Sribhargavaraghaviyam

Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam () (2002), literally "Of Paraśurāma and Rāma", is a Sanskrit epic poem (Mahākāvya) composed by Jagadguru Rambhadracharya (1950–). It consists of 2121 verses in 40 Sanskrit and Prakrit metres and is divided into 21 cantos ("Sarga"s) of 101 verses each. The epic is the narrative of the two Rāma Avatars – Paraśurāma and Rāma, which is found in the Rāmāyaṇa and other Hindu scriptures. "Bhārgava" refers to Paraśurāma, as he incarnated in the family of the sage Bhṛgu, while "Rāghava" refers to Rāma as he incarnated in the royal dynasty of king Raghu. For the work, the poet was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit in 2005, and several other awards.
A copy of the epic with a Hindi commentary by the poet himself was published by the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University, Chitrakuta, Uttar Pradesh. The book was released by the then prime minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee on October 30, 2002.
Composition.
Jagadguru Rambhadracharya composed the epic in 2002 at Chitrakuta during his sixth six-month Payovrata (milk-only diet). The poet chose 21 as the number of cantos due to several reasons. He composed the epic at the beginning of the 21st century, and it was the first Sanskrit epic to be composed in the 21st century. The number 21 is also associated with the narrative of the epic. Reṇukā, the mother of Paraśurāma, beats her chest 21 times after the Haihaya kings murder her husband Jamadagni. Subsequently, Paraśurāma annihilates the Kṣatriyas 21 times from the earth. One more reason cited by the poet is that the previous Sanskrit epics which are included in the "Laghutrayī" and "Bṛhattrayī" – Meghadūtam, Kumārasambhavam, Kirātārjunīyam, Raghuvaṃśam, Śiśupālavadham and Naiṣadhīyacaritam – were composed in 2, 8, 18, 19, 20 and 22 cantos respectively; and the number 21 was missing from this sequence. The poet says that he composed the work as he intended to sing of both the Rāmas – Paraśurāma and Rāma, with the former being the Avatāra, the follower and the Brāhmaṇa and the latter being the Avatārin (source of the Avatār), the leader and the Kṣatriya. Although there is no formal division in the epic, the poet indicates that the epic consists of a first part of nine cantos describing the nine qualities of Paraśurāma, and a second part of 12 cantos in which the brave and noble ("Dhīrodātta") protagonist of the epic Rāma is presented with Sītā being the lead female character.
Most of the events described in fifteen cantos of the epic can be found in the Hindu scriptures including Vālmīki's Rāmāyaṇa, Tulasīdāsa's Rāmacaritamānasa, Śrīmadbhāgavata, Brahmavaivartapurāṇa, Prasannarāghava (a play by Jayadeva) and Satyopākhyāna. The narrative of six cantos is original composition by the poet.
Narrative.
The epic is composed in 21 cantos of 101 verses each. The first nine cantos describe the incarnation of Paraśurāma, his learning from the god Śiva on mount Kailāsa, the execution of his father's command to kill his mother and three brothers and their subsequent resurrection, his battle with the thousand-armed king Sahasrārjuna, the extermination of Kṣatriya ("warrior") race 21 times from the earth by him, and his confrontation with Śiva's son and the god of wisdom, Gaṇeśa. The next five cantos describe the incarnation of Rāma and his consort Sītā, and their child sports ("Līlā"). The final seven cantos follow the Bālakāṇḍa of the Rāmacaritamānasa, starting from Viśvāmitra's journey to Daśaratha's capital city Ayodhyā and ending with the marriage rites of the four sons of Daśaratha – Rāma being the eldest – in Mithilā.
The summaries of the 21 cantos are given below.
Poetic features.
Figures of speech.
A comprehensive listing of the figures of speech used in Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam is provided by Dinkar. Some examples of figures of speech used in the epic are given below.
Alliteration.
An example use of alliteration (14.28) from the praise of Sītā by Paraśurāma has eleven consecutive words beginning with the same letter –
Devanagari
रामप्राणप्रिये रामे रमे राजीवलोचने । 
राहि राज्ञि रतिं रम्यां रामे राजनि राघवे ॥ 
IAST
rāmaprāṇapriye rāme rame rājīvalocane । 
rāhi rājñi ratiṃ ramyāṃ rāme rājani rāghave ॥ 
Two examples of use of alliteration mixed with "Yamaka" (6.3 and 16.84) occur in the sixth and sixteenth cantos -
Devanagari
स ब्रह्मचारी निजधर्मचारी स्वकर्मचारी च न चाभिचारी । 
चारी सतां चेतसि नातिचारी स चापचारी स न चापचारी ॥ 
IAST
sa brahmacārī nijadharmacārī svakarmacārī ca na cābhicārī । 
cārī satāṃ cetasi nāticārī sa cāpacārī sa na cāpacārī ॥ 
Devanagari
वीक्ष्य तां वीक्षणीयाम्बुजास्यश्रियं 
स्वश्रियं श्रीश्रियं ब्रह्मविद्याश्रियम् । 
धीधियं ह्रीह्रियं भूभुवं भूभुवं 
राघवः प्राह सल्लक्षणं लक्ष्मणम् ॥ 
IAST
vīkṣya tāṃ vīkṣaṇīyāmbujāsyaśriyaṃ 
svaśriyaṃ śrīśriyaṃ brahmavidyāśriyam । 
dhīdhiyaṃ hrīhriyaṃ bhūbhuvaṃ bhūbhuvaṃ 
rāghavaḥ prāha sallakṣaṇaṃ lakṣmaṇam ॥ 
Metaphor.
