श्लोकोऽयं मह्यं रोचते - 36

ग्री
ग्रीवाभङ्गाभिरामं मुहुरनुपतति स्यन्दने बद्धदृष्टिः
पश्चार्धेन प्रविष्टः शरपतनभयाद्भूयसा पूर्वकायम्।
दर्भैरर्धावलीढैः श्रमविवृतमुखभ्रंशिभिः कीर्णवर्त्मा
पश्योदग्रप्लुतत्वाद्वियति बहुतरं स्तोकमुर्व्यां प्रयाति॥

gréväbhangäbhirämam muhuranupatati syandane badhadrñtiù

paçcärdhena praviñtaù çarapatanabhayät bhüyasä pürvakäyam

darbhairardhävaléòaiù çramavivrtamukhabhramçibhiù kérëavartma

paçyodagraplutatvät bahutaram stokamurvyäm prayäti

The above verse is from kAlidAsa’s drama abhignAna sAkunthalam.
The context here is: King Dushyanta with a bow and arrow in hand follows a deer.
Dushyanta describes the deer that is frightened by seeing him and the deer runs very fast to save his life.--- ‘The deer, while running, beautifully bends back his neck and casting his eyes often at the chariot. He shrinks the back portion of his body to the front half due to the fear of the fall of arrows. His mouth was filled with the dharbha grass. He ate only half of it and the remaining grass slipped from his mouth due to fatigue and the path was scattered with dharbha grass. He runs very fast because of which he jumps high and seems to travel more in the sky and runs very less on the earth.’

ग्रीवाभङ्गाभिरामं- neck is beautiful because of bending, अनुपतति- falls, मुहुः - again, स्यन्दने- in the chariot, बद्धदृष्टिः- casting his eyes, पूर्वकायम्- the front portion of the body , शरपतनभयाद्भूयसा- due to the fear of the fall of arrows (शर- arrow, पतन-fall, भयात्-fear ,भूयसा-again) पश्चार्धेन प्रविष्टः- the deer shrinks the back portion , अर्धावलीढैः – half eaten, दर्भैः –with the dharbha grasses,श्रम – due to fatigue,विवृत - opened, भ्रंशिभिः – falling from the, मुख – mouth, कीर्णवर्त्मा- spreads the path,and पश्य- see the deer, उदग्रप्लुतत्वात्- as he jumps high ,वियति –in the sky ,बहुतरं – travels more ,स्तोकम्- very less, उर्व्याम् – in the earth ,प्रयाति- runs.

The above verse gives a beautiful and true presentation of a deer fleeting in fear of a hunter pursuing him. This is a very simple scene but the narration makes us visualize the whole scene. And there are no words to describe the simple style of the author kAlidAsa. In the text kAvya prakAsa , this verse is illustrated as an example for bhayaanaka rasa.

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