Part 4(b): Bāṇabhaṭṭa: His Style of Writing

Among all the Sanskrit prose writers, only Bāṇa’s works present all the four types of prose, viz., muktaka,^[1] vṛttagandhi, utkalikāprāya^[2] and cūrṇaka.^[3] In his prose, even in one long sentence, we find long and short compounds side by side, giving a full graphic sketch. For example, when he gives the description of elephant Darpaśāta^[4] in Harṣacarita and horse Indrāyudha^[5] in Kādambarī, it can be felt as if he observes the animals with his own eyes. He has great knowledge on the ideal merits of kāvya,^[6] which are expressed by him and very important for poets to succeed in his attempts. He shows his excellence in vakrokti with the help of various figures of speech,^[7] which Bhāmaha^[8] accepts as a very important feature of a kāvya. The pāñcālī style (i.e., compounds of five or six words) is prominently present in Bāṇa’s works. Sweetness (mādhurya) and tenderness (saukumārya) are the main features^[9] of this style. The sound and sense are used with equal balance and perfect harmony in pāñcālī style. It was only practiced in the writings of Śilāditya and Bāṇa.^[10] Bāṇa uses this style many a times such as on going to describe rājadvāra,^[11] and describe Princess Kādambarī^[12] etc.

Although he was a prose writer, his excellencies in poetry are also seen in the introductory verses of the Kādambarī and in the initial verses of all the ucchvāsas of the Harṣacarita. These show that he was as good at verse as in prose. The various views on Bāṇa’s prose-writing^[13] show that he had great skill on arrangement of syllables.

His Kādambarī and the Harṣacarita, occupy the uppermost position among all the gadyakāvyas. His writings show that he was a great lover of nature. It is remarkable that he mentions the flora and fauna in poetic purposes which, also, inform us about flora and fauna of India in 7^th century A.D. For example, in the Harṣacarita, when he goes to describe the hunting of prince Harṣa in the foot of mountain Himālaya,^[14] he mentions various animals such as-kesarī, śarabha, śārdūla, varāha etc.

Bāṇa was a very learned person. He had deep knowledge about Veda, Vedāṅgas, Śruti,^[15] Smṛti,^[16] on various systems of philosophies,^[17] on grammar, music,^[18] and paintings^[19] etc.—the description of which are found in his writings.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

ādyaṃ samāsarahitam, Sāhityadarpaṇa,VI.331

[2]:

anyaddīrghasamāsādyam, Ibid.

[3]:

turyaṃ cālpasamāsakam, Ibid.

[4]:

………….mithyājaladharaṃ garjitāḍambarāṇām, darpaśātamapaśyat, Harṣacarita,II.p.31

[5]:

….atipramāṇam, urdhakarapuruṣaprāpyapṛṣṭhabhāgam,… pratikṣaṇamtidūramunnamatā…… śirobhāgena..asitapītaharitapāṭalābhirākhaṇḍala -cāpānukāriṇībhirlekhābhiḥ kalmāṣitaśarīram, …bhujaṅgamiva sadāgatyabhimukham,… aścātiśayāmindrāyudhamadrākṣīt, Kādambarī,p.129-131

[6]:

nabo’rtho jātiragrāmyā śleṣo’kliṣṭaḥ sphuṭo rasaḥ |
vikaṭākṣarabandhaśca kṛtsramekatra duṣkaram || Harṣacarita,I.intro.v.8

[7]:

vakroktinipuṇena……bilāsijanenādhiṣṭhitā Kādambarī,p.87-88

[8]:

na nitāntādimātreṇa jāyate cāruta girām | vakrā’bhidheyaśabdoktiriṣṭā vācāmalaṅkṛtiḥ || Kāvyālaṅkāra,I.36

[9]:

mādhuryasaukumāryopapannā pāñcālī, Kāvyālaṅkārasūtravṛtti,1,2,13

[10]:

śabdārthayoḥ samo gumphaḥ pāñcālī rītiriṣyate | śīlābhaṭṭārikāvāci bāṇoktiṣu ca sā yadi || Quoted from P. V. Kane’s intro. of Harṣacarita, p.xxx

[11]:

Harṣacarita,VII.p.110-111

[12]:

Kādambarī, p.310

[13]:

utkṛṣṭakavigadyamiva vividhavarṇaśreṇipratipādyamānābhinavārthasaṃcayam, Ibid.,p.197

[14]:

praviṣṭe ca kailāśaprabhābhāsinīṃ kakubhaṃ …… kesariśarabhaśardūlavarāhabahuleṣu tuṣāraśailopakaṇṭheṣu…krīḍanmṛgayāṃ ….divasairniḥśvāpadānyaraṇyāni, Harṣacarita,V.p.74

[15]:

Ibid.,I.p.3

[16]:

samyakapaṭhitaḥ sāṅgo vedaḥ śrutāni yathāśakti śāstrāṇi, Ibid.,II.p.36

[17]:

[a] jinadharmeṇeva jībānukampitā…., Kādambarī,p.88
[b] na jinasyevārthavādaśūnyāni darśanāni…, Harṣacarita,II.p.35
[c] bhagavana bhaktajane sañcariṇi sugata supto’si, Ibid.,VIII.p.134
[d] sāṃkhyāgameneva pradhānapuruṣopetena.., Kādambarī,p.88

[18]:

gītakalāvinyāsamiva niṣādānugatam, Ibid.

[19]:

[a] citrakarmesu varṇasaṅkarāḥ, Ibid.,p.12
[b] avalambamānatūlikālābukāṃśca …likhitānālekhyaphalakasampuṭān.., Harṣacarita,VII.p.117