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Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara (Study)

by Debabrata Barai | 2014 | 105,667 words

This page relates ‘Aucitya theory and position of the Kavyamimamsa� 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 6 - Aucitya theory and position of the Kāvyamīmāṃsā

Among the numerous schools of Sanskrit poetics Aucitya is another important school. Aucitya means poetic harmony. In the ܳٲⲹ, ṣmԻ puts forwards the novel doctrine of Aucitya (Propriety or appropriateness) is the soul of poetry. ṣmԻ is known as the founder of Aucitya School in Sanskrit poetics.

According to ṣmԻ, the adaptation of parts of the verse to each other and to whole or in other words, a certain poetic harmony or fitness of things. C.f.

ucita� prāhurācāryā� ṛśa� kila yasya yat |
ucitasya hi yo bhāvastadaucitya� pracakṣate || �

- ܳٲⲹ of ṣmԻ: VII

Means:

“What is suited to a certain things is called proper or appropriate and therefore its abstract idea is called propriety or Appropriateness.�

pade vākye prabandhārthe guṇe'laṅkaraṇe rase |
kriyāyā� kārake liṅge vacane ca viśeṣaṇe || �
upasarge nipāte ca kāle deśe ku le vrate |
tattve satve'pyabhiprāye svabhāve sārasaṅgrahe || �
pratibhāyāmavasthāyā� vicāre nāmnyathāśiṣi |
屹ⲹsyāṅgeṣu ca prāhuraucitya� īٲ || �

- ܳٲⲹ of ṣmԻ: VIII/ 10

In the presentation of emotional moods poetry made charming, which is ensured by the principle of Aucitya. As regards the function of ṃk (poetic figures) and ṇa (poetic quality) ṣmԻ contends that it has no capacity of its own to heighten the poetic expression. ṃk is a beautifying principle of poetry only when this is inserted properly and ҳṇa when introduced in poetry than it acquires the status of a real ҳṇa.

To establish his concepts he draws our attention to the practical world of experience where it becomes a matter of ridicule. C.f.

kaṇṭhemekhalayā nitamvaphalake tāre ṇahāre ṇa vā
pāṇau nupūravandhanena caraṇe ke yūra pāśena vā,
śauryeṇa praṇateripau karuṇayā nāyānti ke hāsyatām
aucityena vinā ruci� pratanute nālaṅkṛtirnoṇāḥ
|| �

- ܳٲⲹ of ṣmԻ: VI (example)

Means: when a girdle is placed on the neck or a necklace is displayed on the waist, as also when velour is shown to a person who has taken refuge or compassion is demonstrated to an enemy. So, in poetry Aucitya is prime importance and underlying principle of all poetic concepts and which thus resembles to soul or life force that is felt in all the limbs of a body.

To emphasize the importance of Aucitya, ṣmԻ says in the preamble that 屹ⲹ (poetry) is enlivened only by Aucitya and such this is the life of 屹ⲹ (poetry) itself.

Then he noticed that ṃk is simply a decorative device and ҳṇa is merely a quality like velour, honesty or anything of this sort, but Aucitya infuses life to the expression and says:

ṅkٱṅk ṇ� eva ṇāḥ |
aucitya� rasasiddhasya ٳ󾱰� 屹ⲹsya īٲ || �

- ܳٲⲹ of ṣmԻ: V

ܳٲٳԲԲṅkṛtṅkṛt�
aucityādacyutānitya� bhavantyeva ṇāḥ
|| �

- ܳٲⲹ of ṣmԻ: VI

In the ṭyśٰ, Bharatamuni also says about the aucitya (appropriateness) for ٲⲹ󲹰ī as:

vayohanurupa� prathamastuveṣo veśānurupaśca gati- |
gatipracārānugata� ca pāṭh yam pāṭh yāhanurupahabhinayaśca || �

- ṭyśٰ of Bharata: XII/ 251

Means: firstly customs of protagonist must be based on the character’s age, depend on character customs gives the appropriate role. Further, selecting the proper speech for the suitable character.

Bharatamuni also says about the customs of protagonist as:

ādeśajo hi veṣastu na śDz� ᲹԲ⾱ṣyپ |
mekhalorasi vandhe ca hāsyāyaivopājāyate || �

- ṭyśٰ of Bharata: XII/ 251

In this way we see that Bharatamuni is seems to founder Āⲹ of Aucitya, which he was used in his dramaturgy in dramatic angel. Further also used this concept on Aucitya and utilized in his poetical work, 屹ṃk (of ).

