Satirical works of Kshemendra (study)
by Arpana Devi | 2017 | 60,954 words
This page relates 鈥楰avisamaya or the poetic convention鈥� part of the study on the Satirical works of Kshemendra: an 11th century poet from Kashmir, who composed three satirical works. Kshemendra himself says that in composing the satirical works his only motive is to reform the mindset of the people.鈥擧e exposes all the vices and follies prevailing in the society with the intention to reform it.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
2. Kavisamaya or the poetic convention
Kavisamaya or the poetic convention is a most popular literary component used by the Sanskrit poets. Kavisamaya is a technical term which is used to narrate certain objects and ideas in an unnatural form or manner. The Kavisamayas are, in reality, a poet鈥檚 inventions which may not be present in the real world. R膩ja艣ekhara, the author of 碍腻惫测补尘墨尘腻峁僺腻 (碍腻惫测补尘墨尘腻峁僺腻) has discussed this subject in detail in his work. For him, Kavisamaya is unscriptural (补艣腻蝉迟谤墨测补) and non-existent in this world (alaukika), but is traditionally coming down (辫补谤补尘辫补谤腻测腻迟补峁�).[1] Some scholars consider Kavisamayas as a 诲辞峁 as it describes unreal things, however they are treated as 驳耻峁嘺[2] or merit. For R膩ja艣ekhara also poetic conventions favour a poet in their way of describing various subjects and therefore it should not be treated as a 诲辞峁. Da峁囜笉in also accepts that if a poet with his expert hands delineate these things (Kavisamayas), then thay can be said as 驳耻峁嘺s instead of considering them as 诲辞峁s.[3] It is to be mentioned that 痴颈艣惫补苍腻迟丑补 碍补惫颈谤腻箩补 accepts 诲辞峁s like 办丑测腻迟颈惫颈谤耻诲诲丑补迟腻 as 驳耻峁嘺s.
R膩ja艣ekhara also focuses upon the origin of the Kavisamayas. He points out that the learned persons of earlier period used to study the Vedas along with all the branches of knowledge roamed in several places and observed phenomena. They recorded all their experiences in their own works. Later on, several changes had occurred but the descriptions were not changed and continued in a traditional way. It is called Kavisamaya. The word Kavisamaya becomes popular among the people due to their ignorance of origin and therefore it is used conventionally.
R膩ja艣ekhara classifies Kavisamaya into three groups-svargya (heavenly), bhauma (earthly) and 辫腻迟腻濒墨测补 (belonging to the nether world). Again, each of these groups is divided into four sub divisions viz. 箩腻迟颈, dravya, 驳耻峁嘺 and 办谤颈测腻. On the other hand, each of these four categories has three sub-divisions namely asato nivandhana峁�, sato鈥檖i anibandhana峁� and 苍颈测补尘补迟补岣�. R膩ja艣ekhara鈥檚 treatment of poetic convention is popular for the later rhetoricians. In the seventh chapter of 厂腻丑颈迟测补诲补谤辫补峁嘺 (厂腻丑颈迟测补诲补谤辫补峁嘺), 痴颈艣惫补苍腻迟丑补 碍补惫颈谤腻箩补 also discusses the Kavisamaya.
碍补惫颈谤腻箩补 says that the following are established by the convention of the poets鈥�
m膩linya峁� vyomni p膩pe, ya艣asi dhavalat膩 var峁噛ate 丑腻蝉补k墨rtyo/
raktau ca krodhar膩gau, saridudadhigata峁� pa峁卥ajend墨var膩di/
toy膩dh膩re鈥檏hile鈥檖i prasarati ca mar膩l膩dika岣� pak峁sa峁単ho/
jyotsn膩 pey膩 cakorairjaladharasamaye 尘腻苍补蝉补峁� 测腻苍迟颈 丑补峁僺腻岣�/
p膩d膩gh膩t膩da艣oka峁� vikasati, 惫补办耻濒补峁� 测辞峁迟腻尘腻蝉测补尘补诲测补颈谤测奴苍腻尘补峁単别峁 丑腻谤腻岣�, sphu峁璦ti ca 丑峁沝补测补峁� viprayogasya t膩pai岣�/
maurv墨 rolambam膩l膩 dhanuratha 惫颈艣颈办丑腻岣� kausum膩岣� pu峁aketorbhinna峁� sy膩dasya b膩峁嘺iryuvajana丑峁沝补测补峁� str墨ka峁乲峁峁嘺 tadvat/
ahnyambhoja峁�, ni艣膩y膩峁� vikasati kumuda峁�, 肠补苍诲谤颈办腻 艣耻办濒补辫补办峁, 尘别驳丑诲丑惫腻苍别峁 苍峁泃测补峁� vhavati ca 艣ikhin膩峁�, n膩pya艣oke 辫丑补濒补峁� 蝉测腻迟/
na sy膩j箩腻迟颈r vasante no ca kusumaphale gandhas膩radr奴m膩峁嚹乵ity膩dyunneyamanyatkavisamayagata峁� satkav墨n膩峁� prabandhe//[4](The sky and sin are described as black; fame, glory and laughter as white; anger and love as red. Red and blue lotuses are spoken of as growing even in rivers and oceans, and birds such as the duck and others invariably haunt all receptacles of water. The Cakoro drinks the moonlight; and in the rainy season the ducks immigrate to the 惭腻苍补蝉补 Lake. The 础艣辞办补 flowers blosom from the stroke of fair women鈥檚 feet and so does the Vakula from the wine of their mouths. The necklaces on the breast of youthful lovers along with their hearts burst from the flames of separation. The God of Love bears a flowery bow furnished with flowery shafts and strung with a string of bees. His arrows pierce the heart of the young and so does the glance of a woman. The lotus blooms in the day and the lily during the night; there is always the moonlight in the white fortnight. The peacocks dance at the grumbling of clouds and the 础艣辞办补 does not bear fruit. The J膩ti blooms not in the spring and fragrant trees neither flower nor fructify, and so forth.)
