365bet

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...

Go directly to: Footnotes.

केषाञ्चिद् एत� वैदर्भीप्रमुख्य� रीतय� मताः � �.८१ab � केषाञ्चित्—[इन� थे ओपिनिओन्] ओf सोमे पेर्सोन्स्; एताः—थेस� ओनेस� (थे थ्रे� किन्द्स् ओf वृत्ति अनुप्रास); वैदर्भी—इस् वैदर्भी; प्रमुख्याः—wहोसे fओरेमोस्त� ओन�; रीतयः—थ� स्त्य्लेस्; मताः—अरे चोन्सिदेरेद्.

keṣāñcid etā 岹īpramukhyā rītayo � || 9.81ab || ṣāñc—[in the opinion] of some persons; —these ones (the three kinds of ṛtپ Գܱ); 岹ī—is Vaidarbhī; ܰ�—whose foremost one; īٲⲹ�—the styles; —are considered.

In the opinion of some, these ones are thought of as the īپ, the foremost of which is Vaidarbhī.

etās tisro vṛttaya� kramād 岹ī-gauḍ�-pāñcāly-ākhyā īٲⲹ� kaiścid ākhyāyante. īپr nāmāṅga-saṃsthāna-viśeṣa-vad ṇa-hetuko varṇa-vinyāsa-viśeṣa�, sā ca ṇa-grantha-grastatvād iha na lakṣitā.

These ones, the three modes of ṛtپ Գܱ, are called Vaidarbhī, Ҳḍ�, and ñī by some scholars.

A īپ (style) is based on the ṇa and is a specific placement of phonemes. It resembles a special positioning of bodily limbs. Since it was included in the section on the ṇa, the concept of īپ is not expounded here.

Commentary:

Each īپ derives its name from a region credited with a particular style of composition. In the first centuries of the first millennium, the compositions in the region of Ҳḍa (Bengal) was said to abound in ojas ṇa. The ñī corresponds to dz ṛtپ Գܱ.[1] The hidden purpose of the concept of īپ is to validate the mix of ܰⲹ and ojas, and so on.

The notion of īپ is confusing because each poetical rhetorician has a different opinion on the topic. Mammaṭa’s three subdivisions of ṛtپ Գܱ were invented by Udbhaṭa. Here Mammaṭa specifically says that 峾Բ’s Vaidarbhī is the same as Udbhaṭa’s upa-.[2] That is imprecise because 峾Բ’s Vaidarbhī contains all of 峾Բ’s ṇa.[3] վśٳ reconciles the matter by agreeing with Mammaṭa in principle and by not referring to 峾Բ’s definition of Vaidarbhī. Moreover, վśٳ follows Rudraṭa by adding a fourth īپ, called ṭ�, which is a style between the Vaidarbhī and the ñī.[4] Kavikarṇapūra, however, says the ñī is used (with phonemes of his intermediary ojas) when the meanings are mostly sweet,[5] whereas the ṭ� is exclusively soft, without a conjunct consonant.[6] վśٳ and Kavikarṇapūra also disagree regarding the style of compounding in those two īپ.

In truth, the construction of softness (soft phonemes, no compound and no conjunct consonant) should be classed as a secondary type of construction of ܰⲹ-ṇa. Even Mammaṭa’s example of dz ṛtپ Գܱ (Commentary 9.11) is not a pure construction of softness because the alliteration of a single r, in the first half, is in the scope of upa-岵.

The other four styles (ī, Sātvatī, śī, and Āṭ�) (ṭy-śٰ 1.41-4; 6.24) are in the scope of dramaturgy (Bhakti-峾ṛt-sindhu 4.9.42).

Footnotes and references:

[back to top]

[1]:

ܰⲹ-saukumāryopapannā pāñcālī, “ñ� has the ṇa called ܰⲹ and ܰܳⲹ� (屹ṅk-ūٰ 1.2.13).

[2]:

etās tisro vṛttaya�, vāmanādīnā� mate 岹ī-gauḍ�-pāñcāly-ākhyā rītayo � (屹ⲹ-ś 9.81).

[3]:

samagra-guṇopetā 岹ī, “Vaidarbhī is the īپ that has all the ṇa� (Kāvyālaṅkāraūٰ 1.2.11).

[4]:

lāṭ� tu īپr 岹ī-pāñcālyor antare sthitā || (󾱳ٲⲹ-岹貹ṇa 9.5)

[5]:

kathā prāyo hi yatrārtho ܰⲹ-prāyako ṇa� |
na gāḍhatā na śaithilya� sā pāñcālī nigadyate || (ṅk-첹ܲٳܲ 9.11)

[6]:

samantata�, śaitilya� yatra mṛdulair varṇair lādibhir utkaṭam, sā lāṭ� syāl ṭa-ᲹԲԳܱ-Ծ󲹰 (ṅk-kaustubha 9.17)

Let's grow together!

I humbly request your help to keep doing what I do best: provide the world with unbiased sources, definitions and images. Your donation direclty influences the quality and quantity of knowledge, wisdom and spiritual insight the world is exposed to.

Let's make the world a better place together!

Like what you read? Help to become even better: