Sahitya-kaumudi by Baladeva Vidyabhushana
by Gaurapada Dāsa | 2015 | 234,703 words
Baladeva Vidyabhusana’s Sahitya-kaumudi covers all aspects of poetical theory except the topic of dramaturgy. All the definitions of poetical concepts are taken from Mammata’s Kavya-prakasha, the most authoritative work on Sanskrit poetical rhetoric. Baladeva Vidyabhushana added the eleventh chapter, where he expounds additional ornaments from Visv...
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Text 1.2
सूत्राणा� भर�-मुनी�-वर्णितानां
वृत्तीना� मि�-वपुषां कृतौ ममास्याम� |
लक्ष्याणां हर�-गु�-शालिना� � सत्त्वात�
कुर्वन्त� प्रगुण-धियो बतावधानम� ||
sūtrāṇāṃ bharata-munīśa-varṇitānā�
vṛttīnā� mita-vapuṣāṃ kṛtau mamāsyām |
lakṣyāṇāṃ hari-ṇa-śālinā� ca ٳٱ
kurvantu praṇa-dhiyo batāvadhānam ||
ūٰṇām—of aphorisms; bharata—named Bharata; muni-īś—by the best of sages; ṇi峾—d; ṛtī峾—f elaborations (commentary); mita-ṣām—short (“whose body is measured�); kṛtau mama asyām—given the fact that this is my deed; ṣyṇām—[the elaborations,] which are what is aimed at; hari-ṇa-ś峾—which abound in Hari’s qualities; ca—aԻ; ٳٱ—because of the existence; kurvantu—should do (i.e. should go about); praṇa—is excellent (“whose qualities are eminent�); ⲹ�—those whose intelligence; bata—a!; Բ—aٳٱԳپ.
Even those who are highly intelligent should proceed attentively, because the ūٰ were designed by Bharata, the best of sages, and because the ṛtپ, which are fairly short, are the objective, since they are my deed: They abound in Hari’s qualities.
Commentary:
According to Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, Bharata Muni is the author of the of 屹ⲹ-ś. Dr. Kāṇe mentions it:
Several later commentators affirm that the are the work of Bharata and that Mammaṭa only commented on them (i.e. he is only a ṛtپ-). The ٲⲹ-첹ܻܳī of Vidyābhūṣaṇa says �sūtrāṇāṃ bharata-munīśa-varṇitānā� vṛttīnā� mita-vapuṣāṃ kṛtau mamāsyām |� (2nd Intro. verse) and at the end we have �mammaṭādy-uktim āśritya mitā� ٲⲹ-첹ܻܳī | ṛtپ� bharata-sūtrāṇāṃ śrī-vidyābhūṣaṇo vyadhāt �.[1]
However, all evidence shows that Mammaṭa is indeed the author of both the 첹 and the ṛtپ of 屹ⲹ-ś.
Dr. Sushil Kumar De explains:
A tradition, chiefly obtained in Bengal, as we find it in Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa and Ѳś Nyāyālaṅ�, two very late Bengal commentators on the 屹ⲹ-ś,[2] imputes the authorship of the s, here called ūٰ, to Bharata and the prose ṛtپ to Mammaṭa, while Bharata himself is said to have drawn upon the Agni-ܰṇa. While the last assertion about the Agni-ܰṇa has no foundation in fact and is apparently prompted by the amiable but unhistorical imagination of late writers, which delights in exalting the antiquity of the ʳܰṇa, the suggestion of Bharata’s authorship of the s is too unauthentic and fanciful to be accepted. Mammaṭa’s authorship of the s has been declared by Hemacandra in the first quarter of the 12th century, as well as accepted by a succession of authors and commentators like Jayaratha, վ, Mallinātha, Kumārasvāmin and Appayya. ղⲹٳ, commenting on 屹ⲹ-pradīpa (i.1), alludes to this tradition and rejects it expressly; and in this view most of Mammaṭa’s other commentators agree. Apart from this, the evidence of the text itself goes directly against such a hypothesis. The s iv.4-5 are expressly supported in the ṛtپ by a dictum of Bharata, and this implies a distinction between the author of the and that of the ṭy-śٰ. The x.8b, again, says tu ūvat, implying from the context that the figure -ū貹첹 follows the rule laid down for the figure DZ貹, which, however, is not taught in any of the previous s, but explained in the ṛtپ. This apparently indicates that the and the ṛtپ form one block which should be attributed to one and the same author.[3] The source of this tradition is probably the unquestioned reverence paid to the sage Bharata, but it may also be due to the fact that Mammaṭa himself has made a considerable use of Bharata’s s.[4]
