3: Definition of Anuprāsa Alaṃkāra

Anuprāsa is one of the most prominent śabdālaṃkāras in Sanskrit Poetics. Bharata, in his Nātyaśāstra, has mentioned four figures of speeches—

1. upamā,
2. rūpaka,
3. dīpaka and
4. yamaka.

Bhāmaha has hinted t hat the anuprāsa can be included in the ten varieties of yamaka mentioned by Bharata.

Bhāmaha defines anuprāsa as—

sarūpavarṇavinyāsamanuprāsaṃ pracakṣate/
  —Kāvyālaṃkāra (of Bhāmaha) 2.5.

—When similar letters are employed in a verse they form the figure of speech anuprāsa.

Bhāmaha also gives a simple example of the figure—

kiṃ tayācintayākānte nitānteti yathoditam/
  —Kāvyālaṃkāra (of Bhāmaha) 2.5.

—(Is the fair one very much disheartened by that anxiety.)

Here the word ‘nitānta’ and ‘kānta’ carry similar letters. Bhāmaha al so describes a different kind of anuprāsa and names it ‘grāmya’ (the ordinary or vulgar one).

This variety of anuprāsa has been acknowledged by some other rhetoricians—

grāmyānuprāsamanyattu manyante sudhiyo'pare/
  — Kāvyālaṃkāra (of Bhāmaha) 2.6.

This type of figure has been illustrated as—

sa lolamālānīlālikulākulagalo balaḥ/
  —Kāvyālaṃkāra (of Bhāmaha) 2.6.

—(Balarāma has his neck burdened with a swinging garland swarming with black bees.)

Bhāmaha also describes a variety of anuprāsa called ‘lātānuprāsa’. Here the similar letters are employed which have similar meanings—

lāṭīyamapyanuprāsamihecchantyapare yathā/
  —Kāvyālaṃkāra (of Bhāmaha) 2.8.

He also cites an example of this lātānuprāsa—

dṛṣṭiṃ dṛṣṭisukhāṃ dhehi candraścandramukhoditaḥ/
  —Kāvyālaṃkāra (of Bhāmaha) 2.8.

—(Oh moon-faced one! Put on a pleasant glance as the moon has arisen.)

Daṇḍin has defined anuprāsa while showing the distinction between gouḍa and vaidarbha mārga. He states that the anuprāsa when used with an even sequence of words gives rise to rasa realization—

tadrūpāhi padāsattiḥ sānuprāsārasāvahā/
  —Kāvyādarśa (of Daṇḍin) 1.52.

—He points out that the gouḍas love anuprāsa which consists of repetition of letters while the vaidarbhas prefer anuprāsa which is more soothing to the ears (śrutyanuprāsa).

He defines anuprāsa as—

varṇāvṛttiranuprāsaḥ pādeṣu ca padeṣu ca/
pūrvānubhavasaṃskārabodhinīyadyadūratā//
  — Kāvyādarśa (of Daṇḍin) 1.55.

—An anuprāsa can be employed in metrical feet and in words. It is the recurrence of letters or classes of sounds not too far removed from one another.

This close proximity of letters and sounds reminds the readers of the impression produced by similar previous sequences of sounds and letters. He has shown illustrations of anuprāsa in metrical feet and in words.

He also states that anuprāsa is applied only when the space between the sequences of similar words is not too far—

ityanuprāsamicchanti nāti dūrāntaraśrūtim/
  — Kāvyādarśa (of Daṇḍin) 1.58.

Vāmana has defined anuprāsa as—

śeṣaḥ sarūpo'nuprāsaḥ/
  —Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 4.1.8.

—Similar words and letters, other than those specified under yamaka, constitute anuprāsa.

