Six-Mark Poetry Item: Karuna versus Viraha Shringara and an Alankara Dispute
Two Class X students sit a six-mark poetry question on a four-line Odia poem: 'ସେ ଗଲା ପରେ ଏ ଘର / ଶୂନ୍ୟ ପ୍ରଦୀପ ପରି ଲାଗେ; / ମୁଁ ଜଳନ୍ତି ନିଜେ ନିଜ ଭିତରେ / ଅନ୍ଧାର କାନ୍ଦେ।' The question asks for the predominant rasa with two textual reasons and one alankara. Student P writes 'କରୁଣ ରସ' and cites 'ଅନ୍ଧାର କାନ୍ଦେ' and the empty house. Student Q writes 'ବିରହ ଶୃଙ୍ଗାର' and cites the departed person and the burning self. The marking key allows either, but the school's senior teacher argues that viraha requires a remembered beloved and a lover's longing, while this poem shows only grief. The exam committee must settle the rasa, decide whether Q deserves partial credit, and clarify how the alankara 'ପ୍ରଦୀପ ପରି' should be named, since P called it rupaka and Q called it upama.
1. Which rasa should be accepted as predominant, and how do you answer the senior teacher's objection? Cite two textual signals.
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Accept karuna, not viraha shringara. The poem's signals are the empty house after a departure and the personified darkness that 'କାନ୍ଦେ' (weeps). Karuna is grief and compassion aroused by loss; the crying darkness externalises the speaker's sorrow. Viraha shringara requires an erotic or beloved relationship and longing for union; the text gives no beloved, no memory of love, no desire for union-only absence and weeping. The senior teacher is right on the definition but wrong to imply that any departure poem is viraha. The test is the sthayibhava: here it is shoka (grief), not rati (love). Q's phrase 'burning self' can support grief, but Q names the wrong rasa. In marking, do not let the word 'ବିରହ' alone earn credit; ask what emotion the images sustain. A useful class contrast: a viraha poem would address the absent lover and express hope of return; this poem addresses the empty room.
2. P called 'ପ୍ରଦୀପ ପରି' rupaka; Q called it upama. Who is right, and how would you allocate the 6 marks (rasa 3, reasons 2, alankara 1)?
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Q is right: 'ପରି' is an explicit comparison word, so the figure is upama (simile). Rupaka would suppress the comparison word and identify the objects-e.g., 'ଏ ଘର ଶୂନ୍ୟ ପ୍ରଦୀପ'-a metaphor. P has confused the tenor/vehicle relation with the marker. Marks: P-rasa 3 (correct karuna), reasons 2 (empty house, weeping darkness), alankara 0 = 5/6. Q-rasa 0 (viraha shringara is wrong as predominant), reasons 2 (the cited details do support grief even if mislabeled), alankara 1 = 3/6. This split rewards Q's correct device identification without rewarding the wrong rasa. If the scheme says 'any two reasons', accept Q's reasons only because they are textually true; the label is a separate mark. Record the alankara rule on the board: 'ପରି, ପରି ଭଳି, ସମ' signal upama; absence of such a marker plus direct identification signals rupaka.
3. Write a 2-mark diagnostic question you would add to the next class test to catch the rasa/device confusion, with the expected answer.
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Question: 'ନିମ୍ନ ପଂକ୍ତିରେ ରସ ଓ ଅଳଙ୍କାର ଅଲଗା କରି ଲେଖ: ତା ବିନା ଏ ନଗରୀ ଶ୍ମଶାନ ପରି ଲାଗେ। (Separate rasa and alankara.)' Expected: rasa-karuna (grief at absence); alankara-upama, because 'ପରି' explicitly compares the city to a cremation ground. Marking: 1 for rasa with a reason, 1 for device with the marker word. The item is diagnostic because a student who writes 'viraha' must justify a beloved, and a student who writes 'rupaka' must explain why 'ପରି' is ignored. It takes two minutes and gives a clean signal before the board exam. Do not accept 'shanta' merely because the line is quiet; the comparison to a cremation ground carries grief.