3. The Concept of Pratibhā in Indian Poetics

The concept of Pratibhā, as a source of innovative and fresh ideas, has been placed at its core by rhetoricians in their literary theories. The semantic as well as psychological study of Pratibhā by Bhartṛhari, the famous philosopher cum linguist, inspired rhetoricians much. Bhartṛhari's conception of Pratibhā as eternal, undivided and of the nature of continuous intuition, has given a new perspective to the rhetoricians to pave new pathways in the Alankāraśastra. Almost all the preceptors of the School of Poetics in India have tried to define this concept in various perspectives. In general, Alaṅkāraśāstra has taken it as the root of all poetic creations. It is an intuition or intellect of a poet from where fresh and creative sparks are bloomed. It is the power of intellect whereby the poet sees the subjects of his poem as steeped in beauty and gives a vivid and beautiful picture of what he has seen.

This innate capacity of a poet has been called in various names such as Pratibhā, Śakti etc in Indian Poetics. In Kāvyālaṅkāra, Bhāmaha states that,

"kāvyaṃ tu jāyate jātu kasyacit pratibhāvataḥ"
  —(Kāvyālaṅkāra 1.5).

He opines that Pratibhā is the most important equipment for a poet to compose poetry. Later preceptors of Poetics also maintain almost the same view as of Bhāmaha. Rudraṭa, who also authored a work named Kāvyālaṅkāra, calls it as śakti, which is characterised by extraordinary innate attribute of soul and poetic imagination shines forth on it (1.15).

Vāmana, one of the prominent Ālaṅkārika in the pre-dhvani period, emphasises in his treatise Kāvyālaṅkārasūtravṛtti that Pratibhā is the sole cause of poetry.

His perspective of Pratibhā is clear in these words;

"kavitābījaṃ pratibhānaṃ, yasmāt vinā kāvyaṃ na niṣpadyate, niṣpannaṃ vā hāsyāyatanaṃ syāt"
  —(Kāvyālaṅkārasūtravṛtti 1.3.16).

The germ of poetry is Pratibhā, in the absence of which, poetry does not originate and even if composed, it will be ridiculed by the society.

Ānandavardhana, the foremost thinker in Indian poetics as well as the founder of Dhvani School of literary criticism, has given a prime position to the concept of Pratibhā in his magnum opus Dhvanyāloka. He was much influenced by Bhartṛhari's perspectives of Pratibhā as well as sphoṭa. Bhartṛhari's concept of Pratibhā is all-inclusive that the scope of this concept reaches all the aspects of universal activities. Ānandavardhana restricts this concept to the poetic imagination and extends its scope in the realm of Aesthetics and Poetics.

Thus, he acknowledges the indebtedness to the views of the grammarians in developing the theory of Dhvani.

"prathame hi vidvāṃso vaiyākaranāḥ,
  —(2006,p.138).

Ānandavardhana builds up his whole theses of literary criticism with the Pratibhā at its core. He and the followers of the School of Dhvani reiterate the supremacy of imagination and rasa in their theses. Poet's imagination is deeply rooted in Pratibhā or it is the manifestation of Pratibhā. It needs no external guidance or requirements to manifest the poetry. This can also be equated with the famous definition of poetry by William Wordsworth as "all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions" (Brett and Jones, 1963,p.266). Ānandavardhana views that without Pratibhā, poetry cannot be composed. He also adds that Pratibhā can make up the lack of learning or scholarship, but the lacking of Pratibhā can be substituted by none. Pratibhā as a poetic flash transforms an ordinary man into a poet having a vision or darśana. It is said that a seer (Ṛṣi) having a darśana only can be a poet. Rhetoricians have no dispute among them in the view that a poet should be capable of expressing that which he 'sees' (varṇanānipuṇaḥ). But this poetic expression flashes forth only with the help of darśana or Pratibhā, as mentioned.

According to Rājaśekhara, Pratibhā is the creative faculty of the poet as well as the reader. Hence he conceives Pratibhā in two ways; Kārayitrī and Bhāvayitrī respectively. Thus, earlier as well as later rhetoricians accept Pratibhā as the inherent wonderful faculty of natural disposition and inborn gift of the poet (Gayatri Rath, 2000,p.149). In other words, it is the intelligent faculty of intellect where new and novel blooming of ideas arise.