Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara (Study)
by Debabrata Barai | 2014 | 105,667 words
This page relates ‘Rajashekhara’s Wife: Avantisundari’ of the study on the Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara: a poetical encyclopedia from the 9th century dealing with the ancient Indian science of poetics and rhetoric (also know as alankara-shastra). The Kavya-mimamsa is written in eighteen chapters representing an educational framework for the poet (kavi) and instructs him in the science of applied poetics for the sake of making literature and poetry (kavya).
Part 6 - Rājaśekhara’s Wife: Avantīsundarī
Rājaśekhara’s wife Avantīsundarī was the daughter of Cauhāna [Cauhāṇa?] Kṣatriya family. She was also a learned woman in poetics. In the Kāvyamīmāṃsā, Rājaśekhara quotes thrice time to her views.
(i) ‘iyamaśaktirna punaḥ pākaḥ’ ityavantisundarī |
- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-V, Pp- 20(ii) ‘vidagdhabhaṇitibhaṅginivedyaṃ vastuno rupaṃ na niyatasvabhāvam’ ityavantisundarī |
- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-IX, Pp- 46(iii) ‘ayamaprasiddhaḥ prasiddhimānaham ................ ityevamādibhiḥ kāraṇaiḥ śavdaharaṇe arthaharaṇe cābhirameta’ iti avantisundarī |
- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XII, Pp- 57
So it would be possible that she was composed some poetical work, which is not found at this time. By the name Avantīsundarī, we may think that she may be the Avantī country.
Rājaśekhara described the ‘kāma-vidagdha’ women of Avantī country and says:
‘vināvantīrna nipuṇāḥ sudṛśo ratikarmaṇi ’
-Bālarāmāyaṇa of Rājaśekhara: 10