O Spring, O Sweet
Assailant!
(3 min read)
Vasanta: Kusumakara
“Of seasons, I am Spring (ritunAm kusumAkara, BhAgavad-Gita, 10.35),” proclaims Lord Shri Krishna. Kusuma
is flower, and Vasanta, the flower maker.
Spring arrives, enchants and enthrals;
nudging trees and plants to burst into blossom that would yield fruits and
seeds; putting song into hearts of birds; and touching humans and animals with
amour and passion; to continue the cycle of life. Spring with its riot of
colours, symphony of music, and cool, intoxicating, fragrant breeze is
the season of love, amour and eros; of hope, regeneration, procreation, joy,
and celebration of life.
Kalidasa: Ritusamhara
Many poets have sang paens to spring, but in Kalidasa’s Ritusamhara, the Song of Spring is vivid and
enchanting. Ritusamhara means ‘A Pageant or Garland of Seasons’ (Ritu +
SamAhAra). Canto 6 is for Vasanta Ritu, and begins with one of the most
eloquent invocations of Spring:
प्रफुल्लचूताङ्कुरतीक्ष्णसायको
द्विरेफमालाविलसद्धनुर्गुणः ।
मनांसि भेत्तुं सुरतप्रसङ्गिनां
वसन्तयोद्धा समुपागतः प्रिये ॥ १॥
Meaning:
"Oh, dear, with
just unfolded tender leaflets of Mango trees as his incisive arrows, shining
strings of honeybees as his bowstring, the assailant named vasanta came very nigh,
to afflict the hearts of those that are fully engaged in affairs of
lovemaking... [6-1]
(Source: sanskritdocuments.org)
Translation by this author
O Darling!
With arrows of fully-blossomed mango
leaves,
Supple, yet sharp;
With a bow string of shining black
bees,
To pierce hearts and minds
Of those engrossed in passionate love;
Vasanta - sweet assailant, benign
besieger,
Has made his advent.
Kamadeva Image
Kamadeva aka Manmatha painting, British Museum
(Source: heritagelab.in)
Vasanta 2023
Hottest February
Spring commenced on February 18 this
year and the next two months are the ‘official’ spring season. Alas, February
2023 has been the hottest February in 122 years. Even before winter could bid
adieu, Summer rushed in, out of turn. If February felt like May, what would May
feel like? Alert for a harsh summer and a deadly heat wave has already been
issued.
Kamadeva, the god of Love
Vasanta is the trusted companion of Kamadeva,
Brahma’s manasa-putra (mind-born) and the god of love in Indian mythology. Kama
distracted the meditating Shiva who opened his third eye and reduced him to
ashes. Kamadeva, of course, was no villain, nor a mischief-maker. He was on
a divine mission, ordered by Indra to draw Shiva out of his long meditation to
fall in love with Parvati, sire Kartikeya, the prodigy child warrior who, and
only who, could kill Tarakasura. He accomplished his mission but was incinerated,
and later revived by Shiva upon prayers by Rati, Kama’s consort; though in
bodiless form, and hence named ananga or atanu. A great metaphor for love – invisible and intangible, yet, overwhelming and irresistible.
Panchavana
Kamadeva has a most picturesque
iconography. His companions are Vasanta (to break Shiva’s meditation, Kamadeva
ushered in akala-vasanta, untimely Spring!) and cuckoos; parrots are his
charioteers; and he has a bow of sugarcane with bhramaras (big black bees) as its string,
and panchavana, a quiver of five arrows – each one an erotic flower with a
specific purpose and potency.
पंचबाण
Aravindamashokam ca chuutam ca
navamallikA,
Nilotpalam ca panchaiete panchavAnasya sAyakah.
Ashoka – red flower, creates
attraction or temptation. Ashoka means ‘without sorrow.’ Sita was imprisoned in
Ashoka Vatika by Ravana. Poets fancy that Ashoka tree yields flowers when
struck by ladies with the foot decked with jingly anklets.
Chuuta – mango blossom, creates
infatuation.
Nava mallika – pearl-white fragrant jasmine,
creates love-sickness.
Nilotpala – blue water lily, drowns
the love-smitten in the blissful ocean of love.
Victory City
In Salman Rushdie’s ‘Victory City’, a
historical fiction based loosely on the Vijayanagar empire, Zerelda Li narrates
how Krishnadevaraya, the King fell in love with her owing to the magical effect
of Kama’s panchavanas:
“He said,
the arrow decorated with white lotus flowers, Aravinda, struck his heart, and
made him feel excited, youthful and happy. The second arrow, decorated with
Ashoka flowers, hit him on the mouth and made him cry out for love. The third
arrow, with the mango tree flowers painted on the shaft, Choota, penetrated his
brain and made him mad with adoration. The fourth arrow, the jasmine flower
arrow, Navamallika, struck his eye, and after that when he looked at me he saw
a great radiance of beauty such as only the greatest goddesses exude. And the
fifth arrow, the one with the blue lotuses, Neelotpala, struck his navel.
Actually, he said, it doesn’t matter where the fifth arrow hits you. Wherever
it lands it fills you with love, you feel like you’re drowning in a sea of
love, and all you want to do is drown.’’
(Rushdie, Salman. Victory City (p. 238). Penguin Random House
India Private Limited. Kindle Edition.)
Vasanta: Hypnotic Charmer
Lathmar Holi began with traditional
fervour on February 28 at Barsana, the birth place of Radha in remembrance of
the amorous invasion of Krishna and his gopas armed with flowers, colour and
water; and Radha and gopis showering sticks on them. All is fair in love and
the beloved’s stick is sweet as a sugarcane to the lover.
Despite akala-grishma, the forcible,
out of turn entry upon the stage by Summer, the big bully; Spring, though a
little feeble, has quietly waved his magic wand. Palash tree is in bloom, albeit
with less flowers; mango blossom, though sparse, spreads its balmy fragrance,
and the cuckoo is beseeching his mate for an urgent date; the season for hope,
regeneration, renewal, and procreation is very much here, O Dear!
Summer may brag
and bully, but its bluster and brazenness will not diminish or overpower
Spring.
Happy Holi!
***
Books by the Author
Short story collections:
Tell
A Tale and Other Stories
Invisible
Poet and Other Stories
The
Mysterious Ladies and Other Stories
Fiction
Kathapur
Tales
Essays
Pink
Diamond and Other Essays
Self-Help
How
To Be an Author in 7 Days: A Beginner’s Guide to Self- Publishing
Story
books for children:
Cave
of Joy: Anand Gufa
Two
Tales, Three Tellers: A Fairytale & A Fable
Poetry
RIVER SONG and Other Poems
Songs of Soil: Selected Poems of an
Unschooled Bard: Padma Shri Haladhar Nag
O Krishna, O Son! Yashoda’s Sublime Song of Sorrow
***
Note: Print copies of these books, except Pink Diamond and Other Essays, are available at amazon.in, notionpress.com, and
flipkart.com. Ebooks are available at Amazon Kindle.
***
No comments:
Post a Comment