Essay name: Alankara Sastra (English study)
Author:
V. Raghavan
Affiliation: University of Madras / Department of Sanskrit
This book studies some concepts of Alankara Sastra, also known as “Lakshana� or “Bhusana�, and refers to the study of poetic and dramaturgical adornments as detailed in ancient Indian texts, particularly those on poetics and dramaturgy. The concept is attributed to various scholars, with significant contributions from Bharata in his work, the Natya Sastra.
Page 272 of: Alankara Sastra (English study)
272 (of 342)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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HISTORY OF AUCITYA IN SANSKRIT POETICS 249 which is pointed out by all writers from BhÄmaha and Daṇá¸in,
which is part of Aucitya, and can be said to be generally in-
cluded in Praká¹›tyaucitya itself which is as old as Bharata or can
be separately called as LokasvabhÄuaucitya. The PratibhÄu-
citya given by Ká¹£emendra concerns with the minor 'fancies'
and not with poetic imagination or genius as a whole. Simi-
larly innumerable items of Aucitya can be elaborated and so
does Ksemendra say in the end : 'अनà¥à¤¯à¥‡à¤·à¥� कावà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤™à¥à¤—ेषॠअनयैà¤� दिशा
सà¥à¤µà¤¯à¤®à¥Œà¤šà¤¿à¤¤à¥à¤¯à¤®à¥� उतà¥à¤ªà¥à¤°à¥‡à¤•à¥à¤·à¤£à¥€à¤¯à¤®à¥� à¥� तदà¥à¤¦à¤¾à¤¹à¤°à¤£à¤¾à¤¨à¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¨à¤¨à¥à¤¤à¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¤à¥ à¤� पà¥à¤°à¤¦à¤°à¥à¤¶à¤¿à¤¤à¤¾à¤¨à¥€à¤¤à¥à¤¯à¤²à¤®à¤¤à¤� -
[anyeá¹£u kÄvyÄá¹…geá¹£u anayaiva diÅ›Ä
svayamaucityam utpreká¹£aṇīyam | tadudÄharaṇÄnyÄnantyÄt na pradarÅ›itÄnÄ«tyalamati -
] p. 60. As for instance, the propriety of metre,
Vá¹›ttaucitya, is an interesting study. Bharata has spoken of
it in his chapters on Vá¹›ttas and DhruvÄs, xvi and xxxii.
Abhinavagupta quotes in his Abhi. BhÄ. KÄtyÄyana, an old
writer on metres, on the appropriateness of certain metres to
certain subjects, moods and situations.
वीरसà¥à¤¯ à¤à¥à¤œà¤¦à¤£à¥à¤¡à¤¾à¤¨à¤¾à¤� वरà¥à¤£à¤¨à¥‡ संगà¥à¤§à¤°à¤� à¤à¤µà¥‡à¤¤à¥� à¥� [vÄ«rasya bhujadaṇá¸ÄnÄá¹� varṇane saṃgdharÄ bhavet | ] etc.
Ká¹£emendra reserves this subject for special treatment in his
Suvá¹›ttatilaka. (VinyÄsa iii. S'ls. 7-16).
कावà¥à¤¯à¥‡ रसानà¥à¤¸à¤¾à¤°à¥‡à¤£ वरà¥à¤£à¤¨à¤¾à¤¨à¥à¤—à¥à¤£à¥‡à¤� à¤� à¥�
[kÄvye rasÄnusÄreṇa varṇanÄnuguṇena ca |
] zafa gâyanai fafaziìi faumfaa ||
वृतà¥à¤¤à¤°à¤¤à¥à¤¨à¤¾à¤µà¤²à¥€ कामाà¤� असà¥à¤¥à¤¾à¤¨à¥� विनिवेशिता à¥�
कथयतà¥à¤¯à¤œà¥à¤žà¤¤à¤¾à¤®à¥‡à¤µ मेखलेव गलà¥� कृता ।। [vá¹›ttaratnÄvalÄ« kÄmÄda asthÄne viniveÅ›itÄ |
kathayatyajñatÄmeva mekhaleva gale ká¹›tÄ || ] etc.
Ká¹£emendra then goes to explain with illustrations what situ-
ations and subjects should be depicted in what metres.
Though there is bound to be a large amount of subjectivism
1 Vide Journal of Oriental Research, Madras, Vol. VI, Part III,
p. 223, my article on Writers Quoted in the Abi. BhÄrati.