The word ‘śeṣa’ used in the definition has been explained as—“padamekārthamanekārthaṃ ca sthānāniyataṃ tdvidhamakṣaraṃ ca śeṣaḥ” in the following vṛtti. The words and letters with the same or different meanings can constitute anuprāsa if they have similarity in form. These words can appear at any point in the verse. The word ‘sthānaniyatam’ hints the difference between yamaka and anuprāsa, for in yamaka the ‘sthānaniyama’ or proper places of repetition have been mentioned by Vāmana.

Vāmana then raises an assumed objection about his own definition—

nanu śeṣo'nuprāsa ityetāvadeva sūtraṃ kasmānna kṛtam /
āvṛttiśeṣo'nuprāsa ityeva hi vyākhyāsyate/
  —Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 4.1.8.

—Even with the definition “śeṣo'nuprāsaḥ” the desired conception of anuprāsa could have been reached.

This argument is apparently true but such a definition would have led to ‘ativyāptiprasaṅga’ (too much widening of definition). A particular kind of repetition is intended to form anuprāsa and so the word ‘sarūpa’ has been included in this definition.

The similarity can consist either in the entire word or in a part of it—

kintvavyāptiprasaṅgaḥ viśeṣārthaṃ ca sarūpagrahaṇaṃ kārtsnyainaivāvṛttiḥ /
kārtsnyaikadeśābhyāṃ tu sārūpyamiti/
  —Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 4.1.8.

Vāmana has classified anuprāsa in two groups—

1. varṇānuprāsa and
2. pādānuprasa.

The varṇānuprāsa is again divided into two kinds—

1. ulbaṇa and
2. anulbaṇa.

The Kāmadhenu commentator also clarifies—

anuprāṣah dvividhaḥ ulbaṇo'nulbaṇaśca/
  —Kāmadhenu, Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 4.1.9.

—The anulbaṇa anuprāsa of letters is considered superior as the letters used in it are not too glaringly evident—

anulbaṇo varṇā'nuprāsaḥ śreyān/
  — Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 4.1.9.

Also—

varṇānāmanuprāsaḥ sa khalvanulbaṇo līnaḥ śreyān/
  — Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 4.1.9.

—Vāmana cites an example of this type of anuprāsa as—

kvacinmasṛṇamāṃsalaṃ kvacidatīva tārāspadaṃ
prasannasubhagaṃ muhuḥ svarataraṃgalīlāṅkitam/
idam hi tava vallakīraṇitanirgamairgumphitaṃ
mano madayatīva me kimapi sādhu saṃgītakam//
  —Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 4.1.9.

—Your music, which is sometimes soft, sometimes enriched, sometimes extremely loud, sweet and beautiful, consisting of harmonious blend of notewaves and coordinated with the jingling of your lute, is elating my mind. The Kāmadhenu commentator has cited an alternative illustration in this regard^[1] .

The ulbaṇa variety of varṇānuprāsa is recognised as inferior as it reveals the anuprāsa of letters in an obvious manner—

ulbaṇastu na śreyān/
  —Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 4.1.9.

—Vāmana illustrates this variety to strengthen his point—

vallībaddhordhvajūṭodbhaṭamaṭati raṭatkoṭikodaṇḍadaṇḍaḥ/
  —Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 4.1.9.

—He is wandering with a furious look. He holds his bow in his hands making twanging sound with his bow-string and has his matted hair bound by creepers.

Vāmana states that the anuprāsa of metrical feet can be explained and illustrated alike pādayamaka—

padānuprāsaḥ pādayamakavat/
  —Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 4.1.10.

—He gives a few illustrations of this type of anuprāsa. They are as follows—

i) kavirājamavijñāya kutaḥ kāvyakriyādaraḥ/
kavirājaṃ ca vijñāya kutaḥ kāvyakriyādaraḥ//

—Unless knowing the ‘kavirāja’ or the great poet how can one acquire respect in composing poetry? Once knowing the ‘kavirāja’ how can one be frightened of creating poetic compositions?

Here all the feet have been repeated to create anuprāsa. Hence this can be regarded as an illustration of ‘samastapādānuprāsa’.

ii) ākhaṇḍayanti muharāmalīphalāni/
bālāni bālakapilocanapiṅgalāni//

—They are breaking the fresh ‘amalakī’ fruits which are yellow like the eyes of young monkeys.

