Raghuvamsa 2.35

[Christophe Vielle]

Thank you very much to Harunaga Isaacson for the datas on Aru.nagirin-atha
(by whom is in fact the article in VIJ? C.P. Bhatta?), with all my
apologies for having omitted the fact that H. Isaacson is the co-author
with D. Goodall of The Raghuvamsa of Kalidasa with its earliest commentary:
the Raghupancika of Vallabhadeva, Critical edition, introduction and notes
by D.C & H.I., vol. 1, Groningen Oriental Studies XVII,  2002.

Thanks to Lakshmi Srinivas who wrote to me directly, I now remember that C.
Panduranga Bhatta wrote on "The Influence on the Mah-ab-aarata on
K-alid-asa in the light of the views expressed by the commentators", in
S.P. Narang ed. Modern Evaluation of the Mah-abh-arata, Delhi: Nag
Publishers, 1995, pp. 258-65, and this author precisely starts his study by
discussing in the way of his title the problem of Nikumbha in Raghuva.m/sa
2.35 pp. 257-58. So Vallabha interprets it as the lion of P-arvat-i.
C-aritravardhana  (13th-14th century; given in Nandargikar ed.) says either
it refers to one of the ga.nas of /Siva or the son of Kumbhakarna. And
Aru.nagirin-atha seems the only one to interpret correctly as the ga.na of
/Siva, in refering to the story told in the "MBh" but which has in fact to
be found in its khila, viz. the HV, (CE) Appendix I no. 7 (occuring in
numerous mss.) ll. 61/68-138 (an "interpolation" that Brinkhaus has
recently shown to be anterior to the corresponding V-aP 92/B.dP2,3,67
version, cf. Kirfel's PPañc p. 372-76). According to that story the ga.na
Nikumbha, sent by /Siva, curses the city of V-ar-a.nas-i enraged by the
fact that the K-asi king has destroyed his shrine, i.e. has cut down the
big tree in which he was living. As Batta says, "this sends the warning to
Dil-ipa that he too may have to face a similar consequence if he interferes
to release the cow from the clutches of the lion viz. Kumbhodara".  Here is
the text of Aru.nagirinaatha's commentary (as quoted by Bhatta, and T.K.
Ramachandra Aiyar 's student edition of canto 2 I refered to yesterday, p.
36):
anena "pur-a kila v-ar-a.nasy-a.m caityav.rk.se nikumbho n-ama ga.na.h
prativasati sma ! ta.m ca v.rk.sa.m k-a/sir-aja.h kuto 'pi heto.h cheday-am
-asa ! sa kupito r-aj-ana.m saprak.rtikam svatejas-a dad-aha" ! iti
mah-abh-arataprasiddham itih-asam d.r.s.t-antayan
parame/svar-anubh-avopab.r.mhite.su sarvapuru.sak-ar-a viphal-ibhavant-iti
dyotayati



Dr. Christophe Vielle
Centre d'Etudes de l'Inde et de l'Asie du Sud
Institut orientaliste
Place Blaise Pascal 1
B - 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
BELGIUM
Tel. +32-(0)10-47 49 54 (office)/ -(0)2-640 62 66 (home)
E-mail: vielle at ori.ucl.ac.be