Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara (Study)
by Debabrata Barai | 2014 | 105,667 words
This page relates ‘Poetic conventions regarding to the Daityas, Danavas and Asuras’ 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 7.18 - Poetic conventions regarding to the Daityas, Danavas and Asuras
[Full title: Poetic conventions regarding to the Oneness between Daitya, Danava and Asura]
In poetic convention, the poets are attributing the identity of Daitya, Dānava and Asura. In mythological description the demons are produced from the sage Kāsyapa and Datī and they later to be known by Daitya and Dānava. In the Agnipurāṇa says that, who are devotion to Lord Viṣṇu known as Devas and those who are abused Lord Viṣṇu are called by name Asura[1]. In poetic convention those three Daitya, Dānava and Asura are attributed to the same identity.
To illustrate this Rājaśekhara says:
“jayanti bāṇāsuramaulilālitā daśāsyacūḍāmaṇicakracumbinaḥ |
surāsurādhīśaśikhāntaśāyino bhavacchidastryambakapādapāṃsavaḥ || ”- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XVI, Pp- 88
Another śloka also attributed the Asura Hayagriva is to illustrate this as:
“asti daityo hayagrīvaḥ suृhadveśmasu yasya tāḥ |
prathayanti balaṃ bāhnoḥ sitacchatrasmitāḥ śriyaḥ || ”- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XVI, Pp- 89
In this śloka the Asura Hayagriva described as a Daitya.
Thereafter the identity between Dānava and Asura is illustrated by as:
“dānavādhipate bhūyo bhujo'yaṃ kiṃ na nīyato |
sahāyatāṃ kṛtāntasya kṣayābhiprāyasiddhiṣu || ”- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara: Ch-XVI, Pp- 89
In this way we can seems that there are no distinct characteristics from Asuras and Dānavas.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Agnipurana: 338/ 12