Sahitya-kaumudi by Baladeva Vidyabhushana
by Gaurapada D膩sa | 2015 | 234,703 words
Baladeva Vidyabhusana鈥檚 Sahitya-kaumudi covers all aspects of poetical theory except the topic of dramaturgy. All the definitions of poetical concepts are taken from Mammata鈥檚 Kavya-prakasha, the most authoritative work on Sanskrit poetical rhetoric. Baladeva Vidyabhushana added the eleventh chapter, where he expounds additional ornaments from Visv...
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Text 1.4
啶啶班啶曕啶粪ぞ-啶掂い啷�-啶啶班さ啷冟い啷嵿い啶 啶多ぞ啶膏啶む啶班ぞ啶た啶о啶�-啶げ啶� 啶むぞ啶掂う啷� 啶嗋す,
prek峁Ｄ�-vat-prav峁泃taye 艣膩str膩bhidheya-phala峁� t膩vad 膩ha,
For the sake of a continuation that has a vision, he simply mentions the benefit derived from the subject matter of this treatise:
办腻惫测补峁� 测补艣补蝉别'rtha-办峁泃别 惫测补惫补丑腻谤补-vide 艣ivetara-办峁迟补测别 |
蝉补诲测补岣� 辫补谤补-苍颈谤惫峁泃补测别 办腻苍迟腻-sammitatayopade艣a-yuje ||1.2||
办腻惫测补尘鈥�poetry (in verse or in prose); 测补艣补蝉别鈥攆or fame; artha-办峁泃别鈥攆or making money; 惫测补惫补丑腻谤补-vide鈥攆or knowing worldly ways; 艣颈惫补-itara鈥攐f inauspiciousness (鈥渨hat is other than auspiciousness鈥�); 办峁迟补测别鈥攆or the diminution; 蝉补诲测补岣�鈥攁t once; 辫补谤补-苍颈谤惫峁泃补测别鈥攆or high happiness; 办腻苍迟腻-蝉补尘尘颈迟补迟补测腻鈥攐苍 account of being like a wife (or like a female paramour); 耻辫补诲别艣补鈥攚ith advice; yuje鈥攚hich is linked.
The purpose of poetry is the attainment of fame and wealth; the knowledge of the ways of the world; a diminution of inauspiciousness; and an immediate and total happiness linked with advice, insofar as poetry is similar to a wife.
k墨rtir dhana-pr膩ptir deva-manu峁膩di-vyavah膩r膩vagatir devat膩-vandana-k峁泃a岣� kle艣a-n膩艣a岣� sapady eva ras膩nubhava-samudbh奴ta岣� param膩nanda岣� dharm膩di-r奴pa-hitopade艣a艣 ca k膩vy膩d eva bhavat墨ti sarvath膩 tatra prayatan墨yam. veda岣� khalu 艣abda-pr膩dh膩ny膩t prabhu-sammita岣�, pur膩峁嚹乨i艣 c膩rtha-pr膩dh膩ny膩t suh峁泃-sammita岣� 艣膩sti, 办腻惫测补峁� tu 艣abd膩rthayor 驳耻峁嘺tay膩 ras膩峁単a-bh奴ta-vy膩p膩rapr膩va峁噛膩t tad-vilak峁峁嘺m ata岣� 办腻苍迟腻-sammita峁� tad iti.
A renown; the obtainment of wealth; the understanding of the ways of the gods, of humans, and so on; the termination, engendered by praising a deity, of afflictions; instant bliss arisen from the experience of rasa (rapture) (4.7 惫峁泃迟颈); and counsel in the form of moral ethics and so on occur only from poetry, therefore eminent efforts should be made in that regard, in every way.
Indeed, owing to the predominance of word, the Veda is similar to a master and, owing to the predominance of meaning, the canon of Puranic literature instructs like a well-wisher. Poetry, however, is distinct from them on account of an inclination toward the usage of rasa, which is beyond the primary meaning of the words. Consequently poetry is similar to a beloved wife.
