The subject of today's quote needs no introduction.
Devanagari text:
Devanagari text:
त्रपाश्यामं जम्बु स्फुटितहृदयं दाडिमफलं
सशूलं संधत्ते हृदयमतिमानेन पनसम्|
अभूदन्तस्तोयं तरुशिरसिजं लाङ्गलिफलं
समायाते चूते जगति फलराजे रसमये||
सशूलं संधत्ते हृदयमतिमानेन पनसम्|
अभूदन्तस्तोयं तरुशिरसिजं लाङ्गलिफलं
समायाते चूते जगति फलराजे रसमये||
trapAzyAmaM jambu sphuTitahRdayaM dADimaphalaM
sazUlaM saMdhatte hRdayamatimAnena panasam|
abhudantastoyaM taruzirasijaM lAGgaliphalaM
samAyAte cUte jagati phalarAje rasamaye||
sazUlaM saMdhatte hRdayamatimAnena panasam|
abhudantastoyaM taruzirasijaM lAGgaliphalaM
samAyAte cUte jagati phalarAje rasamaye||
– Anonymous
Loose translation: The Jamun darkens in humiliation; the Pomegranate's heart rips apart while that of the Jackfruit has, as it were, a spike driven through it, its pride all shattered; the Coconut that grows at the top of the tree turns all watery inside – when the Mango[see also this], that juicy / delicious / charming king of fruits, arrives on the earth.
Source: Udbhata Sagara Part II Verse 207; Kavivacanasudha verse 186 begins with त्रपाश्यामा जम्बूः.
Notes: The fruit of the jamun or java plum (Syzygium cumini) is green when unripe, but "[a]s it matures, its color changes to pink, then to [a] shining crimson . . . and finally to black" (Wikipedia). But in the poet's imagination, the blackness of the jamun is due to the pall of shame cast upon it by the appearance of a superior fruit. Note that the jamun, just like the mango, is harvested and enjoyed in the summer.
Pomegranates are known to sometimes crack and split open on the tree when they ripen. The ripping of the heart is a standard metaphor for envy or extreme sorrow in many Indic languages.
As far as the "heart" of the jackfruit being pierced by a zUla (शूल), "spear / skewer / stake", is concerned, here is my conjecture based on the popular Bengali idiom kiliye kanthal pakano (কিলিয়ে কাঁঠাল পাকানো): One postulated origin of this expression is the alleged practice of forcing the jackfruit to ripen prematurely by driving a peg (कील) through its stalk. Or is सशूलं . . . हृदयम् just an allusion to the prickly skin of this fruit, which is also called kaNtakiphala (कण्टकिफल), "thorny fruit", in Sanskrit (once or twice, I have seen हृदय referring to the chest rather than the heart, in poetry)? In any case, the word शूल is key in this personification since it also denotes pain in Sanskrit. The jackfruit, too, is a summertime delight.
In all stages of maturation, the coconut contains a clear liquid inside its hard shell, but the poet (presumably) imagines that it has suffered a major meltdown out of the legitimate fear of being upstaged by the mango, or is just holding back its tears beneath a tough exterior!
Feel free to read these interesting articles on the mango culture of Bengal: [1], [2].
Source: Udbhata Sagara Part II Verse 207; Kavivacanasudha verse 186 begins with त्रपाश्यामा जम्बूः.
Notes: The fruit of the jamun or java plum (Syzygium cumini) is green when unripe, but "[a]s it matures, its color changes to pink, then to [a] shining crimson . . . and finally to black" (Wikipedia). But in the poet's imagination, the blackness of the jamun is due to the pall of shame cast upon it by the appearance of a superior fruit. Note that the jamun, just like the mango, is harvested and enjoyed in the summer.
Pomegranates are known to sometimes crack and split open on the tree when they ripen. The ripping of the heart is a standard metaphor for envy or extreme sorrow in many Indic languages.
As far as the "heart" of the jackfruit being pierced by a zUla (शूल), "spear / skewer / stake", is concerned, here is my conjecture based on the popular Bengali idiom kiliye kanthal pakano (কিলিয়ে কাঁঠাল পাকানো): One postulated origin of this expression is the alleged practice of forcing the jackfruit to ripen prematurely by driving a peg (कील) through its stalk. Or is सशूलं . . . हृदयम् just an allusion to the prickly skin of this fruit, which is also called kaNtakiphala (कण्टकिफल), "thorny fruit", in Sanskrit (once or twice, I have seen हृदय referring to the chest rather than the heart, in poetry)? In any case, the word शूल is key in this personification since it also denotes pain in Sanskrit. The jackfruit, too, is a summertime delight.
In all stages of maturation, the coconut contains a clear liquid inside its hard shell, but the poet (presumably) imagines that it has suffered a major meltdown out of the legitimate fear of being upstaged by the mango, or is just holding back its tears beneath a tough exterior!
Feel free to read these interesting articles on the mango culture of Bengal: [1], [2].
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