Poetic spirit of the Rigvedic Seers (study)

by Pubali Chakraborty | 2018 | 52,195 words

Hinduism Vedic Hinduism Natyashastra Linguistics Chandas Kavyashastra

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Summary: This essay studies the poetic spirit of the Rigvedic Seers and its influence on Indian literary and cultural traditions. It focuses on the poetic elements within the Rigveda (=Riksamhita) beyond traditional ritualistic interpretations and explores concepts such as the metrical applications, poetic figures, imageries, Rasa (“emotional essence”), and Dhvani (“suggestive meaning”). The essay argues that the seers were both Rishis (“sages”) and Kavis (“poets”) who conveyed profound truths using various poetic devices.

The study challenges past scholarship by showcasing how Rigvedic mantras incorporate artistic elements to express received truths in melodic, rhythmic, and imageric forms. The research also highlights how these features enabled the seers to present abstract ideas in a tangible and aesthetic manner, thereby contributing to the supernatural aesthetic delight experienced by listeners and readers.

Copyright:
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Source 1: exoticindiaart.com
Source 2: shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in

Contents of this online book ( + / - )

The full text of the Poetic spirit of the Rigvedic Seers (study) in English is available here and publically accesible (free to read online). Of course, I would always recommend buying the book so you get the latest edition. You can see all this book’s content by visiting the pages in the below index:

Acknowledgement

+ Chapter 1 - Introduction

. Part 1 - Constituents of the Veda

. Part 2 - Introduction to the Ṛksaṃhitā

. Part 3 - Arrangement of the Maṇḍalas in Ṛksaṃhitā

. Part 4 - Principles of Arrangement of Hymns in the Maṇḍalas of Ṛksaṃhitā

. Part 5 - The Ṛgvedic Seers (introduction)

. Part 6.1 - The Seers (Rishis) of Gotama Family

. Part 6.2 - The Seers (Rishis) of Bṛhaspati Family

. Part 6.3 - The Seers (Rishis) of Ucathya Family

. Part 6.4 - The Seers (Rishis) of Kaṇva Family

. Part 6.5 - The Seers (Rishis) of Kevala-Āṅgirasa Family

. Part 6.6 - The Seers (Rishis) of Bhṛgu Family

. Part 6.7 - The Seers (Rishis) of Viśvāmitra Family

. Part 6.8 - The Seers (Rishis) of Atri Family

. Part 6.9 - The Seers (Rishis) of Vasiṣṭha Family

. Part 6.10 - The Seers (Rishis) of Agastya Family

. Part 6.11 - The Seers (Rishis) of Kaśyapa Family

. Part 7 - The Seers (Rishis) of Minor Families

. Part 8 - The Seers (Rishis) of Royal Dynasties

. Part 9 - Historically Authenticated Seer belonging to the Fictitious Family

. Part 10 - Fictitious Seer Belonging to Fictitious Family

. Part 11 - Seer whose Family-lineage is not at all Mentioned

. Part 12 - Definition of the Poetic Spirit

. Part 13 - Review of the previous literature

. Part 14 - Aim, Scope and Methodology of the Work

+ Chapter 2 - Concept of Kavi and Kāvya in the Ṛksaṃhitā

. Introduction to the concepts of Kavya (Poetry) and Kavi (Poet)

. Part 1.1 - Who is Ṛṣi (Seer)?—Introduction

. Part 1.2 - Sāyaṇa’s view on Ṛṣi (Seer)

. Part 2-4 - Status and Qualities of the Vedic Ṛṣi

. Part 5 - Who is a Kavi (Poet)?

. Part 6 - The Observation of Later Rhetoricians on Poet

. Part 7 - Are Ṛṣi and Kavi Synonymous?

. Part 8 - Should the Vedic hymns be considered as Kāvya?

. Part 9-10 - Some Questions on Apauruṣeyatva

. Part 11 - Inspiration to Expression: Poet’s Journey

+ Chapter 3 - Application of Metre

. Part 1 - Introduction—Characteristics and Structure of Vedic Metre

. Part 1.1 - Classification of Vedic Metre

. Part 1.2 - The Rules of Syllabic Restoration

. Part 1.3 - Classification of Vedic Metres on the Basis of Syllabic Perfection

. Part 2.1 - Description of the Gāyatrī metre

. Part 2.2 - Description of the Uṣṇij metre

. Part 2.3 - Description of the Anuṣṭubh metre

. Part 2.4 - Description of the Bṛhatī metre

. Part 2.5 - Description of the Paṅkti metre

. Part 2.6 - Description of the Triṣṭubh metre

. Part 2.7 - Description of the Jagatī metre

. Part 2.8 - Description of the Long Metres

. Part 2.9 - Description of the Fragmentary Irregular Metres

. Part 2.10 - Description of Pragātha (combination of two or more metres)

+ Chapter 4 - Employment of Poetic Figures and Imageries

. Part 1.1 - Introduction—Definition of Poetic Figure and It’s Role in Poetry

. Part 2.1 - Śabdālaṃkāra (1): Definition of Anuprāsa (Alliteration)

. Part 2.2 - Śabdālaṃkāra (2): Definition of Yamaka

. Part 2.3 - Śabdālaṃkāra (3): Definition of Śabdaśleṣa

. Part 3.1 - Arthālaṃkāras (1): Definition of Upamā

. Part 3.2 - Arthālaṃkāras (2): Definition of Rūpaka

. Part 3.3 - Arthālaṃkāras (3): Definition of Ullekha

. Part 3.4 - Arthālaṃkāras (4): Definition of Utprekṣā

. Part 3.5 - Arthālaṃkāras (5): Definition of Atiśayokti

. Part 3.6 - Arthālaṃkāras (6): Definition of Samāsokti

. Part 3.7 - Arthālaṃkāras (7): Definition of Aprastutapraśaṃsā

. Part 3.8 - Arthālaṃkāras (8): Definition of Arthāntaranyāsa

. Part 3.9 - Arthālaṃkāras (9): Definition of Kāvyaliṅga

. Part 3.10 - Arthālaṃkāras (10): Definition of Vibhāvanā

. Part 3.11 - Arthālaṃkāras (11): Definition of Viśeṣokti

. Part 3.12 - Arthālaṃkāras (12): Definition of Virodhābhāsa

. Part 3.13 - Arthālaṃkāras (13): Definition of Bhāvika

. Part 3.14 - Arthālaṃkāras (14): Svabhāvokti

. Part 4.1 - Poetic Imageries (1) What is Imagery?

. Part 4.2 - Ṛgvedic Imageries

+ Chapter 5 - Treatment of Rasa and Dhvani

. Introduction to Rasa or Dhvani (“the soul of poetry”)

. Part 1 - Introduction to the theory of Rasa

. Part 1.1 - Description of Śṛṅgāra-Rasa

. Part 1.2 - Description of Hāsya-Rasa

. Part 1.3 - Description of Karuṇa-Rasa

. Part 1.4 - Description of Raudra-Rasa

. Part 1.5 - Description of Vīra-Rasa

. Part 1.6 - Description of Bhayānaka-Rasa

. Part 1.7 - Description of Vībhatsa-Rasa

. Part 1.8 - Description of Adbhuta-Rasa

. Part 1.9 - Description of Śānta-Rasa

. Part 2 - Introduction to the theory of Dhvani

Chapter 7 - Conclusion

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Last Updated: 02 January, 2026

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