Part 5m - Alaṃkāra (13): Apahnuti or concealment

The denial of the real nature of a thing and the ascription of an alien, or imaginary character, constitute the figure Apahnuti or concealment.^[1] Again, if having somehow given expression to some secret object, one should construe his words differently, either by a paronomasia or otherwise, it too is Apahnuti.^[2] In the verse, nṛtyadbhavapadakṣuṇṇayatkṣoṇī^[3] ……., it is narrated that while dancing at the evening time, the dust those have been raised by the striking of the feet of Lord Śiva, take the form of the stars and positioned there in the sky. Thus, here in this verse, there is the attribution of the character of the stars and denial of the real nature of the dust; hence, the stanza referred here is an illustration of the figure Apahnuti. A few examples of Apahnuti found in the Śrīkaṇṭhacarita are—palāśaraktārdranakhe^[4] ……., madhyenabhaḥ kauśikavadvitīyaṃ^[5] …….., malayajarajasā hṛtāvakāśaṃ^[6] ……...