Here the anuprāsa lies in the repetition of the syllables ‘lā-ni’^[2] .

iii) vastrāyante nadīnāṃ sitakusumadharāḥ śakrasaṅkāśakāśāḥ
kāśābhābhānti tāsāṃ navatulinagatāḥ śrīnadīhaṃsahaṃsāḥ/
haṃsābhā'mbhodamuktaḥ sphuradamalarucirmedinīcandracandraścandrāṅkaḥ
śaradaste jayakṛdupagato vidviṣāṃ kālakālaḥ//

—Oh king equal to Indra! (In this autumn) The white flowers of the ‘kāśa’ grass appear like clothing over the rivers; Oh king like the swan in the river of prosperity! The swans in the banks of the rivers resemble the ‘kāśa’ grass; Oh king! The moon of the earth! The moon which has just emerged from the cloudless sky is flawlessly shining like the white swan; Oh king! The destroyer of the enemy! The season of autumn beautified by the moon has arrived to bring you victory.

Here the anuprāsa occurs in the end of each foot^[3] .

iv) kuvalayadalaśyāmāmeghāvihāya divaṃ gatāḥ
kuvalayadalaśyāmo nidrāṃ vimuñcati keśavaḥ/
kuvalayadalaśyāmāśyāmālatā'dya vijṛmbhate
kuvalayadalaśyāmaṃ candro nabhaḥ pratigāhate//

—The dark clouds like the petals of the blue lotus have left the sky; Viṣṇu, who has dark complexion like the petals of the blue lotus, is deserting his sleep; The ‘śyāmā’ creeper, dark like the petals of the blue lotus, is now beginning to blossom; The moon which has the colour of the petals of the blue lotus is emerging in the sky. Here the anuprāsa can be seen at the beginning of all four feet in the verse^[4] .

Udbhaṭa has mentioned chekānuprāsa and lāṭānuprāsa as the two basic types of anuprāsa. He defines chekānuprāsa as—

chekānuprāsastu dvayordvayoḥ susadṛśoktikṛtau/
  —Kāvyālaṃkārasārasaṃgraha (of Udbhaṭā) 1.3.

—Chekānuprāsa consists in a charming expression of groups of similar vowels and consonants taking two at a time.

There has to be many such couples of similar groups in a verse to give rise to chekānuprāsa. The commentator Indurāja throws light on the possible interpretation on the word anuprāsa and chekānuprāsa^[5] . According to him the word anuprāsa is used in its literal sense (anvartha). It consists in a convenient arrangement (prāsa) in a poetical composition. This arrangement is configured with similar letters or group of letters congenial (anu) with the rasa with the intention to embellish it. The birds that do not go out of their nests are called ‘chekāḥ’. These birds develop a charming voice because of their uninterrupted mode of living. The similarity of charm created from the bird’s voice and the figure of speech gives the figure its name chekānuprāsa. Again, ‘cheka’ means the learned man also. The figure of speech was liked by the accomplished men and so it is called chekānuprāsa.

Udbhaṭa gives three variations of anuprāsa in accordance with three vṛttis or styles of composition^[6] . These vṛttis are:

1. paruṣā,
2. upanāgarikā and
3. grāmyā.

In the paruṣānuprāsa the letters ś, ṣ, the ṭ-varga, the conjunct forms with the letter r and hla, hva and hya are used to create anuprāsa^[7] .

The upanāgarikānuprāsa consists of conjuncts of the same consonants, of conjuncts with nasals at the beginning and any one of the letters from ‘ka’ to ‘ma’ at the end^[8] . The anuprāsa is called ‘upanāgarikā’ because it has close resemblance to an accomplished lady of the town^[9] .

The grāmyānuprāsa occurs when the anuprāsa is created with the help of the consonants mentioned in upanāgarikā. The style is also called ‘komalā’^[10] .