Commentary:
In Mamma峁璦鈥檚 opinion, the purpose of writing poetry is the attainment of fame and wealth. The purpose of studying poetry is stated afterward. Kavikar峁嘺p奴ra criticizes Mamma峁璦鈥檚 viewpoint. According to Kavikar峁嘺p奴ra, the highest gain for a poet and the relishers of poetry is the absorption in deep spiritual bliss that comes from fixing the mind on 碍峁涐梗峁嘺鈥檚 qualities, beauty, and pastimes.[1]
Baladeva Vidy膩bh奴峁峁嘺 paraphrases Mamma峁璦, who is referring to the opinion of Abhinavagupta (c. 950鈥�1020 CE), the commentator on 膧苍补苍诲补惫补谤诲丑补苍补鈥檚 顿丑惫补苍测腻濒辞办补. Abhinavagupta was the first to describe the Vedas, the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉 and 办腻惫测补 in terms of being a master, a friend and a wife respectively.[2] In this regard, 闯墨惫补 骋辞蝉惫腻尘墨 referred to Vopadeva (thirteenth century): 惫别诲腻岣� 辫耻谤腻峁嘺峁� 办腻惫测补峁� ca prabhur 尘颈迟谤补峁� priyeva ca, bodhayant墨ti hi pr膩hus tri-v峁沝 产丑腻驳补惫补迟补峁� punar iti 尘耻办迟腻-phale hem膩dri-办腻谤补-vacanena ca, 鈥淭he following verse is in 惭耻办迟腻-phala, also because of the statements of Hem膩dri, 鈥淭hey say the Vedas, the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉, and 办腻惫测补 make one understand like a master, like a friend and like a wife respectively. However, the 叠丑腻驳补惫补迟补尘 does so like all three鈥濃�� (Tattva-sandarbha 26.2).
On account of the Vedic accents, in the Vedas sound is more important than its meaning. In the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉, the meanings of the words are more important than the words themselves. In poetry, relishment is all-important.
The Vedas give this command: 蝉补迟测补峁� vada 诲丑补谤尘补峁� cara, 鈥淪peak truthfully. Perform your duty鈥� (罢补颈迟迟颈谤墨测补 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲 1.11.1). Mamma峁璦 says poetry gives this sort of advice: 鈥淏ehave like 搁腻尘补, not like 搁腻惫补峁嘺.鈥�[3] In the old days, reading literature was one way to understand love and how to have success in love. Experiencing sweetness in reading poetry was the candy with which poets attracted people in order to teach them morality, such as the necessity to be good to be happy.
Bh膩maha wrote:
sv膩du-办腻惫测补-rasonmi艣ra峁� 艣膩stram apy upayu帽jate |
pratham膩l墨岣峢a-madhava岣� pibanti ka峁璾 bhe峁jam ||鈥淓ven scriptural knowledge mixed with relishable poetry is used. Those who have first tasted honey are able to swallow bitter medicine鈥� (Bh膩mah膩la峁叞炷灏� 5.3).
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
[2]:
etac ca prabhu-mitra-sammitebhya岣� 艣膩stretih膩sebhya岣� 辫谤墨迟颈-辫奴谤惫补办补峁� 箩腻测腻-sammitatvena 苍腻峁瓂补-办腻惫测补-驳补迟补峁� vyutpatti-办腻谤补tva峁� p奴rvam eva nir奴pitam asm膩bhir iti na punarukta-bhay膩d iha likhitam (Locana 3.30); iha prabhu-sammitebhya岣� 艣谤耻迟颈-蝉尘峁泃颈-prabh峁泃ibhya岣� kartavyam idam ity 腻箩帽腻-尘腻迟谤补-param膩rthebhya岣� 艣膩strebhyo ye na vyutpann膩岣�, na c膩py asyeda峁� v峁泃tam amu峁膩t karma峁嘺 ity eva峁� yukti-yukta-karma-phala-sambandha-praka峁璦na-k膩ribhyo mitra-sammitebhya 颈迟颈丑腻蝉补-艣膩strebhyo labdha-vyutpattaya岣� (Locana 3.14).