Alamkaras mentioned by Vamana

by Pratim Bhattacharya | 2016 | 65,462 words

This page relates ‘The early traces of Sanskrit Rhetoric’ of the study on Alamkaras (‘figure of speech’) mentioned by Vamana in his Kavyalankara-sutra Vritti, a treatise dealing with the ancient Indian science of Rhetoric and Poetic elements. Vamana flourished in the 8th century and defined thirty-one varieties of Alamkara (lit. “anything which beautifies a Kavya or poetic composition”)

1: The early traces of Sanskrit Rhetoric

< Previous

Next >

Poetics is popularly known as ‘Alaṃkāraśāstra’. This is because of the fact that the basic concept of Poetics revolves around the poetic figures and various other beautifying elements present in a poetic specimen which are often termed as ‘alaṃkāras’^[1] . The popular maxim ‘prādhānyena vyapadeśābhavanti’ justifies the nomenclature appropriately.

The term alaṃkāra in its technical sense was unknown in early literature. We come across the term (also as ‘araṃkāra’ or ‘araṃkṛtiḥ’) in Vedic literature several times^[2] but no systematic treatment of the figures of speech was intended there. We also find the term ‘upamā’ in Vedic literature^[3] and we can trace Vedic verses where the figure of speech has been loosely imparted^[4] . The Rāmāyaṇa also consists of verses with the terms ‘alaṃkāra’ and ‘upamā’ used therein^[5] . Yāska in his Nirukta has cited some varieties of upamā (like bhūtopamā, karmopamā, siddhopamā, rasopamā, luptopamā, arthopamā etc) and has also illustrated these varieties citing Vedic verses.

He also puts forth a definition of upamā and attributes it to his predecessor Gārgya—

atha upamāyadatattatsadṛśamiti gārgyaḥ/
—Nirukta, 3.13.

The famous grammarian Pāṇini has often used the terms upamā, upamāna, upamita etc^[6] . Kātyāyana and Patañjali have also discussed these terms while illustrating Pāṇini’s conception. There is also a famous instance of the use of rūpaka in Kaṭhopaniṣat known as the ‘ratharūpaka’^[7] .

It is evident from the above discussion that the conception of alaṃkāras and the primary figures of speech like upamā, rūpaka etc was in vogue in the earliest Sanskrit literary specimen. The grammarians were probably the pioneers of developing the basis of Sanskrit Rhetoric. Ānandavardhana, though in a different context, has admitted the contribution of the grammarians in the field of Sanskrit Poetics^[8] . The fundamental theories of Sanskrit Rhetoric were very much a part of ancient Indian studies. But a systematic, calculated and technically arranged treatment of Sanskrit Poetics probably flourished as a later discipline of Sanskrit learning and literature.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

yo'laṃkāraḥ kāvyagrahaṇahetutvena upanyasyate tadvyutpādakatvāt kāvyaśāstramapi alaṃkāranāmnāvyapadiśyata iti śāstrasya alaṃkāratvena prasiddhiḥ pratiṣṭhātā.../
—Kāmadhenu, Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 1.2.

[2]:

vāyavāyāhi darśateme somāaraṅkṛtāḥ/
—Ṛgveda 1.2.1.

kāte astyaraṅkṛtiḥ/
—Ṛgveda 7.29.3.

abhyañjanābhyañjane prayacchatyeṣa ha mānuṣo'laṅkāraḥ/
—Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 3.41.36.

pretasya śarīraṃ vasanena alaṅkāreṇa saṃskurvanti/
—Chāndogya Upaniṣad 8.8.5.

śataṃ mālyahastāḥ taṃ brahmālaṅkāreṇa alaṅkurvanti/
sa brahmā-laṅkāreṇa alaṅkṛto brahmavidvān brahma abhipraiti/
—Kauṣitakī Upaniṣad 1.3.4.

[3]:

majjāmajjopamā/
—Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.9.28.

... yajate somapādivaḥ/
—Ṛgveda 1.31.15.

sahasrasāmāgniveśim gṛṇīṣe śatrimagna upamāṃ ketumaryaḥ/
—Ṛgveda 5.34.9.

[4]:

Ṛgveda –1.1.9, 1.22.20, 1.124.4, 1.124.7, 6.16.38 etc.