1. Rīti (Style) in the Haumannāṭaka

The Rīti is an important feature of poetry. The Rīti (style) is one of the criteria for assessing literary merits. The arrangement of words or syllables, which hightens the excellence of rasa, is known by the term Rīti (style).^[1] Rīti is like the adjustment of our body-parts. According to Vāmana, Rīti is the particular style of arrangement of words^[2], which is the essence of poetry.^[3] According to Vāmana^[4], Rīti is of three types, viz. Vaidarbhī, Gauḍīyā (Gauḍī) and Pāñcālī. According to Daṇḍin^[5], Rīti is of two varieties. The Nātyaśāstra of Bharata mentions five kinds of Rīti.^[6] Though Bharata speaks of five types of Rīti, Viśvanātha accepts only four types of Rīti, viz. Vaidarbhī, Gauḍī, Pāñcālī, Lāṭikā or Lāṭī.^[7] The earlier rhetoricians like Daṇḍin and Bhāmaha accept the Rīti called Vaidarbhī, and Gauḍī. Daṇḍin gives importance on the Vaidarbhī, while Bhāmaha^[8] favours the Gauḍī Rīti.

According to Mammaṭa^[9], the author of the Kāvyaprakāśa, the term Rīti is also known by the term Vṛtti. There is also found a similar version regarding the Rīti and Vṛtti in the Dhvanyāloka (Dhvanyāloka).^[10]

Vaidarbhī

According to Viśvanātha Kavirāja^[11] the Vaidarbhī Rīti is used to evoke the Guṇa called Mādhurya with the use of the words with softer sounds. Vāmana^[12] mentions that the Vaidarbhī exists in the Guṇas viz. Mādhurya, Ojaḥ and Prasāda. In the Vaidarbhī style of composition the words are so arranged that sometimes there occurs single compound and sometimes no compound at all. It causes gracefulness to the composition. Viśvanātha’s view is better to accept because of this. Viśvanātha used the word Lalitātmikā. The word lālityaṃ is derived as lalitasya bhāvaḥ. According to Udbhaṭa, the rhetorician Vṛtti is of three types viz., Puruṣā, Upanāgarikā and Grāmyā. These Vṛttis are the collection of three types of letters. The Upanāgarikā Vṛtti is the collection or combination of two letters. The beginning one is vargāntavarṇa^[13] or nasals and the other one is mutes.^[14] The vargāntavarṇa stays in the first position of combined letters.^[15] In this Vṛtti the letters are combined by repeating^[16] also. Abhinavagupta and some other rhetoricians mention the Upanāgarikā Vṛtti as the lalitā. Viśvanātha mentions that the Lalitātmikā consists of Vaidarbhī. Rudraṭa^[17] says that the Vaidarbhī contains no compound or a few ones; it is associated into all the Guṇas, abounds in the second letter of each series in the alphabet (viz. kha, cha, tha, pha), consists of letter pronounced with little effort and easy in construction. Bilhana praises the Vaidarbhī style in his Vikramāṅkadevacarita.^[18] In the Hanumannāṭaka the author Śri Dāmodara Miśra uses the Vaidarbhī in many places. As for example in the verse hāro naropitaḥ … drumāḥ,^[19] rāme śyame sakāme …gateva^[20] etc. there is found the Vaidarbhī.

Gauḍī

According to Viśvanātha Kavirāja the Gauḍī style contains long compounds with harsh sounds. Hence, it helps to express the Guṇa called ojaḥ only.^[21]

Moreover, the existence of Gauḍī is not considered by Viśvanātha Kavirāja in case of Kānti. It may be said that the prose writers like the Gauḍī style very much. Vāmana mentions that the Gauḍī exists in two types of Guṇas namely Ojaḥ and Kānti.^[22] Daṇḍin says that the Gauḍī is found beyond the ten Guṇas.^[23] Bhojarāja mentions that the writing with the compounds containing of Ojaḥ and Kānti is called Gaudīyā.^[24] Rājaśekhara accepts the same view. He adjoins that it is used in the Vaṃśavarṇanā.^[25] The 2^nd Nāndī verse pātu śrīstana … ākṛtiḥ^[26] of the Hanumannāṭaka is mentioned as an example of this type of rīti. Śri Dāmodara Miśra uses Gauḍī Rītī in various cases also.

