Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara (Study)

by Debabrata Barai | 2014 | 105,667 words

This page relates ‘Genisis of Kavyapurusha (kavyapurushotpatti)’ of the English 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 2 - Genisis of Kāvyapuruṣa (kāvyapuruṣotpatti)

In his magnum-opus Kāvyamīmāṃsā, Yāyāvarīya Rājaśekhara incorporate a charm full story relating to the genesis of poetry, and by the marriage of it’s with criticism has shape symmetry. The followers’ rhetoricians of Rājaśekhara admit that it is the paternal activities.

In the first time in Sanskrit Poetics Ācārya Daṇḍin say about the Kāvyaśarīra in his Kāvyādarśa:

taiḥ śarīrañca kāvyānāmalaṅkārāśca darśitāḥ |
śarīraṃ tāvadiṣṭārtha-vyavacchinnā padāvalī || ”

- Kāvyādarśa of Daṇḍin: I/ 10

Means:

“The sages showed and formulated the outward form śarīra’ and eternal embelishment in Kāvya. And the form ‘śarīra’ of Kāvya is that it should be characterized by and couched in desirable words producing beauty (ramaṇīyatva).”

Then Ācārya Vāmaṇa declared in unequivocal terms that Rīti is the soul of poetry. This Rīti as a particular arrangement of words and this particularity comes due to Guṇa.

rītirātmā kāvyasya |”

- Kāvyālaṃkārasūṭra-vṛtti of Vamana: I/2/6

In this definition of poetry, Vāmaṇa try to get utility of soul in the Kāvyaśarira. After that, Ānandavardhana in his famous work Dhvanyāloka established Dhvani as the soul of poetry in the place of Vāmaṇa’s Rīti:

kāvyasyātmā dhvaniriti budhairyaḥ samāmnātapūrvastasyābhāvaṃ jagadurapare bhāktamāhustamanye |
ke cidvācāṃ sthitamaviṣaye tatvamūcustavīyaṃ tena brumaḥ sṛhadayamanaḥprītaye tattvasvarupam || ”

- Dhvanyāloka of Ānandavardhana: I/ 1

In this way the former Ālaṃkārikas of Rājaśekhara gives the concepts about the body (Kāvyaśarīra) and soul (Kāvyāsyātmā) of poetry. There Rājaśekhara combined the previous Ālaṃkārikas thought about body and soul of poetry with immigrated the concepts of Kāvya-puruṣaḥ. But it is very much painful that his concept is not go forward by his followers’ Ālaṃkārikas. Whatever, Rājaśekhara is the first rhetorician in the domain of Sanskrit poetics who clearly gives a pen-picture about the origin of poetry (Kāvya-puruṣaḥ). According to Rājaśekhara, Kāvya (poetry) is the combination of śabda (sound) and artha (meaning or sense). Sanskrit is mouth, Prākṛta dialects is limbs (arms), Apabhraṃśa is legs, Piśāci is feel and Miśra language is bosom. Poetry (Kāvya-puruṣaḥ) is complete, happy, sweet and large-hearted.

Kāvya’s speech is elevated, Rasa is their soul, metrical composition is the pores (hair), questions and quizzes the forms is the forms of discourse and anuprāśa (alliteration), Upamā (simile) are the figures of speech employed to ornament in his language. Śruti (Vedas) also sing to your praise.

śavdārthau te śarīraṃ , saṃskṛtaṃ mukhaṃ, prākṛtaṃ bāhu jaghanamapabhraṃśaḥ, paiśācaṃ pādau, uro miśram |
samaḥ prasanno madhura udāra ojasvī cāsi |
ukticaṇaṃ ca te vaco, rasa ātmā, romāṇi chandsi, praśnottarapravalhikādikaṃ ca vākke liḥ,
anuprāsopamādayaśca tvāmalaṅaku rvanti | bhaviṣyatoharthasyābhidhātri śrutirapi bhavantamabhistauti”
||

-Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-III, Pp- 6

In this way Yāyāvarīya Rājaśekhara incorporated a lively picture of Kāvya-puruṣaḥ, which is his self-centered concept.

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