auspicious rituals, and would be treated with equality. In the fourth canto, while speaking to Sujāta, Uddālaka says – the notion that the disabled are a burden on family and not worthy of attention will decay the world. He cautions against insulting and humiliating the disabled, and advises treating them with respect, else even the tears of the disabled will trample one in turn. In the seventh canto, in Aṣṭāvakra's soliloquy, the poet says that making fun of the disabled is never appropriate, for they are created by the same craftsman as the entire creation. An example verse is – Devanagari भार है विकलांग क्या परिवार का क्या उपेक्ष्या पात्र वह सकलांग का । जगत को जर्जरित कर देगी झटिति यह विषम अवधारणा कुसमाज की ॥ IAST bhāra hai vikalāṃga kyā parivāra kā kyā upekṣyā pātra vaha sakalāṃga kā । jagata ko jarjarita kara degī jhaṭiti yaha viṣama avadhāraṇā kusamāja kī ॥ Poetic features Rasas The principle Rasas in the epic are the Vīra (heroism or bravery) and the Karuṇa (compassion) Rasas. Aṣṭāvakra's soliloquy after his father's curse (third canto), Kahola's repentance of the curse (fourth canto) and the conversation between Uddālaka's and Sujātā after Kahola's drowning in water are contexts with compassion and pathos. Aṣṭāvakra's determination and resolve to liberate is father (fifth canto) and his journey to Mithilā (sixth canto) are the notable contexts with the emotion of heroism. Figures of Speech Anuprāsa (Alliteration) and Yamaka Yamaka is a kind of pun in Saṃskṛta (and also in Hindi and other Prākṛta languages) where a word occurs multiple times and each occurrence has a different meaning. An example of alliteration (Anuprāsa) mixed with Yamaka from the epic is the second half of the verse 7.32 – Devanagari अङ्ग अङ्ग पर विलस रहे थे ललितललाम विभूषण भवभूषण दूषणरिपुदूषणदूषण निमिकुलभूषण । IAST aṅga aṅga para vilasa rahe the lalitalalāma vibhūṣaṇa bhavabhūṣaṇa dūṣaṇaripudūṣaṇa dūṣaṇa nimikulabhūṣaṇa । In the second half of verse the 1.21, the poet uses the words raurava and gaurava in the same line four and three times respectively, with a different meaning in each occurrence. Devanagari रौरवसहित रहित रौरव से रौरवकृत जितरौरव थे गौरवमय अभिमान विवर्जित श्रितगौरव हितगौरव थे ॥ IAST rauravasahita rahita raurava se rauravakṛta jitaraurava the gauravamaya abhimāna vivarjita śritagaurava hitagaurava the ॥ Bhaṣāsamaka At several places in the epic (1.85, 4.100, 8.106 and 8.108), the poet uses the Bhāṣāsamaka (also known as Maṇipravāla) figure of speech,