Pāñcālī

According to Viśvanātha Kavirāja, Pāñcālī is a rīti which goes midway between the Vaidarbhī and the Gauḍī and consists of five or six compounded words.^[27] He presents his opinion that the Pāñcālī is produced after the combination of Mādhurya and Ojaḥ. But, if there be the Ojaḥ, then there cannot be expected the simultaneous existence of Mādhurya. Rājaśekhara also accepts the existence of Pāñcālī.^[28] Vāmana says that the Pāñcālī^[29] is used in a composition where there is necessity of presenting the Guṇas called Mādhurya and Saukumārya. Bhoja also holds the same opinion.^[30] The author of Hanumannāṭaka, also resorts to this Pāñcālī in many places. In the verse ājanmabrahmacārī … jāmadagnyaḥ^[31] vandārūvṛndāra …naiṣīt^[32] etc. this Pāñcālī is found. In prose portion like are re nijakula^[33] … and sarvalakṣaṇa^[34] … etc. there is also found the use of the Pāñcālī.

Lāṭī

The rhetorician Vāmana does not mention the rīti called Lāṭī. He is silent in this matter. The Lāṭī is mentioned by Bhoja and Viśvanātha Kavirāja. Bhoja accepts that Lāṭī contains certain important elements of all other rītīs.^[35] Viśvanatha^[36], on the other hand holds that the Lāṭī is a style existing in the intermediate position between the Vaidarbhī and the Pāñcālī. This type of style is named as Āvantikā.^[37] But Viśvanātha again mentions views of some other authorities that Lāṭī contains soft (mṛdu) letters.^[38] The passages jānāmi sītāṃ…. samarpayāmi^[39] of the Hanumannāṭaka may be referred to as an example of this Lāṭī style.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

padasaṅghaṭanā rītirangasaṃsthāviśeṣavat upakartrī rasādīnāṃ Sāhityadarpaṇa, IX.1

[2]:

viśiṣṭa padaracanā rītiḥ Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛttī,II.7

[3]:

rītirātmā kāvyasya ibid., II.6

[4]:

sā tridhā-vaidarbhīgaudīyā pāñcālī ceti/ ibid., II.9

[5]:

astyaneko girāṃ mārgaḥ suksmabhedaḥ parasparaṃ/
tatra vaidarbhagaudīyau varṇyete parasphutāntarau// Kāvyādarśa,II.9

[6]:

avantī daskṣinātya ca tathācaivadra māgadhī pāñcālī madhyamā caiva jñeyā nāṭya pravṛttayaḥ or’ṅtayah pañca kīrtitaḥ … Nāṭyśāstra, VI. 25, 26

[7]:

sā punaḥ syāccaturvidhā vaidarbhīcātha gauḍī ca pāñcālī lāṭikā tathā Sāhityadarpaṇa, IX.1.2

[8]:

alaṃkāravadagrāmyamarthyaṃ nyāyyamanākulaṃ gauḍīyamapī sādhīyo vaidarbhamiti nānyathā Kāvyālaṃkāra of Bhāmaha, I.35

[9]:

keṣāmcidetā vaidarbhī pramukhā ritayomatāḥ (etāstisro vṛttayaḥ vāmanādinām mate vaidarbhī gauḍī pāñcālakhyāritayo matāḥ) Kāvya Prakāśa, X.111

[10]:

asphuṭasphuritaṃ kāvyatatvametadyathoditaṃ aśaknuvadbhirvyākartuṃ rītayaḥ sampravartitāḥ śabdatatvāśrayaḥ kāścidarthatatvayujo’parāh vṛttayo’pi prakāśante jñātesmin kāvyalakṣaṇe Dhvanyāloka, III.46-47

[11]:

mādhuryavyañjakairvarṇai racanā lalitātmikā avṛttiralpavṛttirvā vaidarbhī rītirucyate Sāhityadarpaṇa, IX. 2-3

[12]:

samagraguṇapeta vaidarbhī Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛttī, II.11

[13]:

ṅa, ña, ṇa, na, ma Sāhityadarpaṇa, IX

[14]:

sparśavarṇa viz. ka, kha, ga, gha etc. ibid., IX

[15]:

mba, ṅga, etc. ibid., IX

[16]:

cca, ppa, kka, etc. ibid., IX

[17]:

asamastaikasamastā yuktā daśabhirgunaiśenvaidarbhī vargadvitīyabahulā svalpaprāṇakṣarī ca suvidheyā ibid., IX

[18]:

anabhavṛṣīḥ śravanāmṛtasya sarasvativibhrama janmabhumiḥ vaidarbhītiḥ kṛtināmudeti saubhāgyalābhapratibhū padānām, Vikaramāṅkadeva-carita , I.9

[19]:

hāro nāropitaḥ kaṇṭhe mayā viśleṣabhīrūṇā/
idānīmantare jātāḥ parvatāḥ sarito drumāḥ// Hanumannāṭaka, V.25

