Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara (Study)
by Debabrata Barai | 2014 | 105,667 words
This page relates ‘Poetic conventions regarding to the Darkness’ 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 7.10 - Poetic conventions regarding to the Darkness
In poetic conventions there are two conventions regarding to darkness:—
- The Pinprickness of darkness and the pitcherful of darkness and
- the absence of darkness in the śuklapakṣa.
In this convention poets used to denote the intensity and severity of darkness. However, darkness is naturally formless but poets describe it as a distinct form.
In the Meghadūta Kālidāsa says that the Path of prostitutes was blocked by the intensity of darkness as:
“gacchantīnāṃ ramaṇavasatiṃ yoṣitāṃ tatra naktaṃ
ruddhāloko narapatipathe sūcibhedyaistamobhiḥ |
saudāmanyā kanakanikaṣasnigdhayā darśayorvīṃ
toyotsargastanitamukharo mā ca bhūrviklivāstāḥ || ”- Meghadūta of Kālidāsa: Purvamegha/ 40
Rājaśekhara illustrated this as:
“pihite kārāgāre tamasi ca sūcīmukhāgranirbhedye |
mayi ca nimīlitanayane tathāpi kāntānanaṃ vyaktam || ”- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XIV, Pp- 80
In this śloka the lover was kept in Jail and sees his beloved even through there is presence of pin-prick darkness.
Then Rājaśekhara illustrated this as:
“tanulagnā iva kaku bhaḥ bhūvalayaṃ caraṇacāramātramiva |
divamiva cālikadaghnīṃ muṣṭigrāhyaṃ tamaḥ ku rute || ”- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XIV, Pp- 80
Here, for the intensity of darkness the distance between them has become less and the universe seems to be contracted. Therefore, about the matter of absence of darkness during Śuklapakṣa was not illustrated by Rājaśekhara.