According to Udbhaṭāthe three vṛttis or styles mentioned by him can be separately utilized to create anuprāsa and the poet should indulge in such poetic composition to ensure the proper expression of sentiments. The vṛttis mentioned by him is certainly a new feature of anuprāsa^[11] . Again, he includes the word ‘vyañjana’ in his definition to point out the fact that anuprāsa always occurs with consonants and similar vowels cannot form the figure.

Udbhaṭa then proceeds to define lāṭānuprāsa as—

svasarūpārthāviśeṣe'pi punaruktiḥ phalāntarāt/
śabdānāṃ vāpadānāṃ vālāṭānuprāsa iṣyate//
  —Kāvyālaṃkārasārasaṃgraha (of Udbhaṭā) 1.8.

—The lāṭānuprāsa is created when the same words having initially same meanings are repeated without any grammatical changes and they yield different meanings.

Udbhaṭa cites five varieties of this lāṭānuprāsa^[12] . The anuprāsa is called lāṭānuprāsa because it is preferred by the people of lāṭadeśa (probably modern Gujrat)^[13] .

Rudraṭa defines anuprāsa in accordance to Udbhaṭā—

ekadvitrāntaritaṃ vyañjanamavivakṣitasvaraṃ bahuśaḥ/
āvartyante nirantaramathavāyadasāvanuprāsaḥ//
  —Kāvyalaṃkāra (of Rudraṭā) 2.18.

His classification of anuprāsa is however different from Udbhaṭāas he points out five vṛttis related to anuprāsa—madhurā, prauḍhā, paruṣā, lalitā and bhadrā—

madhurāprauḍhāparuṣālalitābhadreti vṛttayaḥ pañca/
varṇānāṃ nānātvādasyeti yathārtho nāmaphalāḥ//
  —Kāvyalaṃkāra (of Rudraṭā) 2.19.

He gives the definitions and apt examples of anuprāsa involving these vṛttis and maintains that a proper knowledge and well-combined usage of these vṛttis is essential to make the poetic composition pleasing.

The Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa has defined anuprāsa in accordance to ancient rhetoricians—

ekaikasya tu varnasya vinyāso yaḥ punaḥ punaḥ/
arthagatyātu saṃkhyātamanuprāsaṃ purātanaiḥ//
  —Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa 3.17.1.

The Agnipurāṇa maintains that the anuprāsa is the repetition of letters in the inflected word and sentence. This repetition can be of one letter or many letters—

syādāvṛttiranuprāso varṇānāṃ padavākyayoḥ/
ekavarṇānekavarṇāvṛttervarṇaguṇo dvidhā//
  —Agnipurāṇa. 343.1.

—The Agnipurāṇa discusses the five vṛttis mentioned by Rudraṭāas the basis of which repetition of a single letter is classified. Though mainly following Rudraṭa in regard to the characteristics of these vṛttis, the Agnipurāṇa also borrows from Udbhaṭāand some other unknown source.

The Purāṇa also mentions seven other varieties of vṛtti which are named on geographical basis—

1. karṇāṭī,
2. kauntalī,
3. kauntī,
4. kauṅkaṇī,
5. vāmanāsikā (or vāmavāsikā or vānavāsikā),
6. drāvaṇī (or drāviḍī) and
7. mādhavī (or māthurī).

These vṛttis arise from five classes of consonants, semi-vowels and sibilants.

Bhoja defines anuprāsa as—

āvṛttiryātu varṇānāṃ nātidūrāntarasthitā/
alaṃkāraḥ sa vidvadbhiranuprāsaḥ pradarśyate//
  —Sarasvatī-kaṇṭhābharaṇa (of Bhoja) 2.70.