Bharata is cited by name in Agni 339. 6, and a large part of its treatment of ṭy, ṛtⲹ, abhinaya and rasa follows Bharata’s exposition, even to the literal borrowing and paraphrase of some of his well known verses.[5]
Above, Dr. De gives two reasons againt the authorship of Bharata Muni. Dr. De refers to the alternative numbering system of 屹ⲹ-ś. Thus in his elaboration on 4.27-28 (ٲⲹ-첹ܻܳī 4.7), Mammaṭa directly mentions Bharata Muni before quoting Bharata’s -ūٰ (ٲⲹ-첹ܻܳī 4.8). That is no proof that Bharata Muni is not the author of the of 屹ⲹ-ś. However, Mammaṭa’s 10.94 ( tu ū-vat) (ٲⲹ-첹ܻܳī 10.53) directly refers to this elaboration by Mammaṭa: iti bhinne ca tasmin ekasyaiva bahūpamānopādāne DZ貹 (屹ⲹ-ś ṛtپ on verse 411) (ٲⲹ-첹ܻܳī 10.21). Therefore the (definitional verses) and the ṛtپ (elaboration) of 屹ⲹ-ś must have been written at the same time.
P.V. Kāṇe mentions additional reasons:
There is no separate ṅg in the ṛtپ. If the ṛtپ had been composed by one person and the by another, there should have been a separate ṅg in the ṛtپ as there is one in the . (II) Upon the �ṇāny atha kāryāṇi� etc. (in the fourth ܱ) the ṛtپ says �tad ܰٲ� bharatena vibhāvānubhāva��. If Bharata had been the author of the in the 屹ⲹ-ś, the ṛtپ- would more naturally have said �tad uktam anenaivānyatra� or �tad uktam -kṛtānyatra etc.�. (III) We have the �sāṅgam etan niraṅga� tu śܻ� tu ū-vat.� […] (IV) None of the early commentators such as Māṇikya-candra, Jayanta, ī īٳ, Someśvara makes any distinction between the author of the and of the ṛtپ.[6]
Mammaṭa’s statement �tad ܰٲ� bharatena� was reworded as �evam anyatrāpy ܰٲ� muninā� by Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa (4.8).
Other proofs that Mammaṭa wrote the are apparent. For instance, he mentions the ٱ貹ⲹ artha (the meaning which is the drift of the sentence) (屹ⲹ-ś 2.6) (ٲⲹ-첹ܻܳī 2.3): This methodology was invented by īṃs첹. Moreover, the Dhvani theory originates from ĀԲԻ岹Բ’s ٳԲǰ첹 (c. 860 CE), arguably the most authoritative work on poetical rhetoric between the time of Bharata Muni’s ṭy-śٰ (c. 100 BCE) and Mammaṭa’s 屹ⲹ-ś. In the fourth chapter, Mammaṭa often paraphrases ĀԲԻ岹Բ’s 첹. Similarly, in text 2.27 (屹ⲹ-ś 2.16), Mammaṭa defends his concept of three-step purposeful figurative usage, which involves the Dhvani theory, by paraphrasing a verse by ĀԲԻ岹Բ. Additionally, in texts 8.7 and 8.12, Mammaṭa says there are three ṇas, not ten. He is referring to 峾Բ’s ten ṇas, which have the same names as Bharata Muni’s ten ṇas (ṭy-śٰ 16.96-114). Moreover, Mammaṭa’s 7.58 (ٲⲹ-첹ܻܳī 7.111 and 7.113) is a verse quoted by 峾Բ (c. 800 CE) in his Kāvyālaṅ�-ūٰ (2.2.19 ṛtپ).
Footnotes and references:
[3]:
To the same effect ղⲹٳ comments on this passage, etad eva ūٰm ūٰ-ṛtپ-kṛtor ekatve jñāpakam, DZ貹yā� sūtrāv anuktāyā vṛttāv eva kathanāt.
[4]:
De, S.K. (1988) History of Sanskrit Poetics, Vol. I, pp. 152-153.
[5]:
De, S.K. (1988) History of Sanskrit Poetics, Vol. I, pp. 97-98.
[6]:
Kane, P.V. (1998), History of Sanskrit Poetics, pp. 270-271.