Sahitya-kaumudi by Baladeva Vidyabhushana

by Gaurapada Dāsa | 2015 | 234,703 words

Baladeva Vidyabhusana’s Sahitya-kaumudi covers all aspects of poetical theory except the topic of dramaturgy. All the definitions of poetical concepts are taken from Mammata’s Kavya-prakasha, the most authoritative work on Sanskrit poetical rhetoric. Baladeva Vidyabhushana added the eleventh chapter, where he expounds additional ornaments from Visv...

Text 11.45 [Mithyādhyavasiti]

74. Mithyādhyavasiti

मिथ्याध्यवसितिर् मिथ्या-सिद्ध्यै मिथ्यार्थ-निर्मितिः ॥ ११.११ab ॥

mithyādhyavasitir mithyā-siddhyai mithyārtha-nirmitiḥ || 11.11ab ||

When an unreal idea is mentioned in order to substantiate another unreal idea, that is mithyādhyavasiti (double unreality) (“taking unreality in consideration”).

Commentary:

This literary device was called mithyādhyavasāya by Bharata Muni and by Jayadeva, but they classed it in the category named kāvya-lakṣaṇa (a characteristic of poetry).[1] Appaya Dīkṣita renamed it mithyādhyavasiti and classed it as an ornament (Kuvalayānanda 127). Nāgeśa Bhaṭṭa says it is nothing but the asambandhe sambandha variety of atiśayokti (a connection is made when in fact there is no real connection)[2] : This variety, so called by Ruyyaka, Viśvanātha and Jagannātha, is the same as the third variety of atiśayokti (10.86), except that the word “if” is optionally used. The concept of mithyādhyavasiti occurs at fifty percent in mālā-nidarśanā (10.69).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

abhūta-pūrvair yatrārthais tulyasyārthasya nirṇayaḥ |
sa mithyādhyavasāyas tu procyate kāvya-lakṣaṇe || (Nāṭya-śāstra 16.17);syān mithyādhyavasāyaś ced asatī sādhya-sādhane |
candrāṃśu-sūtra-grathitāṃ nabhaḥ-puṣpa-srajaṃ vaha || (Candrāloka 3.7)

[2]:

kiñcin-mithyātva-siddhy-arthaṃ mithyārthāntara-kalpanam, mithyādhyavasitir veśyāṃ vaśayet kha-srajaṃ vahan” [Kuvalayānanda 127] iti mithyādhyavasitir asambandhe sambandhātiśayoktyā gatārthā (Uddyota on Kāvya-prakāśa verse 521, at the end of the section on vyājokti).

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