Srngara Sarasi of Bhava Misra

Syngāra Sarasi is a small work on Alankara Śästra (poetics). It was written in the second half of the 16th century AD. The work solely focuses on Singura Rasa, which is the emotion of love between men and women. The topics covered in this work include descriptions of the different limbs of a beautiful woman, the categorization of male and female characters, and accounts of the well-known Aşța Nayikās (the eight heroines). The work then discusses the phases of a love relationship, namely Samyoga and Vipralambha (union and separation). The author concludes the work with descriptions of seasons, the moon, and the wind.

This work belongs to the same genre as earlier works, such as Kama Samīkṣā by Ananta Kavi and Catura Cintamaniby Gangadhara Miśra.

Bhava Miśra was a highly competent poet. He experimented with various poetic forms, including Gomütrika Bandha, Turaga Bandha, and Padagupti Cakra Bandha. He established Kanyaka among the Svakīyā Nāyikās and reorganized the various shades of a woman's feelings during separation from her husband, especially among the Proșita Bhartyka (women whose husbands are away).

In conclusion, Singāra Sarasi is an important work in the field of Sanskrit Alankara Sastra.

About the Author:

DR. AMAL SHIB PATHAK was awarded a Ph.D. from Lucknow University in 1968 for his work titled Stage and Stagecraft of Sanskrit Plays. His guide was Dr. A.C. Banerjea, who later became the Vice Chancellor of Faizabad University. Dr. Pathak studied Küdiyattam under Guru Mani Madhava Cäkyär of Ottapalam, Kerala. He traced the close relationship between the theatrical presentation of Küdiyäțțam and ancient Indian theatrical practices.

He edited the following unpublished Sanskrit manuscripts:

1. Natya Locanam by Trilocamāditya

2. Natya Pradīpa by Sundara Mišra

3. Kama Samüha by Ananta Kavi

4. Catura Cintamani by Gangadhara Miśra

5. Vatsyayana Sütra Vitti by Bhaskara Narasimha Śāstri

The first three works were published by Chowkhamba Sanskrit Sansthan, Varanasi. The fourth was published by the Asiatic Society, Kolkata, and the last one was published by the National Mission for Manuscripts, New Delhi. Syngāra Sarast is his latest contribution.