—He mentions six main varieties of anuprāsa—śruti, vṛtti, varṇa, pada, nāmanirukti and lāṭa—

śrutibhirvṛttibhirvarṇaiḥ padairnāmadviruktibhiḥ/
lāṭānāmuktibhiścāyaṃ ṣaṭprakāraḥ prakāśate//
  —Sarasvatī-kaṇṭhābharaṇa (of Bhoja) 2.71.

—The śrutyanuprāsa is divided into three types—

1. grāmya,
2. nāgara and
3. upanāgara.

The grāmyānuprāsa is again divided into four varieties—

1. masṛṇa,
2. varṇamasṛṇa,
3. varṇotkaṭa and
4. varṇānutkaṭa.

The vṛtyanuprāsa is divided into twelve folds which involve twelve vṛttis—

1. karṇaṭī,
2. kauntalī,
3. kauṅkī,
4. kauṅkaṇī,
5. vānavāsikā,
6. drāviḍī,
7. māthurī,
8. mātsī,
9. māgadhī,
10. tāmraliptikā,
11. auṇḍrī and
12. pauṇḍrī.

He also gives a twelve-fold division of vṛtti on a different basis—

1. gambhīrā,
2. ojasvinī,
3. prauḍhā,
4. madhurā,
5. niṣṭhurā,
6. ślathā,
7. kaṭhorā,
8. komalā,
9. miśrā,
10. paruṣā and
11. lalitā.

Bhoja shows twelve varieties of varṇānuprāsa also—

1. stavakavān,
2. sthānī,
3. garbha,
4. vivṛtasaṃvṛta,
5. gṛhītamukta,
6. kramavān,
7. viparyaya,
8. sampuṭa,
9. mithuna,
10. veṇīkā,
11. citra and
12. vicitra.

A twelve-fold division of pādānuprāsa is also shown by him—

1. masṛṇa,
2. dantura,
3. ślakṣṇa,
4. sampuṭa,
5. sampuṭāvalī,
6. khinna,
7. stavakavān,
8. sthāni,
9. mithuna,
10. mithunāvalī,
11. gṛhītamukta,
12. punaruktimān.

The nāmanirukti type of anuprāsa has been divided into four main varieties—

1. svabhāvata,
2. gauṇā,
3. vīpsā and
4. ābhīkṣṇa.

Again some other varieties of nāmanirukti anuprāsa like nimūla and saṃbhrama has been also shown.

Two primary divisions of lāṭānuprāsa are shown—

1. vyavahita and
2. avyavahita.

Several sub-varieties of these two are also shown.

Mammaṭa gives a concise definition of anuprāsa—

varṇasāmyamanuprāsaḥ/
  —Kāvya-prakāśa (of Mammaṭa) 9.104.

—He puts emphasis on the fact that even if the vowels are dissimilar in a poetic composition, the similarity of consonants can form anuprāsa—

svaravaisādṛśye'pi vyañjanasdṛśatvaṃ varṇasāmyam/
  —Kāvya-prakāśa (of Mammaṭa) 9.104. (vṛtti).

—He also states that the anuprāsa gets its name as the allocated letters in the figure are favorable to the delineation of sentiment—

rasādyanugataḥ prakṛṣṭo nyāso'nuprāsaḥ/
  —Kāvya-prakāśa (of Mammaṭa) 9.104. (vṛtti).

—He divides anuprāsa into two kinds—

1. chekānuprāsa and
2. vṛttyanuprāsa.

These two can be categorized as varṇānuprāsa.

Mammaṭa follows Udbhaṭa in admitting three varieties of vṛttyanuprāsa as:

1. upanāgarikā,
2. paruṣā and
3. komalā or grāmyā.

He also points to the fact that ancient rhetoricians like Vāmana have regarded these three vṛttis as rītis namely:

1. vaidarbhī,
2. gauḍī and
3. pāñcālī^[14] .

Mammaṭa names śabdānuprāsa as lāṭānuprāsa and shows five varieties of it—

padānāṃ padasya ekasamāse bhinnasamāse samāsāsamāsayoḥ/
  —Bālabodhinī, 9.116.

