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Vakyapadiya (study of the concept of Sentence)

by Sarath P. Nath | 2018 | 36,088 words

This page relates ‘The Concept of Pratibha in Indian Poetics� of the study on Vakyapadiya by Bhartrhari and his treatment of the Concept of Sentence in Language. Bhartrhari was a great grammarian and philosopher who explored the depth and breadth of Sanskrit grammar. These pages analyse the concepts and discussions on sentence and sentence-meaning presented in the Vakyapadiya, against the different systems of knowledge prevalent in ancient India (such as Mimamsa, Nyaya and Vyakarana).

3. The Concept of ʰپ in Indian Poetics

The concept of ʰپ, as a source of innovative and fresh ideas, has been placed at its core by rhetoricians in their literary theories. The semantic as well as psychological study of ʰپ by 󲹰ṛh, the famous philosopher cum linguist, inspired rhetoricians much. 󲹰ṛh's conception of ʰپ as eternal, undivided and of the nature of continuous intuition, has given a new perspective to the rhetoricians to pave new pathways in the Alankāraśastra. Almost all the preceptors of the School of Poetics in India have tried to define this concept in various perspectives. In general, ṅkśٰ has taken it as the root of all poetic creations. It is an intuition or intellect of a poet from where fresh and creative sparks are bloomed. It is the power of intellect whereby the poet sees the subjects of his poem as steeped in beauty and gives a vivid and beautiful picture of what he has seen.

This innate capacity of a poet has been called in various names such as ʰپ, Śپ etc in Indian Poetics. In 屹ṅk, states that,

"屹ⲹ� tu jāyate ٳ kasyacit pratibhāvata�"
  �(屹ṅk 1.5).

He opines that ʰپ is the most important equipment for a poet to compose poetry. Later preceptors of Poetics also maintain almost the same view as of 峾. ܻṭa, who also authored a work named 屹ṅk, calls it as śپ, which is characterised by extraordinary innate attribute of soul and poetic imagination shines forth on it (1.15).

峾Բ, one of the prominent Āṅk첹 in the pre-dhvani period, emphasises in his treatise 屹ṅksūtravṛtti that ʰپ is the sole cause of poetry.

His perspective of ʰپ is clear in these words;

"첹īᲹ� پԲ�, yasmāt 屹ⲹ� na niṣpadyate, ԾṣpԲԲ� vā hāsyāyatana� syāt"
  �(屹ṅksūtravṛtti 1.3.16).

The germ of poetry is ʰپ, in the absence of which, poetry does not originate and even if composed, it will be ridiculed by the society.

ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ, the foremost thinker in Indian poetics as well as the founder of Dhvani School of literary criticism, has given a prime position to the concept of ʰپ in his magnum opus Dhvanyāloka. He was much influenced by 󲹰ṛh's perspectives of ʰپ as well as ṭa. 󲹰ṛh's concept of ʰپ is all-inclusive that the scope of this concept reaches all the aspects of universal activities. ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ restricts this concept to the poetic imagination and extends its scope in the realm of Aesthetics and Poetics.

Thus, he acknowledges the indebtedness to the views of the grammarians in developing the theory of Dhvani.

"prathame hi vidvāṃso vaiyākaranā�,
  �(2006,p.138).

ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ builds up his whole theses of literary criticism with the ʰپ at its core. He and the followers of the School of Dhvani reiterate the supremacy of imagination and rasa in their theses. Poet's imagination is deeply rooted in ʰپ or it is the manifestation of ʰپ. It needs no external guidance or requirements to manifest the poetry. This can also be equated with the famous definition of poetry by William Wordsworth as "all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions" (Brett and Jones, 1963,p.266). ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ views that without ʰپ, poetry cannot be composed. He also adds that ʰپ can make up the lack of learning or scholarship, but the lacking of ʰپ can be substituted by none. ʰپ as a poetic flash transforms an ordinary man into a poet having a vision or 岹śԲ. It is said that a seer (Ṛṣ) having a 岹śԲ only can be a poet. Rhetoricians have no dispute among them in the view that a poet should be capable of expressing that which he 'sees' (ṇaԾṇa�). But this poetic expression flashes forth only with the help of 岹śԲ or ʰپ, as mentioned.

According to Ჹś󲹰, ʰپ is the creative faculty of the poet as well as the reader. Hence he conceives ʰپ in two ways; ⾱ٰī and 屹⾱ٰī respectively. Thus, earlier as well as later rhetoricians accept ʰپ as the inherent wonderful faculty of natural disposition and inborn gift of the poet (Gayatri Rath, 2000,p.149). In other words, it is the intelligent faculty of intellect where new and novel blooming of ideas arise.

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