Sandal mountain breeze

[DEVARAKONDA VENKATA NARAYANA SARMA]

At 02:17 AM 1/3/98 EST, you wrote:
>In Jayadeva's gItagovinda, in several places, he uses the words "malaya
>samirE", "zrIkhaNDazailAnila", "malayAnila", "malayajapavanEna",
>"candanAnila", etc. In Barbara Stoler Miller's translation, all these
>occurrences are translated as sandal mountain wind. For instance,
>
>"Sandalwood mountain wind
>As you blow southern breezes
>To spread the bliss of love,
>Sooth me! End the paradox!
>Lifebreath of the world,
>If you bring me MAdhava
>For a moment,
>You may take my life!"   (Gitagovinda 7.39)
>
>The sandal mountain wind is mentioned in connection with the suffering of the
>separated lovers. What is interesting to me here is the association of the
>southern breeze originating in the "malaya" mountain ("potiyil" in Tamil)
>exacerbating the suffering of the separated lovers.
>
>How old is this theme in the Sanskrit literature? Is Jayadeva following any
>earlier model like Kalidasa, etc? Or is he influenced by Tamil tradition
where
>the southern wind/breeze originating in the potiyil (malaya) mountain with
>sandal wood is associated with the separation of lovers from cilappatikAram
>onwards. In the vaishnavite work of nAlAyirattivviyappirapantam, tirumankai
>AzvAr sings in the words of a love-sick girl longing for kriSNa, "the sweet
>gentle southern breeze which has mixed with the pollen of rich sandal
trees of
>the potiyil mountain of the southern king (Pandyas) and has come to gladden
>the hearts of this world is indeed a scorching fire to me." (periya tirumaTal
>83-84)
>
>While such a theme is native to Tamil literature, how did Jayadeva supposedly
>composing his songs in eastern India include it in his work? Does
>bhAgavatapurANa, which is supposed to have transmitted the viraha bhakti
>tradition of AzvArs to the world of Sanskrit have such a theme? Or did
>Sanskrit literature have an independent tradition of sandal mountain winds
>adding to the misery of separated lovers?
>
>
>Regards
>
>S. Palaniappan
>
>

There are plenty of references to Malaya mountain in MBh

malayO durdurazcaiva mahEndrO gandhamAdanah
indrakIlah sunAbhazca tathA divyau ca parvtau. (2.10.32)

surabhIJzcandanarasAn hEmakumbhasamAsthitan
malayAd durdurAccaiva candanAgarusaJcayAn.     (2.52.34)
(Can be interpolation because pAnDya and cOlA kings are mentioned as
bringing these).

niryAya tasmAduddEzAt pazyAmO lavaNAmbhasah
samIpE sahyamalayau durduraJca mahAgirim.
tatO malayamAruhya pasyantO varuNAlayam
viSaNNA vythitah khinnA nirAzA jIvite bhruzam. (3.282.43-44)

mahEndrO malayah sahyah zuktimanRukSavAnapi
vindhyazca pAriyAtrazca saptaitE kulaparvatAh. (6.9.11)

puSkarESvatha gOkarNE naimiSE malayE tathA
apAkarSat svakam dEham niyamairmAnasapriyaih.  (7.54.26)

aNI kRtvailapatram ca puSpadantam ca tryambakah
yUpam kRtva tu malayamavanAham ca takSakam.    (7.202.73)

rAmAyaNa also has references

tatra drakSyatha kAvErIm  vihRtAmapsarOgaNaih
tasyAsInam nagasyAgrE malayasya mahaujasam
drakSyathAdityasaGkAzamagastyamRSisattamam
tatastEnAbhyanujJAtAh prasannEna mahAtmanA.  (kiSkindhAkANDa.41 sarga. 15-16)

There may be many others. All references are from Gita Press, Gorakhpur
editions.

regards,

sarma.