Alamkaras mentioned by Vamana
by Pratim Bhattacharya | 2016 | 65,462 words
This page relates 鈥楢lamkara-shastra according to Vamana (8th century)鈥� of the study on Alamkaras (鈥榝igure of speech鈥�) mentioned by Vamana in his Kavyalankara-sutra Vritti, a treatise dealing with the ancient Indian science of Rhetoric and Poetic elements. Vamana flourished in the 8th century and defined thirty-one varieties of Alamkara (lit. 鈥渁nything which beautifies a Kavya or poetic composition鈥�)
7: Ala峁僰膩ra-艣膩stra according to 痴腻尘补苍补 (8th century)
痴腻尘补苍补 (c. 8th cen.鈥�9th cen. A.D.) is the first rhetorician to point out the supreme importance of 谤墨迟颈 in 办腻惫测补. This 谤墨迟颈, he adds, has to be 鈥�驳耻峁嚹乼尘补办补鈥� or consisting of the poetic merits that determine the quality of a 办腻惫测补. He has also put forth a detailed discussion on the classification of 驳耻峁嘺蝉 and their basic difference with 补濒补峁僰腻谤补蝉.
痴腻尘补苍补鈥檚 concept of 补濒补峁僰腻谤补蝉 deserves very special attention. He follows his predecessor 叠丑腻尘补丑补 when he announces the unassailable importance of 补濒补峁僰腻谤补 in a 办腻惫测补.
He opines that poetry is acceptable on the account of 补濒补峁僰腻谤补鈥�
办腻惫测补峁� 驳谤腻丑测补尘补濒补峁僰腻谤腻迟
鈥擪膩vy膩la峁僰膩ras奴trav峁泃ti (of 痴腻尘补苍补) 1.1.1.
痴腻尘补苍补 defines 补濒补峁僰腻谤补 in two-folds鈥�
a) Anything which beautifies a 办腻惫测补 is to be recognised as an 补濒补峁僰腻谤补. Therefore, 补濒补峁僰腻谤补 is beauty in general鈥�
saundaryam补濒补峁僰腻谤补岣�/
鈥擪膩vy膩la峁僰膩ras奴trav峁泃ti (of 痴腻尘补苍补) 1.1.2
This is the 鈥�蝉腻尘腻苍测补 濒补办峁峁嘺鈥� of 补濒补峁僰腻谤补. By this definition 痴腻尘补苍补 has explained the term 补濒补峁僰腻谤补 as primarily synonymous with 鈥榚mbellishment鈥� or with 鈥榯he act of embellishing鈥�, thus including in itself all the general elements of beautification in a 办腻惫测补 such as 驳耻峁嘺, 谤墨迟颈, 补濒补峁僰腻谤补, rasa, 诲辞峁丑墨苍补迟惫补 etc.
痴腻尘补苍补 also asserts that this beauty is to be attained by avoiding 诲辞峁蝉 and employing 驳耻峁嘺蝉 and 补濒补峁僰腻谤补蝉鈥�
sa ca do峁gu峁嚹乴a峁僰膩rah膩n膩d膩n膩bhy膩m/
鈥擪膩vy膩la峁僰膩ras奴trav峁泃ti (of 痴腻尘补苍补) 1.1.3.
b) In the secondary instrumental sense the term 补濒补峁僰腻谤补 is identified to that which embellishes or 鈥榯he means of embellishment鈥�. By this definition of 补濒补峁僰腻谤补, the conventional figures of speech like 耻辫补尘腻, 谤奴辫补办补 etc have been also termed as 补濒补峁僰腻谤补. This is the 鈥�惫颈艣别峁 濒补办峁峁嘺鈥� of 补濒补峁僰腻谤补 and it includes all the 鈥�辫腻谤颈产丑腻峁办补鈥� or traditional figures of speech mentioned by the Sanskrit rhetoricians.
As far as the importance of 补濒补峁僰腻谤补 in a 办腻惫测补 is concerned 痴腻尘补苍补 describes 补濒补峁僰腻谤补蝉 such as 耻辫补尘腻 etc as 鈥�anitya dharma鈥� of 办腻惫测补 while 驳耻峁嘺 as 鈥�nitya dharma鈥�. Thus he asserts that 鈥�驳耻峁嘺tmaka 谤墨迟颈鈥� is the soul (腻迟尘补苍) of a 办腻惫测补 while 补濒补峁僰腻谤补蝉 only embellish the body of poetry, i.e, 艣补产诲补 and artha.