Part 1 - Rājaśekhara Contribution on Śāstriya Vimarṣa (poetical science)

According to Uśaṇa Bhārgab, Daṇḍanīti (law of punishment) as sole of all disciplines (vidyā), because the fear of punishment induces people to work.

Bṛhaṣpati posits two disciplines (vidyās) [because livelihood and discipline are essential to society]:

1. Daṇḍanīti (law of punishment) and
2. Vārtā (common speech).

Then the follower of Lord Manu accepted ‘Tṛayī, Vārtā and Daṇḍanīti, as the three most important disciplines since Tṛayī, instruct vārtā and Daṇḍanīti. Ācārya Kauṭilya recognized that Ānvikṣīki, Tṛayī, Vārtā and Daṇḍanīti are the four major disciplines (vidyās).

However Yāyāvarīya Rājaśekhara enumerates there another one ‘Sāhitya-vidyā’, as the developed fifth disciplines. C.f.

“pañcamī sāhityavidyā’ iti yāyāvarīyaḥ |
sā hi catasṛṇāmapi vidyānāṃ niṣyandaḥ || ”

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-II, Pp- 4

Because, it is the soul of all other vidyās (disciplines). This knowledge leads to dharma and artha (prosperity and success). In this vidyā (discipline) which studies the co-extension of words and meaning is called Sāhitya-vidyā.

“śavdārthayoryathāvatsahabhāvena vidyā sāhityavidyā |”

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-II, Pp- 5

Yāyāvarīya Rājaśekhara posits the fourteen Vidyāṣṭhānas to the traditional ancient Ācāryas by saying:

“tānīmāni caturdaśa vidyāsthānāni yaduta vedācatvāraḥ ṣaḍaṅgāni catvāri śāsātrāṇi’ ityācāryā |”

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-II, Pp- 3

These fourteen Vidyāṣṭhānas are four Vedas (Ṛg, Sāma, Yajur and Atharva), six Vedāngas (śikṣā, kalpa, Vyakāraṇa, Nirukta, Chanda and Jyotiṣ) and four Śāstras (Ānvikṣīki, Tṛayī, Vārtā and Daṇḍanīti).

The knowledge acquired through these fourteen sources pertains to all things existing in the three worlds–the earth, the sky and the haven. Then Yāyāvarīya Rājaśekhara calls kāvya (poetry) the fifteen branch of knowledge after standing the traditional divisions of the Śāstras.

He says:

“sakalavidyāsthānaukāyatanam pañcadaśaṃ kāvyaṃ vidyāsthānam |” iti yāyāvarīyaḥ |

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-II, Pp- 4

Means:

“kāvya (poetry) is the second main division of literature, should be classed as another Vidyāstḥanas as it follows the other. That is posits on fifteen in the list of the Vidyāstḥanas.”

Yāyāvarīya Rājaśekhara also divided literature into two kinds i.e. Śāstras and Kāvya thus says:

“śāstrapūrvatvāt kāvyānāṃ pūrvaṃ śāstreṣvabhiniviśet nahyapravratitapradīpāste tattvārtha sārthamadhyakṣayanti |”

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-II, Pp- 2

Means:

“The prior knowledge of Śāstra is essential for an appreciation of Kāvya. The Kāvyas follows the Śāstras in every way; therefore, none Kāvyas can be composed without having a good knowledge of the Śāstras.”

Study of the Śāstras is too necessary for all the aspirant poets before composing any poetical work. Because, nothing is visible in the dark without the aid of lamp, even so no poet can attempt to create or writing poems without having efficiency knowledge to the Śāstras.

Yāyāvarīya Rājaśekhara posits the traditional Ācāryas concepts on six aṇgas and says:

“śikṣā, kalpo, vyākaraṇam, niruktam, chandovicitiḥ jyotiṣaṃ ca ṣaḍaṅgāni” ityācāryāḥ |

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-II, Pp- 2

Means:

“Śikṣā (The Science of proper Articulation and Pronunciation or Phonetics), Kalpa (Rituals), Vyākaraṇa (Grammer), Chanda (Metrics or the Science of Prosody), Jyotiṣa (Astronomy) and Nirukta (Etymology or explanation of different Vedic words) etc are the six Vedāngas (Auxilieries), which are known very much important for the proper study of Vedas.”

Then Rājaśekhara incorporated Alaṃkāraśāstra as the Seventh Vedānga (discipline auxiliary to the Vedas).

“upakārakatvādalaṅkāraḥ saptamaṅgam” iti yāyāvarīyaḥ |

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-II, Pp- 3

Means:

“Alaṃkāraśāstra is the seventh Vedāṅga (Auxiliaries) of the Vedas.”

A comprehension of the Vedas remains incomplete without an auxiliary knowledge of rhetorical figures. Then Rājaśekhara gives an example from the Ṛgveda Veda’s Śloka for the embodied self and the pure self with a view to helping the aspirant attain the knowledge of ultimate reality.

“dvā suparṇā sayujā sakhāyā samānṛṃvakṣaṃ pariṣasvajāte |
tayoranyaḥ pippalaṃ svādvatti anaśnannanyo abhicākaśīti || ”

- Ṛgveda Veda: I/ 164/ 20
- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-II, Pp-4

Means:

“hese two birds, united always and known by the same name, closely cling to the same tree. One of them eats the sweet fruits, the other look on without eating.”

The Vedic philosophical meaning explains this stanza as: the two birds are the individual self and the supreme self. The former is pure consciousness conditioned by the body and mind on account of its association with ignorance (Avidyā). The other one is pure consciousness unconditioned by any limiting factors–the Lord himself, who is eternally pure, free and illuminated and is the master or controller of Avidyā. They are united always because the individual self is the reflection of the supreme self in the buddhi. The two are inseparable companions like an object and its reflection.

They always bear the same name, that is to say Ātman. The tree is the body. One of them, the individual self or Jīva eats, that is to say experiences. Lack of the discrimination of the Jīva identifies itself with the body and experiences the pleasant or unpleasant truths of action. The other is the Lord, who is the pure consciousness. He is the controller of both the individual self and the body and is the dethatched witness of their activities.

But, Yāyāvarīya Rājaśekhara interpreting this Vedic stanza on poetical angle. There the two birds are the two Alaṃkāras (figures of speech) i.e. Rūpaka and Vyātireka are combined. The human body is the repository of two souls, Jīva and Īśvara; they are exists in the body simultaneously. This idea has been metaphorically expressed in this mantra by means of such things as tree, birds etc. the second half Vyātireka may be explained into following manner: though the two Ātman are quite similar, one sustains itself by the means of sweet fruits of the tree and other shines even without taking anything. So there we find the superiority of Iśvara. In this way the knowledge of different Alaṃkāras helps us to properly interpreting the Vedic text.