Than the following rhetorician ٲṇḍ was very much know about Aucitya, because he says that:

ṇaṣānśٰñᲹ� 첹ٳ� Ჹٱ ᲹԲ� |
mukhamiṣṭārthasaṃsiddhau ki� hi na syāt kṛtātmanām || �

- Kāvyādarśa of ٲṇḍ: I/ 8

And,

kavibhāvakṛta� cihnamanyatrāpi na duṣyati |
mukhamiṣṭhārthasaṃsiddhau ki� hi na syāt kṛtātmanām || �

- Kāvyādarśa of ٲṇḍ: I/ 30

Any person not versed in ṃkśāstra discriminate the merit and demerits in 屹ⲹ (poetry). Because, a blind man have the capacity or eligibility in ascertaining verities of different colour. Some author i.e. 峾 saying that the sing (cihna) done by the poet’s intuition ‘kavibhāvakṛti� is not sound without incurring any Do ṣa. And the beginning, for fruition of the sequel may be anything and everything for one of trained intellect: so characteristics as regards the beginning are also undesirable.

Further ܻṭa in his poetical work 屹ṃk (of ܻṭa), gives some of the indication about Aucitya. He says, in the 屹ⲹ at first must be able to know about Aucitya further anyone go to the ṛtپ.

also noticed in his 屹ṃk (of ܻṭa) about the Գܱś’s acceptance and rejecting for their necessity of Aucitya:

etā� prayatnādadhigamya samyagaucityamālocya tathārthasaṃstham |
miśrā� kavīndrairaghanālpadīrghā� muhuścaiva gṛhītamuktā || �

- 屹ṃk (of ܻṭa) of ܻṭa: II/ 32

The necessity for Aucitya in the development of Rasa has already been pointed out by ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ.

He held that the absence of Aucitya is the one impediment to the realization of aesthetic pleasure. C.f.

anaucityādṛte nānyadrasabhaṅgasya kāraṇam |
prasiddhaucityavandhastu rasasyopaniṣatparā || �

- Dhvanyāloka of ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ: III/ 30

ṣmԻ reversed that ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ’s opinion and said the presence of rasas contributes to Aucitya or poetic harmony. He extended this principle not only to the ṃk and ṇa but also too many other elements of poetic expression i.e. word, sentence, case, verb, gender, number etc. ṣmԻ’s conception about Aucitya is very much comprehensive and he clearly shows that how all the different principles of poetry expounded by earlier writers could be brought under his poetic harmony. His illustration of the various kinds of Aucitya are very intelligent for the classification of Rasa, which is also recognized by Dhvanikāra ĀԲԻ岹󲹲Բ and Abhunavagupta into nine including ŚԳٲ.

However Ჹś󲹰 in his work Kāvyamīmāṃsā not directly touches the concepts about Aucitya but if we deeply study his other poetry there we see that the concepts of Aucitya. There he willingly or unwillingly gives us the sufficient knowledge about Aucitya or poetic appropriateness.

In the drama 峾ⲹṇa we can see these types of descriptions C.f.

sapta� purīparisare hapi śirīṣamṛdvī, ī javāt tricaturāṇi padānigatvā |
gantavyamadya kiyadityasakṛd vravāṇ� rāmāśruṇa� kṛtavatī prathamāvatāram || �

- Bālarāmayaṇa of Ჹś󲹰: VI/ 34

By this stanza of 峾ⲹṇa, Ჹś󲹰 possibly try to indirectly described to the reader’s that, when 峾Ի [Ramachandra] with ṣmṇa and ī are going to the forest from ǻ city than after giving few steps ī asked to 峾Ի continuously how many far is forest. By hearing this type’s speech of ī 峾Ի becomes sorrowful and his tear from his eyes. Here we found that this type of description is the Ჹś󲹰’s indirect concepts about aucitya and anaucitya. Where it is not uses to proper appropriateness. Because where ī is agree to live painful life with 峾Ի for a long times in a forest so how she can says after giving few steps to his starting painful life.

However, in this same description also given by Tulsidāsa Goswamī in his 屹ī but his description style gives him out of those types of Anaucitya ṣa. Where he described this as:

pura te nikasī� raghuvīra ū, dhari ī deya maga me� ḍagaivda,

jhalakī bharibhāla kanī jala kī, puṭa sūkhi gaye madhurādhalaiva|
phira vūjhati hai calatano aba ke tika, parṇaku ṭ� karihau� kitainha,
tiya kī lakhi āturatā piya kī, akhiyā� ati cāru calī jalacvai�
|| �

- Kavitavalī of Tulsidāsa: ṇḍ- 11

Here ī is fully tired and asked to 峾Ի how many far is the forest. Because there ī’s question for 峾Ի just for information to know that how many more times is have to go in their destination place.

In the Kāvyamīmāṃsā, Ჹś󲹰 says vyutpatti as:

ucitānucitaviveko vyutpatti

- Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Ჹś󲹰: Ch-V, Pp- 16

Means:

“Analysis of proper and improper known as vyutpatti.�

So we may realize that from the Ჹś󲹰’s concepts about vyutpatti is the same as Aucitya. But he only uses the same concepts in different name. However in the matter of Aucitya, Ჹś󲹰 does not give any direct interpretation but we can seem his deep knowledge about Aucitya on the analysis of vyutpatti.

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