Ruyyaka has not given a general definition of anuprāsa but he divides anuprāsa in two groups—

1. chekānuprāsa and
2. vṛttyanuprāsa.

He defines chekānuprāsa as—

saṃkhyāniyame pūrvaṃ chekānuprāsaḥ/
  —AS, p-20.

The ‘saṃkhāniyama’ means the similarity of the group of consonants. The vṛttyanuprāsa is defined as—“anyathātu vṛttyanuprāsaḥ”—suggesting that the figure is different from chekānuprāsa mentioned earlier. Though it consists of the similarity or repetition of consonants, the vowels attached to the consonants can be different in vṛttyanuprāsa.

Ruyyaka follows Mammaṭāin classifying vṛttyanuprāsa into three varieties—

1. paruṣā,
2. komalā and
3. madhyamā.

He also points out that these vṛttis are helpful in the arousal of sentiment^[15] .

Hemacandra produces a concise yet comprehensive definition of anuprāsa—

vyañjanasyāvṛttiranuprāsaḥ/
  —Kāvyānuśāsana (of Hemacandra) 5.1.

—The repetition of consonants creates the figure anuprāsa.

There can be one or more consonants repeated at close interval to create the figure. A single consonant has to be repeated many times while two or more consonants may be repeated only once. The repetition under the figure anuprāsa must awake some sentiment or rasa.

Hemacandra also gives a separate definition of lāṭānuprāsa—

tātparyamātrabhedino nāmnaḥ padasya vālāṭānām/
  —Kāvyānuśāsana (of Hemacandra) 5.1.

—In the lāṭānuprāsa, the words may be repeated either once or many times but they are not directly connected with one another.

Also the repeated words are used in the same sense here.

Vāgbhaṭa I, in his Vāgbhaṭālaṃkāra, defines anuprāsa as the similar sounding of words or syllables created by repetition.

According to him this repetition must express the guṇas like audārya etc.—

tulyaśrutyakṣarāvṛttiranuprāsaḥ sphuradguṇaḥ/
  —Vāgbhaṭālaṃkāra (of Vāgbhaṭa I) 4.17.

—He divides this figure of speech into two varieties—

1. chekānuprāsa and
2. lāṭānuprāsa.

The former is mentioned as ‘atatpada’ as it involves different words while the latter is called ‘tatpada’ as it involves the same words.

Vāgbhaṭa II defines anuprāsa as—

adūrāntaritāvṛttiranuprāsaḥ/
  —Kāvyānuśāsana (of Vāgbhaṭā II) Chapter-IV, p-49.

—The anuprāsa is the repetition of consonants at close proximity.

He considers three varieties of anuprāsa—

1. chekānuprāsa,
2. vṛttyanuprāsa and
3. lāṭānuprāsa.

He points out that the first two varieties are ‘varṇāvṛtti’ or repetition of letters while the third variety is ‘padāvṛtti’ or repetition of words.

Jayadeva, in his Candrāloka, has also mentioned cheka, vṛtti and lāṭa as varieties of anuprāsa. He also names an arthānuprāsa which is created by upameya-upamānabhāva^[16] .

Vidyādhara follows Ruyyaka a nd Udbhaṭāin his treatment of anuprāsa.

According to him, chekānuprāsa is the repetition of any two consonants more than once—

sabdasya paunaruktyaṃ vyañjanasamudāyamāśritaṃ yasmāt/
sa chekānuprāsaḥ saṃkhyāniyame samullasati//
  —Ekāvalī (of Vidyādhara) 7.3.

The vṛttyanuprāsa has been defined as—

saṃkhyāniyamābhāve bhavati punarvṛttyanuprāsaḥ/
  —Ekāvalī (of Vidyādhara) 7.4.

—Vṛttyanuprāsa is created when only single consonants are repeated more than once or when two consonants are repeated once or three or more consonants are repeated once.

He also regards arousal of sentiments as an essential feature of vṛttyanuprāsa^[17] .

