The backdrop of the Srikanthacarita and the Mankhakosa
by Dhrubajit Sarma | 2015 | 94,519 words
This page relates “Guna or the quality” as it appears in the case study regarding the Srikanthacarita and the Mankhakosa. The Shrikanthacarita was composed by Mankhaka, sometimes during A.D. 1136-1142. The Mankhakosa or the Anekarthakosa is a kosa text of homonymous words, composed by the same author.
Part 3 - Guṇa or the quality
Guṇa (quality or merit) is an important characteristic feature of a poem. The Sāhityadarpaṇa holds that guṇa or excellences are to rasa or flavour, the essence of poetry, what heroism and the like are to soul.[1] Viśvanātha writes in the commentary that as heroism and the like are designated by the term merit, in as much as they cause the exaltation of the soul viewed essentially, so in like manner, are sweetness and the like, which are the qualities or particular modes of flavour, the essence of poetry. It is these attributes of flavour that constitute the claim to the designation of poetry, of a composition communicating its essence, viz. relish.[2]
Regarding the quantity of the guṇas, Bharata states that there are ten guṇas viz.
- Śleṣa,
- Prasāda,
- Samatā,
- Samādhi,
- Mādhurya,
- Ojaḥ,
- Saukumārya,
- Arthavyakti,
- Udāratā
- and Kānti.[3]
Daṇḍin also accepts that the ten guṇas are the life of Vaidarbhīrīti. Vāmana refers to these ten guṇas.[4] Howevere, Udbhaṭa, in his Kāvyālaṃkārasārasaṃgraha (Kāvyālaṃkārasārasaṃgraha), mentions only about three guṇas.[5] Viśvanātha too states that there are three guṇas viz. Mādhurya, Ojaḥ and Prasāda.[6] They are the cause of excellence to the rasa.[7] Mammaṭa is, also of the opinion that the guṇas are three in number, not ten527 as stated by Vāmana and others.
[1. Mādhurya]
[2. Ojaḥ]
[3. Prasāda]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
rasasyāṅgitvamāptasya dharmāḥ śauryādayo yathā/
guṇāḥ// Ibid., VIII. 1
[2]:
yathā khalvaṅgitvamāptasyātmana utkarṣahetutvācchauryādayo guṇaśabdavācyāḥ tathā/kāvye’ṅgitvamāptasya rasasya dharmāḥ svarupaviśeṣā mādhuryādayo’pi/
svasamarpakapadasandarbhasyakāvyavyapadeśasyaupayikānuguṇyabhāja ityarthaḥ/
Ibid., VIII, page 734
[3]:
śleṣaḥ prasādhaḥ samatā samādhimādhuryamojaḥ/
padasaukumāryaṃ arthasya ca vyaktirudāratā ca/
kāntiśca kāvyeṣu guṇāḥ daśaito…… // Nāṭyaśāstra., XVII. 95
[4]:
ojaḥprasādaśleṣamatāsamādhimādhuryasaukumāryodāratārthavyaktikāntayo bandhaguṇāḥ/
Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti., III. 2-4
[5]:
guṇāḥ kāvyasya mādhuryaujaḥ prasādalakṣaṇāḥ/
Kāvyālaṃkārasārasaṃgraha, III. 1. 4
[6]:
mādhuryamojo’tha iti te tridhā/
Sāhityadarpaṇa., VIII. 1
[7]:
utkarṣahetavaḥ proktā guṇālaṃkārarītayaḥ/
Ibid., I. 3
527 mādhuryyaujaḥprasādakhyāstrayaste na punardaśa/
Kāvyaprakāśa., VIII