Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara (Study)
by Debabrata Barai | 2014 | 105,667 words
This page relates ‘Citramimamsa, Kuvalayananda and Vrittavartika of Appayadikshita� of the English study on the Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara: a poetical encyclopedia from the 9th century dealing with the ancient Indian science of poetics and rhetoric (also know as alankara-shastra). The Kavya-mimamsa is written in eighteen chapters representing an educational framework for the poet (kavi) and instructs him in the science of applied poetics for the sake of making literature and poetry (kavya).
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Part 16 - °ä¾±³Ù°ù²¹³¾Ä«³¾ÄåṃsÄå, °³Ü±¹²¹±ô²¹²âÄå²Ô²¹²Ô»å²¹ and ³Õá¹›t³Ù²¹±¹Äå°ù³Ù¾±°ì²¹ of ´¡±è±è²¹²â²¹»åÄ«°ìá¹£i³Ù²¹
[Post-Dhvani Theory of Sanskrit Poetics (9): °ä¾±³Ù°ù²¹³¾Ä«³¾ÄåṃsÄå, °³Ü±¹²¹±ô²¹²âÄå²Ô²¹²Ô»å²¹ and ³Õá¹›t³Ù²¹±¹Äå°ù³Ù¾±°ì²¹ of ´¡±è±è²¹²â²¹»åÄ«°ìá¹£i³Ù²¹ (16th century A.D.)]
South Indian polymath ´¡±è±è²¹²â²¹»åÄ«°ìṣīt²¹ was a great writer on Sanskrit literary criticism and philosophy. However he is known to have written hundred books[1], but his three contributions of Indian poetics areâ€�³Õá¹›t³Ù²¹±¹Äå°ù³Ù¾±°ì²¹, °³Ü±¹²¹±ô²¹²âÄå²Ô²¹²Ô»å²¹ and °ä¾±³Ù°ù²¹³¾Ä«³¾ÄåṃsÄå. In the ³Õá¹›t³Ù²¹±¹Äå°ù³Ù¾±°ì²¹ he has discusses about the word and meaning. The °³Ü±¹²¹±ô²¹²âÄå²Ô²¹²Ô»å²¹ is the elementary work on ´¡±ô²¹á¹ƒkÄå°ù²¹Å›Äå²õ³Ù°ù²¹ which is dealt with various ´¡±ô²¹á¹ƒkÄå°ù²¹²õ and in the history of Sanskrit poetics °³Ü±¹²¹±ô²¹²âÄå²Ô²¹²Ô»å²¹ is the only work where largest number of ´¡±ô²¹á¹ƒkÄå°ù²¹²õ (poetic figures) have been treated. It have seems that it is based on the ´³´Ç²â»å±ð±¹²¹â€™s °ä²¹²Ô»å°ùÄå±ô´Ç°ì²¹, where he profusely borrowed from the latter. The famous incomplete work °ä¾±³Ù°ù²¹³¾Ä«³¾ÄåṃsÄå discusses about the division of °ìÄå±¹²â²¹ (poetry) with the treatment of few figures of speech.
Following the footsteps of ¶Ù³ó±¹²¹²Ô¾±°ìÄå°ù²¹ Ä€²Ô²¹²Ô»å²¹±¹²¹°ù»å³ó²¹²Ô²¹, Appayadikṣīta classified °ìÄå±¹²â²¹ (poetry) into three typesâ€�Dhvani °ìÄå±¹²â²¹, GunÄ«bhÅ«tavyaá¹…gya °ìÄå±¹²â²¹ and Citra °ìÄå±¹²â²¹, then he enunciates definitions of each of them. In the view of Dhvani°ìÄå±¹²â²¹, ´¡±è±è²¹²â²¹»åÄ«°ìá¹£i³Ù²¹ stated the suggested excels.
From the study of ´¡±è±è²¹²â»åÄ«°ìá¹£i³Ù²¹â€™s three poetical works we found on noteworthy feature that from the standpoint of originality they have little merit. But there he has given the elaborate treatment of the largest number of poetic figures and tried to gives some new lights of thought on some vexed problem of Sanskrit poetics. Lastly we can say that his all poetical works are elementary text-books where he integrated in a systematic manner the speculation of his ancient Sanskrit poeticians.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Gupta, D. K. A critical study of ¶Ù²¹á¹‡á¸¾±²Ô and his works, 1969, Pp-25, 38