Vidyānātha has followed Udbhaṭa, Ruyyaka and Vidyādhara in specifying two primary varieties of anuprāsa—

1. cheka and
2. vṛtti^[18] .

Viśvanātha defines anuprāsa in close proximity with Rudraṭā, Ruyyaka and Hemacandra—

anuprāsaḥ śabdasāmyaṃ vaiṣamye'pi svarasya yat/
  —Sāhitya-darpaṇa (of Viśvanātha) 10.3.

—The similarity of consonants irrespective of the difference in vowel is called anuprāsa.

Viśvanātha too explains anuprāsa as a figure of speech which is a setting of words intended to favour the arousal of sentiment^[19] .

He shows five varieties of anuprāsa—

1. chekānuprāsa,
2. vṛttyanuprāsa,
3. śrutyanuprāsa,
4. antyānuprāsa and
5. lāṭānuprāsa.

Keśavamiśra has almost in verbatim followed Mammaṭa in pointing out the definition and classification of anuprāsa.

We can sketch out some of the characteristic features of anuprāsa from the various opinions mentioned by Sanskrit rhetoricians—

i) The anuprāsa is the repetition of consonant letters or words.

ii) The anuprāsa can be created even if the vowels attached to the consonants are different.

iii) The recurrence of letters or words should be in close proximity to each other.

iv) The meanings of the words used to create anuprāsa can be same or different in meaning.

v) There are several varieties of anuprāsa. The most prominent are chekānuprāsa, vṛttyanuprāsa, lāṭānuprāsa and śrutyanuprāsa.

vi) The employment of anuprāsa in a verse is intended to arouse sentiment or rasa.

Vāmana’s definition of anuprāsa is quite unique and terse. His classification of anuprāsa is also somewhat different from his predecessors. Where some of his predecessors and followers have classified the figure on the basis of poetic style, Vāmana does his classification on the basis of the occurrence of the figure in poetic composition. Yet he manages to put forth the basic structural features of the figure.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

apasāraya ghanasāraṃ kuru hāraṃ dūra eva kiṃ kamalaiḥ/
alamalamāli mṛṇālairiti vadati divāniśābālā//
  —Kāmadhenu, Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 4.1.9.

[2]:

atra “lā-nī'tyakṣarānuprāsaḥ/-Kāmadhenu, Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 4.1.10.

[3]:

atra samastapādāntapadānuprāsaḥ/-Kāmadhenu, Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 4.1.10.

[4]:

atra sarvapādādipadānuprāsaḥ/-Kāmadhenu, Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti (of Vāmana) 4.1.10.

[5]:

parasparamekarūpānvitārasādyabhivyaktyanuguṇatvena labdhotkarṣā
varṇāstatsamudāyāvāśobhātiśayahetutvena kāvye kṣipyamāṇā
anuprāsaśabdenānvarthenābhidhīyante/
chekaśabdena kulāyābhiratānāṃpakṣiṇāmabhidhānam/
taduktam-chekāṅgṛheṣvabhiratānuśanti mṛgapakṣiṇaḥ-iti/
teṣāṃ ca kulāyābhiratatvādanyena kenacidanāyāsyamānānāmanenānuprāsena sadṛśīmadhurāvāguccarati /
atoyamanuprāsaśchekairvyapadiśyate chekānuprāsa iti /
athavāchekā vidagdhāstadvallabhatvādasya chekānuprāsatā/
  —Laghuvṛtti, Kāvyālaṃkārasārasaṃgraha (of Udbhaṭā) 1.3.

[6]:

svarūpavyañjananyāsaṃ tisṛṣvetāsu vṛttiṣu/
pṛthak pṛthaganuprāsamuśanti kavayaḥ sadā//
  — Kāvyālaṃkārasārasaṃgraha (of Udbhaṭā) 1.7.

