Srngare Vipralambhakhye

In this literary study R. S. Betai examines the treatment of vipralambha‑śṛṅgāra – the aesthetic emotion of love in separation – in Sanskrit poetry. Drawing on canonical sources such as Kālidāsa and Bhavabhūti as well as Rabindranath Tagore’s reflections on poetry, the author argues that poets use the imaginative faculty to see with the mind what the eyes cannot and to visualise inner experiences in sensory terms. Betai analyses key verses from Raghuvaṃśa and other works to show how the hero’s lamentation (ajavilāpa) transcends mere grief and evokes universal feelings of longing and devotion. He discusses the role of memory, imagination and empathy in producing vipralambha‑rasa and contrasts it with sambhoga‑śṛṅgāra (love in union). The article also explores the psychological depth achieved by poets when portraying separation, noting how internal monologue and nature imagery amplify the sense of absence. By engaging with traditional alaṅkāra (poetic ornamentation) theory and contemporary responses, Betai highlights the enduring appeal of this mood in Indian aesthetics.

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