In the following verse (6.97), the poet describes how Sahasrārjuna is killed by Paraśurāma, using the metaphor (Rūpaka) of a priest performing a fire sacrifice (Yajña).
Devanagari
धनुःस्रुगभिमेदुरे भृगुपकोपवैश्वानरे 
रणाङ्गणसुचत्वरे सुभटराववेदस्वरे । 
शराहुतिमनोहरे नृपतिकाष्ठसञ्जागरे 
सहस्रभुजमध्वरे पशुमिवाजुहोद्भार्गवः ॥ 
IAST
dhanuḥsrugabhimedure bhṛgupakopavaiśvānare 
raṇāṅgaṇasucatvare subhaṭarāvavedasvare । 
śarāhutimanohare nṛpatikāṣṭhasañjāgare 
sahasrabhujamadhvare paśumivājuhodbhārgavaḥ ॥ 
Pun.
"Yamaka" is a kind of pun in Sanskrit and Prakrit where the same word occurs more than once and each occurrence of the word has a unique meaning. The following verse (3.26) from the third canto of the epic has the same four feet, but the same syllables stand for four different meanings, one meaning in each foot. Such use of quadruple Yamaka spanning the entire verse is also called "Mahāyamaka".
Devanagari
ललाममाधुर्यसुधाभिरामकं ललाममाधुर्यसुधाभिरामकम् । 
ललाममाधुर्यसुधाभिरामकं ललाममाधुर्यसुधाभिरामकम् ॥
IAST
lalāmamādhuryasudhābhirāmakaṃ lalāmamādhuryasudhābhirāmakam । 
lalāmamādhuryasudhābhirāmakaṃ lalāmamādhuryasudhābhirāmakam ॥ 
Mudrā.
In the Mudrā figure of speech, the metre used to compose the verse is indicated by the use of its name in the verse. This figure of speech is used eight times in the epic, with seven different metres as shown below.
Prosody.
The poet uses as many as 40 Sanskrit and Prakrit metres, namely "Acaladhṛti" ("Gītyāryā"), "Anuṣṭubh", "Āryā", "Indirā" ("Kanakamañjarī"), "Indravajrā", "Indravaṃśā", "Upajāti", "Upendravajrā", "Upodgatā" ("Mālabhāriṇī" or "Vasantamālikā", a type of "Aupacchandasika"), "Kavitta", "Kirīṭa" ("Meduradanta", a type of "Sapādikā"), "Kokilaka" ("Nārkuṭika"), "Gītaka", "Ghanākṣarī", "Toṭaka", "Duramilā" ("Dvimilā", a type of "Sapādikā"), "Dodhaka", "Drutavilambita", "Nagasvarūpaṇī" ("Pañcacāmara"), "Puṣpitāgrā" (a type of "Aupacchandasika"), "Prthivī", "Praharṣiṇī", "Bhjaṅgaprayāta", "Mattagajendra" (a type of "Sapādikā"), "Mandākrāntā", "Mālinī", "Rathoddhatā", "Vaṃśastha", "Vasantatilakā", "Śārdūlavikrīḍita", "Śālinī", "Śikhariṇī", "Śaṭpada", "Sundarī" ("Vaitālika" or "Vaitālīya"), "Surabhi" (a type of "Aupacchandasika"), "Sragdharā", "Sragviṇi", "Svāgatā", "Harigītaka", and "Hariṇī".
Short syllabled verses.
There are seven verses in the seventh canto (7.11 to 7.17) of Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam composed in the Acaladhṛti (Gītyāryā) metre, which consists of only the short syllables in Sanskrit. The poet remarks that Paraśurāma extols the forest of Citrakūṭa in short syllables only, due to the feeling of humility. Two examples are –
Devanagari
त्रिजगदवन हतहरिजननिधुवन 
निजवनरुचिजितशतशतविधुवन । 
तरुवरविभवविनतसुरवरवन 
जयति विरतिघन इव रघुवरवन ॥ 
मदनमथन सुखसदन विधुवदन- 
गदितविमलवरविरुद कलिकदन । 
शमदमनियममहित मुनिजनधन 
लससि विबुधमणिरिव हरिपरिजन ॥ 
IAST
trijagadavana hataharijananidhuvana 
nijavanarucijitaśataśatavidhuvana । 
taruvaravibhavavinatasuravaravana 
jayati viratighana iva raghuvaravana ॥ 
madanamathana sukhasadana vidhuvadana-
gaditavimalavaraviruda kalikadana । 
śamadamaniyamamahita munijanadhana 
lasasi vibudhamaṇiriva hariparijana ॥ 
Prakrit metres in Sanskrit.
