Text 10.150 [Kāvya-liṅga]

31. Kāvya-liṅga

हेतोर् वाक्य-पदार्थता ॥ १०.११४cd ॥

hetor vākya-padārthatā ||10.114cd||

kāvya-liṅgam—the ornament called kāvya-liṅga; hetoḥ—a reason’s; vākya-pada-arthatā—being the meaning of a sentence or of a declined word.

When the meaning of a clause or the meaning of a word is the explanatory reason, that is kāvya-liṅga (reason, explanation).

hetuś ced vākyārthaḥ padārtho vā tadā kāvya-liṅgam.

Commentary:

When the meaning in one part of the text amounts to an explanation of some other idea in the text, that is kāvya-liṅga. It is similar to anumāna (inference) in the sense that a reason is mentioned. However, kāvya-liṅga is distinct from anumāna primarily because in kāvya-liṅga the reason is not in the scope of a strict logical reasoning. Pratihārendu-rāja explains that kāvya-liṅga is so called because in it the liṅga (the inferential sign, i.e. the reason) is poetical, in other words it not like an explanatory reason which is a scriptural statement, because that is absolutely certain.^[1] Ruyyaka specifies that in kāvya-liṅga the process of reasoning is not a universal rule, and a conclusion is not drawn,^[2] unlike in the case of anumāna.

According to Paṇḍita-rāja Jagannātha, the reason (the explanation) must be implied, thus he says the reason cannot be stated with a fifth case ending nor with a third case ending.^[3] Viśvanātha Kavirāja adds that even a word which means “because” cannot be used, insofar as strikingness is the essence of an ornament.^[4]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

ataḥ kāvya-liṅgam iti kāvya-grahaṇam upāttam. na khalu tac chāstra-liṅgaṃ kiṃ tarhi kāvya-liṅgam iti kāvya-grahaṇena pratipādyate (Laghu-vṛtti 6.7).

[2]:

yatra hetuḥ kāraṇa-rūpo vākyārtha-gatyā viśeṣaṇa-dvāreṇa vā padārtha-fatyā kiṅgatvena nibadhyate tat kāvya-liṅgam. tarka-vailakṣaṇyārthaṃ kāvya-grahaṇam. na hy atra vyāpti-pakṣa-dharmatopasaṃhārādayaḥ kriyante (Alaṅkara-sarvasva, KM p. 144).

[3]:

pañcamy-ādi-śabda-pratipādita-hetutvakasya hetor eva vāraṇāyopapādakatvena vivakṣita iti. na tu śabdāntena rūpeṇa bodhita ity etad-artha-phalakam. tena “bhayānakatvāt parivarjanīyodayāśrayatvād asi deva sevyaḥ” ity ādau nāyam alaṅkāraḥ, gamyamānahetutvakasyaiva hetoḥ sundaratvenālaṅkārikaiḥ kāvya-liṅgatābhyupagamāt (Rasa-gaṅgādhara, KM p. 465).

[4]:

ity atra hi-śabdopādānena paṅkilatvād iti-vad dhetutvasya sphuṭatayā nāyam alaṅkāraḥ, vaicitryasyaivālaṅkāratvāt (Sāhitya-darpaṇa 10.62).