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THE SURYASATAKA OF MAYURA
Airāvata, a product of the famous churning of the ocean; cf. Mahabhārata,
1. 18. 40. For a picture of Indra mounted on Airāvata, cf. Edward Moor,
Hindu Pantheon, pl. 46, p. 176, Madras, 1864. 4. The Mountain of
Sunrise' (Udaya-giri) was Mt. Meru, from behind which the sun was
said to rise. This was a mythical mountain of gold, 84,000 yojanas high,
and the central point of all the dvipas. On its summit Viśvakarman, the
artificer of the gods, erected a splendid palace, where dwelt the celestials,
both devas and asuras. On it were situated the points of the compass,
and so, of course, the seats of Indra and of the other seven lokapālas, the
guardians of the eight points of the compass. It contained wonderful
lakes, and rivers, and forests full of golden-plumaged birds, and the
Ganges was said to flow forth from its summit. The sun, moon, winds,
and planets revolved about it as a center, and it contained the court of
Brahma, the Creator, and was the source of all gems and precious stones.
The personified Meru was the father of Menā, and so the grandfather of
Parvati (Candi) and father-in-law of Himalaya. Cf. Mahabharata, 1.
17.5-10; 3. 163. 12-33; 6. 6. 10-31; Rāmāyaṇa (Bombay edition by the
Lakşmivenkateśvara Press, 1895; cf. ed. by Gaspare Gorresio, Parigi,
1843-1858; French tr. by Alfred Roussel, Paris, 1903), 1. 35. 12-17; 4. 42.
36-46; Markandeya Purana, 45.65; 54; 55; 56 (tr. F. Eden Pargiter, p.
223, 275-283, Calcutta, 1904); Vişnu Purana, 2.2 (tr. H. H. Wilson, Lon-
don, 1864-1877, vol. 2, p. 109-126). In the Süryaśataka, Mt. Meru is
referred to in no less than 27 stanzas, viz., 1, 5, 12, 27, 34, 37, 38, 39, 41,
44, 46, 48, 49, 50, 56, 61, 62, 65, 68, 69, 74, 75, 82, 83, 93, 97, and 98. In
a few of these stanzas mention is made of some of the features of Meru
as noted in the Epics and Purāṇas; for example, the trees on the summit
of Meru are spoken of in stanza 38; its golden composition in stanzas
41 and 82; its crystal, ruby and emerald slopes in stanzas 46, 56 and 65;
and its relation to the dvipas in stanza 97. 5. This appears to be the
idea of the commentary, which says: 'With Savitar (Sürya) comes the
splendor of the clusters of lotuses.' 6. Note the alliteration (anuprāsa)
in the 4th päda, and the assonance or chiming (yamaka) in sändrasindūra,
raktaḥ sikta, kalam kamala-, etc. Both of these rhetorical figures are
exemplified many times in the stanzas of the Saryaśataka, so hereafter
only the more noteworthy examples will be called to the reader's attention.
The rhetorical figure known as 'Poetic Fancy' (utprekşa), the imagining
of one object under the guise of another, is here illustrated by conceiving
the red of the sun to be either glowing streams of molten metal, or ver-
milion, or the reflected luster of the lotus. Other instances of utpreksä
are found in stanzas 2, 3, 5, 14, 16, 22, 42, 49, 52, 54, 55, 63, 64, 68, 72, 74,
79. For further explanation and discussion of all these rhetorical figures
and devices, and also for the afis, or 'Benediction,' see the Introduction,
P. 90.
109
Variae Lectiones. [In the Variae Lectiones, which will be found
grouped together after the notes of each stanza, the letter V indicates the
readings of the Vidyodayah edition; J, the readings of the edition by
Jivananda Vidyasagara; H, those of the edition included in Haeberlin's
Airāvata, a product of the famous churning of the ocean; cf. Mahabhārata,
1. 18. 40. For a picture of Indra mounted on Airāvata, cf. Edward Moor,
Hindu Pantheon, pl. 46, p. 176, Madras, 1864. 4. The Mountain of
Sunrise' (Udaya-giri) was Mt. Meru, from behind which the sun was
said to rise. This was a mythical mountain of gold, 84,000 yojanas high,
and the central point of all the dvipas. On its summit Viśvakarman, the
artificer of the gods, erected a splendid palace, where dwelt the celestials,
both devas and asuras. On it were situated the points of the compass,
and so, of course, the seats of Indra and of the other seven lokapālas, the
guardians of the eight points of the compass. It contained wonderful
lakes, and rivers, and forests full of golden-plumaged birds, and the
Ganges was said to flow forth from its summit. The sun, moon, winds,
and planets revolved about it as a center, and it contained the court of
Brahma, the Creator, and was the source of all gems and precious stones.
The personified Meru was the father of Menā, and so the grandfather of
Parvati (Candi) and father-in-law of Himalaya. Cf. Mahabharata, 1.
17.5-10; 3. 163. 12-33; 6. 6. 10-31; Rāmāyaṇa (Bombay edition by the
Lakşmivenkateśvara Press, 1895; cf. ed. by Gaspare Gorresio, Parigi,
1843-1858; French tr. by Alfred Roussel, Paris, 1903), 1. 35. 12-17; 4. 42.
36-46; Markandeya Purana, 45.65; 54; 55; 56 (tr. F. Eden Pargiter, p.
223, 275-283, Calcutta, 1904); Vişnu Purana, 2.2 (tr. H. H. Wilson, Lon-
don, 1864-1877, vol. 2, p. 109-126). In the Süryaśataka, Mt. Meru is
referred to in no less than 27 stanzas, viz., 1, 5, 12, 27, 34, 37, 38, 39, 41,
44, 46, 48, 49, 50, 56, 61, 62, 65, 68, 69, 74, 75, 82, 83, 93, 97, and 98. In
a few of these stanzas mention is made of some of the features of Meru
as noted in the Epics and Purāṇas; for example, the trees on the summit
of Meru are spoken of in stanza 38; its golden composition in stanzas
41 and 82; its crystal, ruby and emerald slopes in stanzas 46, 56 and 65;
and its relation to the dvipas in stanza 97. 5. This appears to be the
idea of the commentary, which says: 'With Savitar (Sürya) comes the
splendor of the clusters of lotuses.' 6. Note the alliteration (anuprāsa)
in the 4th päda, and the assonance or chiming (yamaka) in sändrasindūra,
raktaḥ sikta, kalam kamala-, etc. Both of these rhetorical figures are
exemplified many times in the stanzas of the Saryaśataka, so hereafter
only the more noteworthy examples will be called to the reader's attention.
The rhetorical figure known as 'Poetic Fancy' (utprekşa), the imagining
of one object under the guise of another, is here illustrated by conceiving
the red of the sun to be either glowing streams of molten metal, or ver-
milion, or the reflected luster of the lotus. Other instances of utpreksä
are found in stanzas 2, 3, 5, 14, 16, 22, 42, 49, 52, 54, 55, 63, 64, 68, 72, 74,
79. For further explanation and discussion of all these rhetorical figures
and devices, and also for the afis, or 'Benediction,' see the Introduction,
P. 90.
109
Variae Lectiones. [In the Variae Lectiones, which will be found
grouped together after the notes of each stanza, the letter V indicates the
readings of the Vidyodayah edition; J, the readings of the edition by
Jivananda Vidyasagara; H, those of the edition included in Haeberlin's