The 20th canto has 72 Sanskrit verses (20.1–20.72) composed in Prakrit metres, namely Kirīṭa (Meduradanta, a type of Sapādikā), Ghanākṣarī, Duramilā (Dvimilā, a type of Sapādikā), Mattagajendra (a type of Sapādikā), Śaṭpada and Harigītaka. The language of the verses in Sanskrit, but the metres and the prosody rules follow Prakrit prosody. An example is the following verse (20.13) in the Ghanākṣarī metre, which consists of 32 syllables in every foot.
Devanagari
अशरणशरण प्रणतभयदरण 
धरणिभरहरण धरणितनयावरण 
जनसुखकरण तरणिकुलभरण 
कमलमृदुचरण द्विजाङ्गनासमुद्धरण । 
त्रिभुवनभरण दनुजकुलमरण 
निशितशरशरण दलितदशमुखरण 
भृगुभवचातकनवीनजलधर राम 
विहर मनसि सह सीतया जनाभरण ॥ 
IAST
aśaraṇaśaraṇa praṇatabhayadaraṇa 
dharaṇibharaharaṇa dharaṇitanayāvaraṇa 
janasukhakaraṇa taraṇikulabharaṇa 
kamalamṛducaraṇa dvijāṅganāsamuddharaṇa । 
tribhuvanabharaṇa danujakulamaraṇa 
niśitaśaraśaraṇa dalitadaśamukharaṇa 
bhṛgubhavacātakanavīnajaladhara rāma 
vihara manasi saha sītayā janābharaṇa ॥ 
Rasas.
The principal Rasa (emotion or mood) of Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam is the "Vīra Rasa" (the emotion of heroism). Like the previously composed Mahākāvyas, Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam has all the eight Rasas as enunciated by Bharata Muni. These Rasas are – "Śringāra" (eros and beauty), "Vīra" (heroism or bravery), "Hāsya" (mirth), "Raudra" (fury), "Karuṇa" (compassion), "Bībhatsa" (disgust), "Bhayānaka" (horror), "Adbhuta" (amazement). Apart from this Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam also has the ninth "Rasa" as propounded by Mammaṭa – the "Śānta" Rasa (calmness), and the three new Rasas as – "Bhakti" (devotion), "Vatsala" (parental love) and "Preyas" (love).
Like the 10th canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and Bālakāṇḍa of the Rāmacaritamānasa, twelve verses in the seventeenth canto (17.42–17.53) of Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam have all the twelve Rasas used in the same context. Here the poet describes how twelve different groups of people in the assembly at Mithilā look at Rāma, each group feeling one of the above twelve emotions. The context is the same as in Rāmacaritamānasa.
Single consonant verses.
Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam has three verses composed using only a single consonant ("Ekākṣariśloka"s). The three Ekākṣariślokas are in the 20th canto of Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam (20.92–20.94).
Devanagari
कः कौ के केककेकाकः काककाकाककः ककः । 
काकः काकः ककः काकः कुकाकः काककः कुकः ॥ 
काककाक ककाकाक कुकाकाक ककाक क । 
कुककाकाक काकाक कौकाकाक कुकाकक ॥ 
लोलालालीललालोल लीलालालाललालल । 
लेलेलेल ललालील लाल लोलील लालल ॥ 
IAST
kaḥ kau ke kekakekākaḥ kākakākākakaḥ kakaḥ । 
kākaḥ kākaḥ kakaḥ kākaḥ kukākaḥ kākakaḥ kukaḥ ॥ 
kākakāka kakākāka kukākāka kakāka ka । 
kukakākāka kākāka kaukākāka kukākaka ॥ 
lolālālīlalālola līlālālālalālala । 
lelelela lalālīla lāla lolīla lālala ॥ 
Comparison with other Sanskrit epics.
Some features of the epic compared with previous Mahākāvyas are given below
Reception.
Critical response.
Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra, former Vice-Chancellor of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University and winner of Sahitya Akademi Award in Sanskrit, writes in the introduction of the epic that in an age where the prevalence of Sanskrit is rare, several works in recent past have been published as epics which are devoid of the traditional features of a Sanskrit Mahākāvya, and have errors in grammar at many places. He thinks of Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam as an exception. He further says that this is an epic which nourishes the tradition of Ṛṣis, and with this composition the contemporary Sanskrit literature has been blessed.
Yogeshchandra Dubey, professor and head of department of Sanskrit at the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University, writes in the Publisher's Note at the beginning of the book that he views Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam as having even more special qualities and features than the epic works of Māgha, Bhāravi, Śrīharṣa and Kālidāsa. At the end of the Publisher's Note, he presents a metaphor-
Dr. Vagish Dinkar, professor and head of department of Sanskrit at the R.S.S. PG College (Ghaziabad), and the author of the critique on the epic titled "Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam Mīmāṃsā", writes at the conclusion of his critique that Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam is worthy of being considered with the Bṛhattrayī as the Catuṣṭayī (the quartet).
Elsewhere, in award citations and in the media, the work has been described as "time-conquering" and "outstanding".
Recognition and awards.
The poet has been given several rewards for the composition of the epic since 2002. Some of them include –