विलुप्त होती एक और सरस्वती

Abstract in English

In the village life of the Satpura region, centuries-old proverbs on the verge of extinction can still occasionally be heard from the mouths of the elderly - like gold coins buried in the soil, offering, in their own dialect, an exceptionally beautiful portrayal of dharma, righteous conduct, ethics, social harmony and social taboos. Notably, this treasury survives most intact among the illiterate elders of the deep countryside. These proverbs employ all three powers of word-meaning recognised in Sanskrit poetics - abhidhā (literal sense), lakṣaṇā (indicative sense) and vyañjanā (suggested sense) - and are steeped in the poetic qualities of ojas (vigour), mādhurya (sweetness) and prasāda (lucidity), with a moving use of figures of speech such as metaphor, punning and poetic fancy. Most striking of all, the imagery in these sayings is drawn entirely from village life itself. It is astonishing, on reading them, how such profound reflection could have arisen among a society dismissed as illiterate rural folk. These proverbs have long formed part of the customary practices and rites of village life. In the absence of any effort at preservation, they are now gradually disappearing.