Part 5r - Alaṃkāra (18): Ananvaya or self-comparison

When the same object occupies the position of both upamāna and upameya i.e. when a thing is compared to itself, there is Ananvaya.^[1] In the verses, mānasāskandanapaṭuḥ^[2] ……. and sālakāntasthitirnīlakaṇṭhādhyāsana^[3] ……., there is the beautiful description of the mountain Kailāsa, with the tall ridges, beautiful water reservoir, pure on account of being the refuges of the sages, attractive by the pine trees, pure due to the shelter of Lord Śiva and the peacock, worshipped or served by the Yakṣas and the lions. Herein, the mountain Kailāsa has been compared to itself by various elements of it, with the idea of excluding the possibility of the existence of another thing similar to it. Hence, the two verses under discussion may be referred to as instances of the figure Ananvaya.