Essay name: Alankara Sastra (English study)
Author:
V. Raghavan
Affiliation: University of Madras / Department of Sanskrit
This book studies some concepts of Alankara Sastra, also known as “Lakshana� or “Bhusana�, and refers to the study of poetic and dramaturgical adornments as detailed in ancient Indian texts, particularly those on poetics and dramaturgy. The concept is attributed to various scholars, with significant contributions from Bharata in his work, the Natya Sastra.
Page 162 of: Alankara Sastra (English study)
162 (of 342)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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RĪTI 139 Guṇas are given by Daná¸in himself as excellences of both
²ÑÄå°ù²µ²¹²õ.'
Dandin mentions the ten Guṇas as the life not of poetry
as such, but of the style called Vaidarbhi. If, on the basis of
Dandin's formulation of Guṇas, one says that he belongs to
the Guna school, one can as well say that Daṇá¸in belongs to
the RÄ«ti school. Really Daṇá¸in belongs to the AlaṃkÄra
school, much more than BhÄmaha. For, to Daṇá¸in, Guṇas,
Rasas, Sandhyanga, Vá¹›ttyanga, Laká¹£aṇa,—all are AlaṃkÄra.
Apart from the word poetry, there is only one word for
Dandin, viz., AlaṃkÄra. The full development of Daṇá¸in, as
seen in two directions in Bhoja and
well as of BhÄmaha, is
Kuntaka.
2 In poetic expression there is always a finally analysable
scheme of two definite styles, the simple and the grandi-
loquent, the plain and the elevated, the unadorned and the
figurative. In the former, natural description of emotion,
men and things is given with minimum artificial decoration.
SvabhÄvokti and Rasokti, to borrow Bhoja's classification,
predominate in it. Colour, ornament,-Vakrokti dominates
the latter. These two correspond to Daṇá¸in's two styles;
only the Gauá¸Ä� is Vakrokti run riot. Kuntaka's SukumÄra
Märga, which emphasises Vakrokti less, belongs to the former
class. Kuntaka's Vicitra mÄrga marks an emphasis on the
Vaicitrya that Vakrokti imparts. Aristotle also gives only
two styles, the good and the bad, the good being so by any
sort of virtue, i.e., good not only because of virtues of simpli-
city, elegance etc., but by virtues of vigour etc., also.
$6
1 His bad
Dr. S. K. De wrongly says in his Skr. Poetics II, p. 100 :
The ten Guṇas are non-existent in the Gauda."
2 * See my Bhoja's S'rngÄra PrakÄs'a, Vol. I. Part 1, p. 123;
Part 2, p. 417.