[20]:

rāme śyāme sakāme spṛśati janakajāpāṇipadmaṃ pradattaṃ pitrā netrālipadme pravarapuravadhūmaṇḍalānāṃ muhūrte/
tatpānisparśasaukhyaṃ paramanubhavatī saccidānandarūpe tatrāsīd bāṇabhinnā ramaṇaratipateryoganidrāṃ gateva// ibid., I. 57

[21]:

ojaḥprakāśakairvarṇairvandha ādambaraḥ punaḥsamāsa bahulā gauḍī Sāhityadarpaṇa, IX.3-4

[22]:

ojaḥkāntimatī gauḍīyā… Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛttī, II.12

[23]:

iti vaidarbhamargasya prāṇā daśagunaḥ smṛtaḥ eṣāṅg viparyayaḥ prāyo dṛstayte gauḍa varmatiḥ Kāvyādarśa, I.42

[24]:

samāstatyudbhatapadāmojaḥ kāntiguṇānvitaṃ gaudīyeti vijananti rītiging rītivicashanāḥ … Sarasvatikaṇṭhābharaṇa, II.31

[25]:

tathā vidhākalpayāpi tayā yadvaṃśaviadīkṛtaḥ ramāsavadanuprāsavadyoga vṛttiparamparā garbhaṅg jagāda sā gauḍīyā rītiḥ/ Kundamālā, III, p.8

[26]:

pātu śrīstanapatrabhangamakarīmudrāṅkitoraḥsthalo devaḥ sarvajagatpatirmadhuvadhuvaktrabjacandrodayaḥ/
krīḍākroḍatanornavenduviśade daṅstrāṅkure yasya bhū rbhātisma pralayābdhipalvalatalotkhātaikamustākṛtiḥ// Hanumannāṭaka, I.2

[27]:

varṇaiḥ śeṣaiḥ punardvayoḥ samastapañcaṣapado bandhaḥ pāñcālikā matā Sāhityadarpaṇa,IX.4

[28]:

vaidarbhī gauḍīyā pāñcālī ceti rītayastrisraḥ Kundamālā, VII, p. 31

[29]:

mādhurya-saukumārayopapannā pāñcālī Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛttī, II. 13

[30]:

samastapañcaṣapadamojaḥkāntivivarjitaṃ mādhurām sukumārāñca pāñcālim kāvyo viduḥ/ Sarasvatikaṇṭhābharaṇa, II. 30

[31]:

ājanma brahmacārī pṛthulabhujaśilāstambhvibhrājamāna jyāghātaśreṇisanjñāntaritavasumatīcakrajaitrapraśastiḥ/
vakṣaḥpīṭhe ghanāstrabraṇakiṇakathine saṅkṣṇubānaḥ pṛṣṭkān prāpto rājanyagosthīvanagajamṛgayākautukī jāmadagnyaḥ// Hanumannāṭaka, I. 31

[32]:

vandārūvṛṅdārakavṛndavandimandāramālāmakarandabindūn/
mandodarīyaṃ caraṇāravindareṇutkarānkarkaratāmanaiṣīt// ibid., IX. 4

[33]:

are re nijakulakamalinīprāleyavarṣa dāśarathe kathamakāṇḍamadāntapracaṇḍadordaṇḍakodaṇḍakhaṇḍacaṇḍi-māḍambareṇāpuritaṃ jagatrayam/
sakalavasumatīmaṇḍalā-khaṇḍalakumudinīpakṣalakṣmīharaṇakiraṇamālinaṃ na māṃ vetsi ibid., I, p.19

[34]:

sarvalakṣanopetāndevabhūpālayogyānmeduramandurāyāṃ turagānavalokya mārajvarākulacittabhrāntyā vadhuputrayormaṅgalāvalokanāyāgatasya … etc. ibid., II, p.30

[35]:

samastarītiyāmiśrā lāṭiyā rītiriṣyate Sarasvatikaṇṭhābharaṇa, II.33

[36]:

lāṭī tu rītirvaidarbhīpāñcālyorantare sthitā Sāhityadarpaṇa, IX.5

[37]:

antarāle tu pāñcālīvaidrabhyo yā vatiṣṭhate/
savāntikā samastaiḥ syāddvitraistricaturaih padaiḥ// Sarasvatikaṇṭhābharaṇa,II. 32

[38]:

lāṭī tu mṛdubhī padaiḥ … Sāhityadarpaṇa, IX., p. 602

[39]:

jānāmi sītāṃ…. samarpayāmi// Hanumannāṭaka, VII. 11