Retelling by DKM Kartha
सुतं पतन्तं सुसमीक्ष्य पावके
न बोधयामास पतिं पतिव्रता।
तदाऽभवत् तत्पति-भक्ति-गौरवात्
हुताशनश्चन्दन-पङ्क-शीतलः॥ -- कालिदास महाकवि
Once King BhOja was wandering in the city of DhAra in disguise (to see to it that everything was going on lawfully.) Then, in one home, he saw an unbelievably wondrous sight.
In that home, a man was lying down asleep with his head in the lap of his wife.
Then, their young child who had wandered away fell into the fire all of a sudden in the kitchen by accident.
Although the lady of the house saw that horrifying sight, she did not rise fearing that it would wake up her husband.
Although she did not rise to save her child, because of her pAtivRatya power, the fire appeared to have become cool and their son’s skin was not burnt and he did not scream out! He walked out of the fire smiling and totally unhurt.
Seeing this almost unearthly event, and completely puzzled by its magical nature, King BhOja retuned to his palace in deep thought. He composed a clause -- Fire became as cool as sandal paste: हुताशनश्चन्दन-पङ्क-शीतलः
Another day, the King decided to present to his courtiers the samasyA, namely, Fire became as cool as sandal paste: हुताशनश्चन्दन-पङ्क-शीतलः
This samasyA was completed by KaaLidAsa also as follows:
सुतं पतन्तं सुसमीक्ष्य पावके
न बोधयामास पतिं पतिव्रता।
तदाऽभवत् तत्पति-भक्ति-गौरवात्
हुताशनश्चन्दन-पङ्क-शीतलः॥
(Seeing her own son falling into fire, the lady with the vow of PAtrivRatyam did not wake up her husband. Because of the intensity of her devotion to her husband, Fire became as cool as sandal paste.)
The other poets also completed the samasyA in impressive ways, but none of their stanzas encapsulated the whole event that BhOjarAja had seen with his own eyes.
KaaLidaasa must have seen the whole event using the Inner Eye of PRatibhA — a gift from SRee MahAkALi although he had not seen the real event with his own physical eyes.
King Bhoja gave the poet with great respect plenty of gifts to honor the divining power of his visionary ability!
Some theorists have called this ability PRakhyA and the ability to describe it AkhyA. In a genius poet, both PRakhyA and AkhyA are very active with a magically unitary force.
That is why, in the commentary of Bhartrihari's vAkyapadIya (khaNDa 3, shloka 1), HElArAja wrote the following hymn to Goddess PRatibhA, which, by the way, is present in every being to a lesser degree or greater. Otherwise how would a child pick up his or her mother tongue in two or three years without taking university level courses in grammar. Or how can a bird in Mexico map out its path of migration to Canada? So, all beings have PRatibhA’s blessing!
यस्मिन्संमुखतां प्रयाति रुचिरं कोऽप्यन्तरुज्जृम्भते
नेदीयान्महिमा मनस्यभिनवः पुंसः प्रकाशात्मनः ।
तृप्तिं यत्परमां तनोति विषयास्वादं विना शाश्वतीं
धामानन्दसुधामयोर्जितवपुस्तत्प्रातिभं संस्तुमः ।।
That, at the advance of which the indescribable, very intimate inner greatness in the mind of man whose soul is light, manifests itself brilliantly as something new;
which spreads out the highest satisfaction, not in need of tasting external objects, and eternal;
the form of which is powerful and full of nectarstreams of bliss and majesty;
that, that intuitive insight (prätibham), we praise.
\-\-\- Helārāja
(From The Saṃbandha-Samuddeśa (Chapter on Relation) and Bhartṛhari's Philosophy of Language By Jan Houben)