Mudrarakshasa (literary study)
by Antara Chakravarty | 2015 | 58,556 words
This page relates ‘Classification and number of Alamkaras� of the English study on the Mudrarakshasa: an ancient Sanskrit dramatic play (Nataka) authored by Vishakhadatta which deals with the life of king Chandragupta. This study investigates the Mudra Rakshasa from a literary perspective, such as metrics, themes, rhetorics and other poetical elements. Chandragupta ruled the Mauryan Empire during the 4th century BCE, hence this text can also be studied as a historical textbook of ancient India.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
2. Classification and number of Alaṃkāras
Bharata, the earliest considered rhetorician has mentioned only four ṃk in his ṭyśٰ. Those are�
But he has not classified them on any basis. In the վṣṇܻdzٳٲܰṇa, the writer treats seventeen ṃk.
He defines all the seventeen ṃk but he refrains from illustrating any one of them. 峾, the first systematic writer on this subject, recognizes two types of ṃk as pertaining to words and sense.
Cf.�
In 屹ṃk, 峾 treats thirty eight ṃk belonging both to words and senses. 峾 thinks that Vakrokti is the main cause of ṃk. He rejected ܰṣm, Hetu and ś as ṃk because he failed to observe Vakrokti in them. 峾 says that as the face of a beautiful damsel cannot exhibit its real beauty without ornaments, a poetic creation devoid of ṃk like ū貹첹 etc., also becomes unpleasant.
Cf.�
rūpakādirṃktasyānairvahudhodita�/
na kāntamapi nirbhūṣa� vibhāti ramaṇīmukha�//[3]
Dandin has considered ṃk in the broader sense, when he states that all the beautifying objects in a 屹ⲹ are ṃk. He mentioned four Śṃk and thirty-five ٳṃk. Dandin also has divided 貹 into thirty-two types and Yamaka into three hundred and fifteen types.
峾Բ recognizes thirty-two ṃk, of which thirty are ٳṃk and two of them are Śṃk. He invented a new ṃk called Vyajokti and regarded 貹 as the root of all the ṃk.
ܻṭa in his Kāvyṃk has mentioned about fifty-seven ٳṃk (of which thirty–one are newly invented) and five Śṃk. ĀԲԻ岹Բ identifies ṃk as a type of dvani.[4] Again, Kuntaka considered ṃk are mainly twenty in number, others being subordinates.
ᲹᲹ, Ѳṭa and Ծܰṇa have contributed a new concept in the field of ṃk. They recognize a new class of ṃk, known as Ubhayālaṃkāra or Miśrālaṃkāra. In ᲹᲹ’s classification of ṃk, he divided seventy-two ṃk, in the three divisions having twenty-four each. Bhoja again has developed a new conception. He realized that the comparison of ṃk merely with ornaments like 첹ṭa첹, ṇḍ etc is not sufficient. Because, he considered that these ornaments are detachable. Therefore, he classifies ornaments into three sections, viz. ⲹ (external), ⲹԳٲ (internal) and bāhyⲹԳٲ (external-internal). He refers dressing, wearing jewels etc. as external ornaments. They are like Śṃk; cleaning teeth, dressing hair as internal ornaments, can be compared with ٳṃk and bathing, treating hair with fragment smoke etc. are external-internal ṃk, can be resembled with Śabdārthālaṃkāras.[5]
Ѳṭa has mentioned about six Śṃk, fifty-eight ٳṃk and two Miśrālaṃkāras.
The Ծܰṇa deals with twenty-three principal ṃk of which nine are of Ś岹, eight of Artha and six of Śٳ. Ծܰṇa defines ٳṃk as adornment of meaning of ś岹 which again is conceived as the adornment of ī, the goddess of speech herself. It observes that the beauty of words is not charming without the embellishment of sense, and devoid of embellishment of sense, the goddess of speech is like a widow.[6] Again, Śabdārthālaṃkāra is compared with the necklace of a beautiful lady that adorns both her breast and neck.[7]
Բ첹 Ruyyaka in his ṃk has counted eighty-two ṃk, six Śṃk, seventy-five ٳṃk and one Miśrālaṃkāra. His classification of ṃk has reached a new horizon when he classifies them in a very scientific manner.
He has classified ṃk based on the ٳٲṛtپ or mental effort�
tadete ٳٲṛtپgatatvenālaṃkāralakṣita�/[8]
His classification has got five divisions�
Apart from the above, Kāvyṃkārasaṃgraha counted forty-one ṃk, one hundred and four in 䲹Իǰ첹 and eighty-four in ٲⲹ岹貹ṇa. Therefore, it can be seen that, one cannot determine the exact number of alamkāras, as they are ever increasing.
Regarding this innumerous feature of ṃk, ĀԲԻ岹Բ says,�
vacyālaṃkāravargaśca rūpakādiryāvānukto vakṣyate ca kaiścit, ṃkṇāmԲԳٲٱ/[14]
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
屹ṃk of 峾
[3]:
屹ṃk of 峾, X.13
[5]:
[6]:
arthṃkrahitā vidhaveva sarasvatī // Ծܰṇa, VIII.1
[7]:
Ibid., IX.1
[8]:
ṃk, page.214
[9]:
Ibid., p.25
[10]:
Ibid., p.121
[11]:
Ibid., p. 140
[12]:
Ibid., p. 143,148,164
[13]:
Ibid., p. 173
[14]:
ٳԲǰ첹, p.201