Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara (Study)
by Debabrata Barai | 2014 | 105,667 words
This page relates ‘Rajashekhara Contribution on Shastriya Vimarsha (poetical science)� of the English study on the Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara: a poetical encyclopedia from the 9th century dealing with the ancient Indian science of poetics and rhetoric (also know as alankara-shastra). The Kavya-mimamsa is written in eighteen chapters representing an educational framework for the poet (kavi) and instructs him in the science of applied poetics for the sake of making literature and poetry (kavya).
Part 1 - Ჹś Contribution on Śāstriya Vimarṣa (poetical science)
According to Uśaṇa Bhārgab, ٲṇḍīپ (law of punishment) as sole of all disciplines (), because the fear of punishment induces people to work.
ṛhṣpپ posits two disciplines (s) [because livelihood and discipline are essential to society]:
Then the follower of Lord Manu accepted �ṛaī, and ٲṇḍīپ, as the three most important disciplines since ṛaī, instruct and ٲṇḍīپ. Āⲹ ṭiⲹ recognized that Ānvikṣīki, ṛaī, and ٲṇḍīپ are the four major disciplines (s).
However 屹īⲹ Ჹś enumerates there another one �ٲⲹ-�, as the developed fifth disciplines. C.f.
�貹ñī sāhitya� iti 屹īⲹ� |
sā hi catasṛṇāmapi nā� niṣyanda� || �- 屹ⲹmīmāṃsā of Ჹś: Ch-II, Pp- 4
Because, it is the soul of all other s (disciplines). This knowledge leads to dharma and artha (prosperity and success). In this (discipline) which studies the co-extension of words and meaning is called ٲⲹ-.
�śavdārthayoryathāvatsahabhāvena sāhitya �
- 屹ⲹmīmāṃsā of Ჹś: Ch-II, Pp- 5
屹īⲹ Ჹś posits the fourteen վṣṭԲ to the traditional ancient Āⲹs by saying:
�tānīmāni caturdaśa sthānāni yaduta vedācatvāra� ṣaḍaṅgāni catvāri śāsātrāṇi� ityācāryā �
- 屹ⲹmīmāṃsā of Ჹś: Ch-II, Pp- 3
These fourteen վṣṭԲ are four Vedas (ṻ, 峾, Yajur and Atharva), six ձԲ (śṣ�, kalpa, Vyakāraṇa, Nirukta, Chanda and dzپ�) and four Śٰ (Ānvikṣīki, ṛaī, and ٲṇḍīپ).
The knowledge acquired through these fourteen sources pertains to all things existing in the three worlds–the earth, the sky and the haven. Then 屹īⲹ Ჹś calls 屹ⲹ (poetry) the fifteen branch of knowledge after standing the traditional divisions of the Śٰ.
He says:
�sakalasthānaukāyatanam 貹ñ岹ś� 屹ⲹ� sthānam � iti 屹īⲹ� |
- 屹ⲹmīmāṃsā of Ჹś: Ch-II, Pp- 4
Means:
�屹ⲹ (poetry) is the second main division of literature, should be classed as another վḥaԲ as it follows the other. That is posits on fifteen in the list of the վḥaԲ.�
屹īⲹ Ჹś also divided literature into two kinds i.e. Śٰ and 屹ⲹ thus says:
�śāstrapūrvatvāt kāvyānā� ū� śāstreṣvabhiniviśet nahyapravratitapradīpāste tattvārtha sārthamadhyakṣayanti �
- 屹ⲹmīmāṃsā of Ჹś: Ch-II, Pp- 2
Means:
“The prior knowledge of Śٰ is essential for an appreciation of 屹ⲹ. The 屹ⲹs follows the Śٰ in every way; therefore, none 屹ⲹs can be composed without having a good knowledge of the Śٰ.�
Study of the Śٰ is too necessary for all the aspirant poets before composing any poetical work. Because, nothing is visible in the dark without the aid of lamp, even so no poet can attempt to create or writing poems without having efficiency knowledge to the Śٰ.
屹īⲹ Ჹś posits the traditional Āⲹs concepts on six ṇg and says:
�śṣ�, kalpo, vyākaraṇam, niruktam, chandoviciti� dzپṣa� ca ṣaḍaṅgāni� ٲ峦� |
- 屹ⲹmīmāṃsā of Ჹś: Ch-II, Pp- 2
Means:
�Śṣ� (The Science of proper Articulation and Pronunciation or Phonetics), Kalpa (Rituals), ղ첹ṇa (Grammer), Chanda (Metrics or the Science of Prosody), dzپṣa (Astronomy) and Nirukta (Etymology or explanation of different Vedic words) etc are the six ձԲ (Auxilieries), which are known very much important for the proper study of Vedas.�
Then Ჹś incorporated ṃkśٰ as the Seventh ձԲ (discipline auxiliary to the Vedas).
�upakārakatvādalaṅkāra� saptamaṅgam� iti 屹īⲹ� |
- 屹ⲹmīmāṃsā of Ჹś: Ch-II, Pp- 3
Means:
�ṃkśٰ is the seventh ձṅg (Auxiliaries) of the Vedas.�
A comprehension of the Vedas remains incomplete without an auxiliary knowledge of rhetorical figures. Then Ჹś gives an example from the ṻ岹 Veda’s Śǰ첹 for the embodied self and the pure self with a view to helping the aspirant attain the knowledge of ultimate reality.
�屹 ܱ貹ṇ� sayujā sakhāyā samānṛṃvakṣa� pariṣasvajāte |
ٲǰԲⲹ� 辱貹� svādvatti anaśnannanyo abhicākaśīti || �- ṻ岹 Veda: I/ 164/ 20
- 屹ⲹmīmāṃsā of Ჹś: Ch-II, Pp-4
Means:
“hese two birds, united always and known by the same name, closely cling to the same tree. One of them eats the sweet fruits, the other look on without eating.�
The Vedic philosophical meaning explains this stanza as: the two birds are the individual self and the supreme self. The former is pure consciousness conditioned by the body and mind on account of its association with ignorance (A). The other one is pure consciousness unconditioned by any limiting factors–the Lord himself, who is eternally pure, free and illuminated and is the master or controller of A. They are united always because the individual self is the reflection of the supreme self in the buddhi. The two are inseparable companions like an object and its reflection.
They always bear the same name, that is to say Āٳ. The tree is the body. One of them, the individual self or ī eats, that is to say experiences. Lack of the discrimination of the ī identifies itself with the body and experiences the pleasant or unpleasant truths of action. The other is the Lord, who is the pure consciousness. He is the controller of both the individual self and the body and is the dethatched witness of their activities.
But, 屹īⲹ Ჹś interpreting this Vedic stanza on poetical angle. There the two birds are the two ṃk (figures of speech) i.e. ū貹첹 and ղپ첹 are combined. The human body is the repository of two souls, ī and Īś; they are exists in the body simultaneously. This idea has been metaphorically expressed in this mantra by means of such things as tree, birds etc. the second half ղپ첹 may be explained into following manner: though the two Āٳ are quite similar, one sustains itself by the means of sweet fruits of the tree and other shines even without taking anything. So there we find the superiority of ś. In this way the knowledge of different ṃk helps us to properly interpreting the Vedic text.