Text 4.2

क्रमेणोदाहरणे,

krameṇodāharaṇe,

Two examples are shown in order. [This verse illustrates arthāntara-saṅkramita-vācya dhvani (an implied meaning in regard to which the literal sense changes to another sense):]

bruve tvām aham atrāsti saṃhatir viduṣām ataḥ |
kīrtayan harim ātmīyāṃ dhiyaṃ dhṛtvā sthitiṃ kuru ||

bruve—I tell; tvām—you; aham—I; atra—here; asti—there is; saṃhatiḥ—a group; viduṣām—of scholars; ataḥ—therefore; kīrtayan harim—while glorifying Hari; ātmīyām—your own; dhiyam—mind; dhṛtvā—by controlling; sthitim kuru—make a continuation.

I tell you: There is a multitude of scholars here, therefore while glorifying Hari control your mind and remain steady. (adapted from Kāvya-prakāśa, verse 23)

atra vacanāder mukhyārthasyānupayogād upadeśādi-rūpe’rthāntare pariṇatiḥ, ādara-grāhyatvādi phalam.

In this verse there is a transformation of the literal meaning into another sense, in the form of an advice, insofar as the main meaning is not really significant, owing to the statement. The result (the implied meaning) of the figurative usage is that the main meaning is to be taken with high regard (“I tell you” means “I advise you”).

Commentary:

In arthāntara-saṅkramita-vācya, the literal meaning holds. This is an exception to the rule that figurative usage can be applied only when the literal meaning does not make sense (2.11).

Exceptionally, the above verse does not illustrate first-rate poetry. Here Mammaṭa and Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa only explain the general idea of arthāntara-saṅkramita (the literal sense slightly changes). It is second-rate poetry, in the subcategory of agūḍha (not subtle) (5.2). First-class examples of arthāntara-saṅkramita-vācya dhvani are shown in text 4.82, and so on.

In that section, Mammaṭa shows this verse to illustrate arthāntara-saṅkramita-vācya dhvani,

yasya mitrāṇi mitrāṇi śatravaḥ śatravas tathā |
anukampyo’nukampyaś ca sa jātaḥ sa ca jīvati ||

“He whose friends are friends; whose enemies are enemies; and whose objects of compassion are objects of compassion has taken a birth and is alive.”

Mammaṭa elaborates: atra dvitīya-mitrādi-śabdā āśvastatva-niyantraṇīyatva-sneha-pātratvādi-saṅkramita-vācyāḥ, “Here each second word changes to another sense: The second word “friends” has the sense of “trustworthy persons,” the second word “enemies” signifies “persons who should be opposed,” and the second word anukampya (object of compassion) means “suitable objects of affection,” and so on” (Kāvya-prakāśa verse 73 vṛtti). The implied sense is that the person whose friends are real friends and so on has a good human nature.^[1] Nāgeśa Bhaṭṭa specifies that the connection which explains the figurative usage in arthāntara-saṅkramita-vācya is sāmānya-viśeṣa-bhāva (mentioning the general instead of the specific).^[2]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

nāyakasya dṛḍha-prakṛtitvaṃ vyaṅgyam (Kāvya-pradīpa).

[2]:

arthāntara-saṅkramita-vācyair mitrādi-śabdair āśvāsāder yāvaj-jīva-sthāyitva-rūpa-tadatiśaya-vyañjana-dvārā nāyakasya dṛḍha-prakṛtitvaṃ vyaṅgyam iti. niryantraṇatva iti niḥśeṣayantraṇā-pātratva ity arthaḥ. lakṣaṇāyāṃ pāda-traye’pi sāmānya-viśeṣa-bhāvaḥ sambandhaḥ (Uddyota on Kāvya-prakāśa verse 73).