Text 1.5

तस्य हेतुम् आह,

tasya hetum āha,

He states the cause of poetry:

śaktir nipuṇatā loka-śāstra-kāvyādy-avekṣaṇāt |
kāvya-jña-śikṣayābhyāsa iti hetus tad-udbhave ||1.3||

śaktiḥ—ability; nipuṇatā—expertise; loka—of the world; śāstra—at books; kāvya-ādi—at poetry, and so on; avekṣaṇāt—from looking; kāvya-jña—from one who knows poetry; śikṣayā—by means of learning; abhyāsaḥ—practice; iti—thus; hetuḥ—the cause; tad-udbhave—of the origination of it.

The cause of the origination of poetry is ability; expertise by examining the world, books, poems, and so on; and practice by means of learning from those who know poetry.

śakty-ādi-trayaṃ kāvya-kāraṇam ity arthaḥ. tatra śaktiḥ prāktanasaṃskāra-viśeṣaḥ kāvyotpādaka-svādaika-hetuḥ, yāṃ vinā kāvyaṃ nodayati, udito vopahāsāya. lokaḥ sthāvara-jaṅgamātmaka-loka-vṛttam, śāstraṃ chando-vyākaraṇādi, kāvyaṃ mahā-kavi-kṛtam, ādi-śabdād itihāsādi ca, teṣāṃ parāmarśād vyutpattiḥ. kāvya-jñāḥ kāvya-nirmāṇa-vicāraṇa-caturās tad-upadeśena yojane ca punaḥ punaḥ pravṛttir iti trikaṃ samuditam eva hetur ity eke, ḍimbhenāpi kāvyotpādanāc chaktir eva kevalety apare.

The three beginning from ability are the cause of poetry. Among them, ability, a particular subconscious impression from the past, is the main cause of relishing that which gives rise to poetry. Without ability, poetry does not happen. Or else, if it does it becomes an object of ridicule. “The world” means what takes place in the external world. “Books” denotes prosody, grammar and so on.

“Poems” are those composed by great poets. The Itihāsas and the like are indicated by the word ādi (etc.). One becomes cultured by taking interest in all of the above. “Those who know poetry” are persons who are clever in writing poetry and in dissecting it. Finally: constant practice by means of their instructions and also while being under their guidance. Some say all three conjointly are the cause, but others say only ability is primordial, since even a dullard can write poetry.

Commentary:

In this context, the term śakti (ability) is a synonym of pratibhā (creative intelligence; poetical insight).^[1] Here Mammaṭa only says that ability is a particular subconscious impression from the past.^[2] Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa adds that ability is the main cause of relishing that which gives rise to poetry (implied meanings); Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa uses the word pratibhā in that sense later on (4.62 vṛtti). Thus there are two types of ability. Rājaśekhara says pratibhā has two meanings: kārayitrī (creative intelligence) and bhāvayitrī (the cause of appreciation).^[3] Mammaṭa refers to the first definition of pratibhā. The first one is in the poet, and the second one is also in the connoisseur (sahṛdaya, rasika) (3.2 vṛtti).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Daṇḍī, Bhāmaha and Vāmana used the term pratibhā (creative intelligence) instead of śakti (ability):

naisargikī ca pratibhā śrutaṃ ca bahu nirmalam|
amandaś cābhiyogo’syāḥ kāraṇaṃ kāvya-sampadaḥ || (Kāvyādarśa 1.103);

kāvyaṃ tu jāyate jātu kasyacit pratibhāvataḥ (Bhāmahālaṅkāra 1.5);
kavitva-bījaṃ pratibhānam (Kāvyālaṅkāra-sūtra 1.3.16);
kavitvasya bījaṃ kavitva-bījaṃ janmāntarāgata-saṃskāra-viśeṣaḥ kaścit, yasmād vinā kāvyaṃ na niṣpadyate (Kāvyālaṅkāra-sūtra 1.3.16 vṛtti).

[2]:

śaktiḥ kavitva-bīja-rūpaḥ saṃskāra-viśeṣaḥ, yāṃ vinā kāvyaṃ na prasaret, prasṛtaṃ vā upahasanīyaṃ syāt. (Kāvya-prakāśa 1.3)

[3]:

yā śabda-grāmam artha-sārtham alaṅkāra-tantram ukti-mārgam anyad api tathā-vidham atihṛdayaṃ pratibhāsayati sā pratibhā, […] sā ca dvi-vidhā kārayitrī bhāvayitrī ca. kaver upakurvāṇā kārayitrī. […] bhāvakasyopakurvāṇā bhāvayitrī. sā hi kaveḥ śramam abhiprāyaṃ ca bhāvayati (Kāvya-mīmāṃsā, first adhikaraṇa, fourth chapter).