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THE SÜRYASATAKA OF MAYŪRA
115
He alone makes them new, his conduct being free from restric-
tions, and subject [only] to the abundant compassion [that
exists] in two-fold measure in his soul.
May the Hot-rayed (Sürya's) rays, to which oblations are offered
by hosts of Siddhas, quickly cause the destruction of your
sins!
Notes. 1. This stanza is quoted in Mammata's Kavyaprakaśća, 7. 301,
in the chapter dealing with 'Defects in Poetry'; cf. 2d ed. of Jhalakîkara,
p. 507; and cf. also tr. by G. Jhā, Benares, 1898, p. 153. Under the sub-
heading 'Exceptions to Defects in Sense,' the author says (I quote from
Jha's translation, p. 151, 153): 'In accordance with the speciality of the
speaker, etc., sometimes even faults become excellences, and sometimes
they are neither. . . . Where there is no Rasa, the faults cease to be either
faults or excellences; e.g., frnaghrana, etc.' Just what estimate the author
of the Kavyaprakaśa would place upon this stanza is not made clear to
me by the above quotation, but it is fairly obvious, as Jhã points out, that
importance seems to be placed upon mere alliteration-the letter gh
occurs 23 times-rather than on the kindness of the sun. But perhaps the
alliteration of gh is due to a striving for onomatopoeia, for lepers (see
note 6) speak with harsh, gurgling notes, and the word gha means 'a
rattling or gurgling sound'; cf. Monier-Williams, Skt.-Engl. Dict. s.v.
This stanza is also quoted in the Subhasitaratnabhāṇḍagara (cf. stanza
I, note 1), p. 41, stanza 16. 2. On eka, 'alone,' the commentary says:
'Rudra, and others also, assuming the incarnation of Surya, verily make
[a man] free from disease.' 3. According to the legend, Mayura's mi-
raculous recovery from leprosy was the happy consequence of the recita-
tion by him of this stanza; cf. Introd., p. 24. 4. The commentary
regards the 'multitudes of sins' as the cause of the affliction, with leprosy,
of hands, feet, throat, etc. It explains: 'In the disappearance of nose,
etc., and in the ulcerous condition of neck, lip, etc., he (Mayura) says,
describing the cause: "They are long rank with multitudes of sins.""
5. The term aghrata, 'smelled at,' I have rendered as 'rank'; cf. Hamlet,
3.3.36: 'O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven.' 6. The shriveled
limbs, the ulcers, and the raucous voice are concomitants of leprosy. 7.
With vranibhir apaghandir, 'ulcerous (lit. wounded) limbs,' the commen-
tary supplies upalakşita, 'characterized [by ulcerous limbs].' Grammati-
cally, apaghandir may be regarded as an instrumental of qualification
without a preposition; cf. above, Introduction, p. 95; J. S. Speijer,
Sanskrit Syntax, 67, Leyden, 1886. 8. The Siddhas were semi-divine
beings of great purity and holiness, and possessed the eight supernatural
powers called siddhis (cf. Wilson, tr. of Vişnu Purana, vol. 1, p. 91,
footnote); according to Markandeya Puraṇa, 63. 25 (Pargiter, p. 403),
the chief of the Siddhas was Vaśiştha. Monier-Williams, Skt.-Engl.
Dict. s.v. siddha, states that according to Visnu Purana the Siddhas,
115
He alone makes them new, his conduct being free from restric-
tions, and subject [only] to the abundant compassion [that
exists] in two-fold measure in his soul.
May the Hot-rayed (Sürya's) rays, to which oblations are offered
by hosts of Siddhas, quickly cause the destruction of your
sins!
Notes. 1. This stanza is quoted in Mammata's Kavyaprakaśća, 7. 301,
in the chapter dealing with 'Defects in Poetry'; cf. 2d ed. of Jhalakîkara,
p. 507; and cf. also tr. by G. Jhā, Benares, 1898, p. 153. Under the sub-
heading 'Exceptions to Defects in Sense,' the author says (I quote from
Jha's translation, p. 151, 153): 'In accordance with the speciality of the
speaker, etc., sometimes even faults become excellences, and sometimes
they are neither. . . . Where there is no Rasa, the faults cease to be either
faults or excellences; e.g., frnaghrana, etc.' Just what estimate the author
of the Kavyaprakaśa would place upon this stanza is not made clear to
me by the above quotation, but it is fairly obvious, as Jhã points out, that
importance seems to be placed upon mere alliteration-the letter gh
occurs 23 times-rather than on the kindness of the sun. But perhaps the
alliteration of gh is due to a striving for onomatopoeia, for lepers (see
note 6) speak with harsh, gurgling notes, and the word gha means 'a
rattling or gurgling sound'; cf. Monier-Williams, Skt.-Engl. Dict. s.v.
This stanza is also quoted in the Subhasitaratnabhāṇḍagara (cf. stanza
I, note 1), p. 41, stanza 16. 2. On eka, 'alone,' the commentary says:
'Rudra, and others also, assuming the incarnation of Surya, verily make
[a man] free from disease.' 3. According to the legend, Mayura's mi-
raculous recovery from leprosy was the happy consequence of the recita-
tion by him of this stanza; cf. Introd., p. 24. 4. The commentary
regards the 'multitudes of sins' as the cause of the affliction, with leprosy,
of hands, feet, throat, etc. It explains: 'In the disappearance of nose,
etc., and in the ulcerous condition of neck, lip, etc., he (Mayura) says,
describing the cause: "They are long rank with multitudes of sins.""
5. The term aghrata, 'smelled at,' I have rendered as 'rank'; cf. Hamlet,
3.3.36: 'O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven.' 6. The shriveled
limbs, the ulcers, and the raucous voice are concomitants of leprosy. 7.
With vranibhir apaghandir, 'ulcerous (lit. wounded) limbs,' the commen-
tary supplies upalakşita, 'characterized [by ulcerous limbs].' Grammati-
cally, apaghandir may be regarded as an instrumental of qualification
without a preposition; cf. above, Introduction, p. 95; J. S. Speijer,
Sanskrit Syntax, 67, Leyden, 1886. 8. The Siddhas were semi-divine
beings of great purity and holiness, and possessed the eight supernatural
powers called siddhis (cf. Wilson, tr. of Vişnu Purana, vol. 1, p. 91,
footnote); according to Markandeya Puraṇa, 63. 25 (Pargiter, p. 403),
the chief of the Siddhas was Vaśiştha. Monier-Williams, Skt.-Engl.
Dict. s.v. siddha, states that according to Visnu Purana the Siddhas,