[7]:

śaṣābhyāṃ rephasaṃyogaiṣṭavargeṇa ca yojitā/
paruṣānāma vṛttiḥ syāt hlahvahyādyaiśca saṃyutā//
  — Kāvyālaṃkārasārasaṃgraha (of Udbhaṭā) 1.4.

[8]:

sarūpasaṃyogayutāṃ mūrdhni vargāntyayogibhiḥ/
sparśaiyutāṃ ca manyante upanāgarikāṃ vudhaiḥ//
  — Kāvyālaṃkārasārasaṃgraha (of Udbhaṭā) 1.5.

[9]:

nāgarikayāvaidagdhījuṣāvanitayāupamīyate tata upanāgarikā/
  —Laghuvṛtti, Kāvyālaṃkārasārasaṃgraha (of Udbhaṭā) 1.5.

[10]:

śeṣairvarṇairyathāyogaṃ kathitāṃ komalākhyayā/
grāmyāṃ vṛttiṃ praśaṃsanti kāvyeṣvādṛtavuddhayaḥ//
  — Kāvyālaṃkārasārasaṃgraha (of Udbhaṭā) 1.6.

[11]:

Bharata has mentioned four vṛttis but they are primary dramatic vṛttis.

Bhāmaha does not mention any vṛtti related to anuprāsa. Ānandavardhana has hinted about them in his vṛtti on the first kārikā of Dhvanyāloka—

“tadanatiriktavṛttayo' pi yākaiścidupanāgarikādyāḥ prakāśitāḥ tāapi gatāḥ śravaṇagocaram/”.

Abhinavagupta has pointed out that this scheme of vṛtti has been incorporated by Udbhaṭā—

“anatiriktatvādeva vṛttivyavahāro bhāmahādibhirna kṛtaḥ / udbhaṭādibhiḥ prayukte'pi tasminnārthaḥ kaścidadhiko hṛdayapathamavatīrṇa ityabhiprāyeṇāha gatāḥ śravaṇagocaramiti/”

[12]:

sa padadvitayasthityādvayorekasya pūrvavat/
tadanyasya svatantratvāddvayorvaikapadāśrayāt//
svatantrapadarūpeṇa dvayorvāpi prayogataḥ/
bhidyate'nekadhābhedaiḥ pādābhyāsakrameṇaca//
  — Kāvyālaṃkārasārasaṃgraha (of Udbhaṭā) 1.9. -1.10.

[13]:

sālāṭadeśanivāsijanavallabhatvāllāṭānuprāso'bhidhīyate/
  —Laghuvṛtti, Kāvyālaṃkārasārasaṃgraha (of Udbhaṭā) 1.8.

[14]:

etastisro vṛttayaḥ vāmanādīnāṃ mate vaidarbhīgauḍīpāñcālyākhyā rītayo matāḥ/
  — Kāvya-prakāśa (of Mammaṭa) 9.111. (vṛtti).

[15]:

vṛttistu rasaviṣayo vyāpāraḥ/
  — Alaṃkārasarvasva (of Ruyyaka) p-20.

[16]:

upameyopamānādāvarthānuprāsa iṣyate/
  — Candrāloka (of Jayadeva) 5.6.

[17]:

vṛttistu rasaviṣayavyāpārastatsamucitāvarṇaracaneha vṛttiḥ/
  —Ekāvalī (of Vidyādhara) 7.4. (vṛtti).

[18]:

bhavedavyavadhānena dvayoravyañjanayugmayoḥ/
āvṛttiryatra sa vudhaiśchekānuprāsa iṣyate//
ekadviprabhṛtīnāṃ tu vyañjanānāṃ yathābhavet/
punaruktirasau nāma vṛttyanuprāsa iṣyate//
  — Pratāparudrayaśobhūṣaṇa (of Vidyānātha) 7.1. & 7.3. p-341.

[19]:

rasādyanugatatvena prakṛṣṭo nyāsaḥ anuprāsaḥ/
  — Sāhitya-darpaṇa (of Viśvanātha) 10.3. (vṛtti).