Part 20 - Study Conducted on Rājaśekhara’s Kāvyamīmāṃsā

* Dr. Sadhana Parashar a research scholar, Jawaharlal Neharu University, New Delhi, done her research work on the topic “Rājaśekharas’s Kāvyamīmāṃsā and Sylvia Plath’s poetry: An interpretation in the classical Indian framework”.

* Dr. Umashankar Tiwari, a research scholar, Rani Durgavati University: Jabalpur, done his research work on the ‘Kāvyamīmāṃsā ka śāstrīya Adhayana’ in Hindi, 1997. There he discusses about kāvya-tattva-vivecana, kāvya-lakṣaṇna, kāvyahetu, kāvya-prayojana, kāvya-bheda, pada-vākya-viveka, nature of rīti-vṛtti and pravṛtti based on geographical regions. Then in the Kaviśikṣā-vivecana chapter he says the causes of incorporating kāvya-puruṣaḥ description, classification of kavi and bhāvaka, kāvya-pāka, kāvyanuharana, kavi-carcā and kavi-vibhājana.

The following chapter discusses the six kāvyaśāstrīya-prasthāna i.e. Rasa, Alaṃkāra, Riti, Dhvani, Vakrokti and Aucitya etc. and relation with Rājaśekhara. Later on, in the fifth chapter he deals on Rājaśekhara’s contribution to alaṃkāraśāstra. The last chapter named Kāvyamīmāṃsā main uddhirit ācārya and kavi. Here he says about fifty three ancient ācārya’s name with few descriptions.

* Dr. Sadhana Jansari, a research scholar of Jablpur University done her research work on ‘Rājaśekhara ka mithak’ (in Hindi). There in the first chapter deals on the tradition of myths in the Sanskrit Literature i.e. myths in Vedas, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, Purāṇa, Mahākāvyas, Nātyaśāstra, Historical kāvyas and myths in the Rājaśekhara’s works.

In the second chapter described the myths related to the various ṛṣis or sages i.e. Uśanas, Vālmīki, Atrī, Agastha, Viśvamitra, Paraśurāma, Śunasepa [Śunaśepa?], Sagara, Bhagīratha, Vyāsa, Vaisistha and Anusūya etc. The following third chapter connected to the myths on the Devas and Devīs i.e. Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva, Kārtikeya, Gaṇeśa, Sūrya, Agni, Candra, Kāmadeva, Hanumāna, Sarasvatī, Lakṣmī, Pārvatī and Sītā.

The fourth chapter he interestingly says about the myths related to the Dvaita and Asura i.e. Rāvana, Kumbhakarna, Mārīci, Meghanāda, Atikaya, Kumbhakarṇa, Makaraksa, Mahodara, Hiranyakaśipu, Vālī, Jarasandha, Taraka and Śūparnakhā etc. then the fifth chapter discusses the myths related to the Loka i.e. Bhū, Bhūva, Sva, seven loka, Bhuloka, Svargya loka, mahaloka, Jaraloka, Tapoloka, Satyaloka, Śivaloka, Brahma-loka and Sapta-loka etc. In the sixth chapter deals on the myths with Tantra and Mantra i.e. Iṣṭa-maṇṭra, maṇṭra-śakti, indra-jāla, Sarasvata-siddhi by the Sarasvatī. The seventh chapter discusses on the myths of Astras-śastra i.e. Devyastra, Jṛṃbhakāstra, Varuṇāstra, Pāśupatāstra, Agnāstra [Agnyastra?], Nārayanastra [Nārāyaṇāstra?], Kāmāstra, Brahmāstra, Cakarāstra [Cakrāstra?], Varjāstra [Vajrāstra?] and Agastāstra [Agastyastra?] etc. Then the chapter eight connected with the myths of various subjects i.e. Varna-vavastha, Kathanaka paddhati, Vanaspati-candana kamala, Kadalī, Aśoka etc.

Purpose of the study:

The Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara a unique work, its aim and scope in the field of Indian literary criticism. The objective of this study is to highlight different views of Rājaśekhara’s life, works and date, treatment and position of Kavi-śikṣā School in Sanskrit Poetics, position and place of Alaṃkāraśāstra among other Śāstras, to highlight the contribution of Rājaśekhara in the field of Sanskrit Poetics, examine the position of Kāvyamīmāṃsā in Sanskrit Poetics and make a critical analysis of the Kāvyamīmāṃsā