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Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara (Study)

by Debabrata Barai | 2014 | 105,667 words

This page relates ‘Dhvani theory and the Kavyamimamsa� 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).

Part 4 - Dhvani theory and the Kāvyamīmāṃsā

The word Dhvani is borrowing from the ղ첹ṇaśٰ (grammar) to Sanskrit poetics. Not only ĀԲԻ岹󲹰Բ, Āⲹ Ѳṭa also in his poetical work Kāvyaprakāśa frankly admitted dhvani as the gift of ղ첹ṇaśٰ for the Sanskrit poetics.

We see Ѳṭa says about this matter in his Kāvyaprakāśa as:

vudhaivaiyākaraṇai� pradhānabhūtaṭarupavyaṅgayavyañjakasya śavdasya dhvaniriti ⲹ� ṛt� |
tatastanmatānusārabhiranyairapi nyagbhāvitavācyavyaṅgavyañjanakṣamasya śavdārtha yugalasya || �

- Kāvyaprakāśa of Ѳṭa,: I/4 ṛtپ

Means: The ղ첹ṇa (Grammar) rains, the designation �Dhvani� is given to a (non-eternal, physical) word suggestive of the suggested sense in the form of ṭa (the eternal idea of word) which is the principle. The other also, who follow their theory to the pair of word and sense such as are capable of suggesting a sense that has subordinated the expressed sense. However, the concept of Dhvani was incepted from very ancient times but ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ’s hands have to the greatness as the founder of doctrine of Dhvani theory. In the first of ٳ󱹲Բǰ첹, he also clearly announced that the new doctrine of Dhvani in the field of literary criticism as the soul of poetry, which was established his previous rhetoricians.

Though some of the scholars do not think that Dhvani as the soul of poetry, than he says for those readers as:

屹ⲹsyātmā dhvaniriti vudhairya� samāmnāta ū�
  tasyābhāva� jagadurapare bhāktamāhustamanye
|
ke cidvācā� sthitamaviṣaye tattvamūcustadīya�
  tenabrūma� sṛhadayamana� prītaye tatsvarupam
|| �

- ٳ󱹲Բǰ첹 of ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ: Uddyog-I/1

Means:

“The learned critics have declared traditionally that ‘the soul of poetry id dhvani (suggestion)� but others spoke of its non-existence, some regards it as ‘indicated� and some others spoke of its ‘essence as lying beyond the range of words�. We are to expound therefore its nature to entertain the minds of appreciative critics.�

The anti-dhvani school before the ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ’s times was deliberated into three parts i.e.

  1. ī,
  2. ٲī and
  3. ṣmīⲹ屹ī.

ī thinks that, in the 屹ⲹ (poetry) there are no things without ṃk, ṇa, īپ

and ṛtپs etc. ٲī believes that, in the 屹ⲹ (poetry) there is no prominent place for dhvani, which is under the ṇa, ṛtپ or ṣmṇa. However, the ṣmԾⲹ屹ī accepted the existence of dhvani but they are thinking that dhvani is �Ծīⲹ� or �ṣaīⲹ� (un indictable). Because, the theory is available but their sings is unavailable. It is only for ṛdⲹṃbⲹ. Therefore Āⲹ ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ in a systematic way established the dhavani theory by the composing in his ٳ󱹲Բǰ첹 and gives the prominent place to dhvani as the �屹ٳ� or soul of poetry.

The major important and novel contribution of dhvani doctrine is that it junction between the whole poetic theory with the entire poetic portion. It was first time to come into sight of ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ and further it fully disclosed by the hand of Abhinavagupta. It will be seems that there are so many works are flourished on the anti-dhvani theory but the dhvani doctrine is reveal in his own glorious way.

Then Ѳṭa in his Kāvyaprakāśa realized that ⲹñᲹ is depended on dhvani theory, without dhvani the power of ⲹñᲹ is incomplete. Because Ѳṭa proves that ⲹñᲹ is never absorb in the 󾱻 or ṣmṇa, there dhvani is essential for it. So it may be causes that he is call as �Dhvaniprotiṣṭhāpaka paramācārya�. Further 첹Ჹ վśٳ and ʲԻ徱ٲᲹ Բٳ only bring up this theory in their works.

However Ჹś󲹰 in his Kāvyamīmāṃsā do not clearly mentioned the dhvani concepts but he gives the proper honour and notice the dhvani theory. In the first chapter, Śٰṃg of Kāvyamīmāṃsā we found Ჹś󲹰 mentions the Ukti ʰ첹ṇa (poetic Expression), which was founded by Uktigarbha. There it may seem that Ჹś󲹰 possibly define his own views by this Ukti ʰ첹ṇa. There he does not clearly mentioned dhvani school but described the only deduction of dhvani.

In the fifth chapter of Kāvyamīmāṃsā, Ჹś󲹰 lay down the ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ’s concepts about پ and Vyutpatti by saying:

‘پvyutpattyo� پ śreyasī� ityānanda� |

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Ჹś󲹰: Ch-V, Pp- 16

Means:

“In the پ and vyutpatti, پ is superior to vyutpatti.�

Because it helps to hide the lack of vyutpatti. Every eminent poet has similarities of poetic genius and temper and present identical thoughts. Thus to avoid such resemblances and gain new insights a poet should study the words of other poets also.

mahātmanā� hi saṃvādinyo vuddhaya ekamevārthamupasthāpayanti tatparityāgāya tānādriyeta iti ca ke cit

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Ჹś󲹰: Ch-XII, Pp- 62

Though, in the matter of artha-󲹰ṇa Ჹś󲹰 clearly do not agree with the ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ’s views by the word ‘ke cit� . Because Ჹś󲹰 think that on possessed of literary eye intuitively knows the division between the meaningful and meaningless. But Rajasekhara’s classification of poet is fully seems to the influenced by ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ. In the classification of various type of kavi (poet) by Ჹś󲹰 ukti-kavi is superior or best among the others and their poetic descriptions is very much significant than other poets. 鲹Ჹ󲹰’s this concept also very much similar with ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ’s view about various types of kavi (poet).

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