碍峁尘别苍诲谤补 depicts a real picture of the society, therefore, conventional poetic description is not much observed in his satirical poems. Therefore, Kavisamayas are also not much employed by the author. However, in some places of the poems, a few examples of Kavisamayas are observed. These are mentioned below-
In the 顿别艣辞辫补诲别艣补, in the verse, devo jayati[5] 鈥︹�︹�︹��, it has been stated that, the god 骋补峁噀艣补 (Heramba) may be victorious with the play of his tusk-lotus, whose white lustre appears to be laughing at the ten regions loudly. In the verse, the author describes 丑腻蝉补 as white. It is a Kavisamaya, accepted by the rhetoric.
In the 碍补濒腻惫颈濒腻蝉补, in the verse, atha pathika[6] 鈥︹�︹�︹��., it has been said that, when moonlight slowly comes forth, it awakens the night lilies and also the plight of 颁补办谤补惫腻办补蝉 who are looking for their mates and also it is a flame for traveller鈥檚 wives. In the night, the plight of 颁补办谤补惫腻办补 increases because they are separated from each other. Moreover, in the verse, it is also mentioned that lilies bloom in the night, which is also a poetic convention. Likewise, in the verse, m膩 m膩 malinaya 惫颈尘补濒补峁�[7] 鈥︹�︹�︹��, it has been mentioned that the lustre of purity of the Bh峁沢u family should not be diminished with the dirt of greed, as the cloud of greed is the enemy of the swans (r膩jaha峁僺as), desiring spotless fame. In the verse, there is a poetic convention. The verse indirectly indicates that the swan is white therefore fame is also white. Again in the verse, 苍峁泃测补苍尘耻驳诲丑补尘补测奴谤腻[8] 鈥︹�︹�︹��.., it has been stated that the peacock dances there like rows of fountains, as it were an image of the monsoon with hosts of clouds and rainbows. It is a poetic convention that the peacock dances when there is cloud. Likewise, in the verse, 诲丑奴谤迟补岣� 蝉补尘峁沝诲丑颈蝉补肠颈惫腻[9] 鈥︹�︹��.., it has been said that the bees leaving the faded blooming lotus, entered happily into the clusters of blooming lilies. In the verse, there is a poetic convention that the lotus blooms in the day and the lily blooms in the night.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
补艣腻蝉迟谤墨测补峁� alaukika峁� ca 辫补谤补尘辫补谤腻测腻迟补峁� ca 补谤迟丑补峁� upanibandhanti kavaya岣� sa 办补惫颈蝉补尘补测补岣�/
碍腻惫测补尘墨尘腻峁僺腻 , XIV.p.166
[3]:
惫颈谤辞诲丑补岣� sakalo鈥檖ye峁 kad膩cit kavikau艣al膩t/
utkramya 诲辞峁ga峁嘺n膩峁� 驳耻峁嘺v墨th墨峁� vig膩hate// K膩vy膩dar艣a , III.179
[4]:
厂腻丑颈迟测补诲补谤辫补峁嘺 , VII. 23-25
[5]:
[6]:
atha pathikavadh奴dahana岣� 艣anakairudbh奴n ni艣膩kar膩loka岣�/
kumudprabodhad奴to vyasanaguru艣cakrav膩k墨峁嚹佱箖// 碍补濒腻惫颈濒腻蝉补 , I.30
[7]:
m膩 m膩 malinaya 惫颈尘补濒补峁� bh峁沢ukulamamala峁� malena lobhena/
lobhajalado hi 艣atrurvi艣adaya艣or膩jaha峁僺膩n膩峁�// ibid., II.65
[8]:
苍峁泃测补苍尘耻驳诲丑补尘补测奴谤腻 marakatadh膩r膩g峁沨膩val墨 satata峁�/
sendr膩yudhadhananivah膩 pr膩v峁涐箛yam奴rteva yatr膩ste// ibid., I.7