The divine sounds of the Veena

 

Thanks to a talk I heard on Youtube by Dr. H. V. Nagaraja Rao on Bhāsa's 3c. BCE play Pratijñā Yaugandharāyaṇa, I came across this wonderful shloka on the divine sounds of the Veena.

The hero of the play, King Udayana, is a master at capturing wild elephants by simply playing his special Veena. The name of the Veena is Ghoṣavatī. When Udayana is tricked by his rival king and captured, his Veena is also captured*. When the Veena is brought into his presence, the rival king describes it in this verse.

इयं सा घोषवती नाम! Oh, here is the Veena called Ghoṣavatī! 

यैषा She is indeed the one described thus:

श्रुतिसुखमधुरा By her sonorous tuning, she is so sweet 

स्वभावरक्ता by her nature, she is alluring 

करज-मुख-उल्लिखित-अग्र-घृष्ट-तन्त्री By the nails of one's fingers are stroked at the right place her strings

ऋषिवचनगतेव Like the words of great sages 

मन्त्रविद्या endowed with mystical powers 

गजहृदयानि  the hearts of elephants 

बलात् forcefully

वशीकरोति she captures! 

By her nature is the Veena tuneful, sweet and alluring. 

Her strings are played by one's nails delicately. 

Endowed with mystical powers like a Rishi's words, 

She entices elephants irresistibly! 

We have been fortunate to listen to vainikas who can captivate us like this. Imagine someone who can capture elephants by such divine Veena music! 

जय भारती! 

* This play describes how Udayana's minister Yaugandharāyaṇa  vows and succeeds in releasing him from captivity!