argued: 'He mocks even an unfrightened enemy by saying, "If you are frightened, then flee"; hence it is pride'—let it be pride. Even so, by manifesting a mental resolution in the form of imagining a false fear, it merely nourishes anger residing in the enemy. Furthermore, the development of pride—whose form is self-esteem characterized by not striking those who have turned their backs—through amplifying the imagination of false fear leads to revulsion in appreciators, and not merely to a lack of aesthetic relish; therefore, in this example, pride cannot logically be a durable emotional state.

2.350.p4

Firmness as a durable emotional state has also been illustrated by him, as follows:

Linked texts (1)

Rasārṇavasudhākara — Siṃhabhūpāla, Sanskrit