Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara (Study)
by Debabrata Barai | 2014 | 105,667 words
This page relates 鈥極rigin and development of the Kavisamaya (poetic conventions)鈥� 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).
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Part 7.1 - Origin and development of the Kavisamaya (poetic conventions)
The concepts of kavisamayas [kavi-samayas] are first introduced by the kavi (poet) in their 办腻惫测补 (poetry) and then it can regularize by the 蝉补丑峁沝补测补 (critic). In the K膩vyam墨m膩峁僺膩, 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补 first used the expression on kavi-samaya and dealt with details. At this time also mentions some of his predecessor-critic who has taken an objection to the use of such types of conventions in any poetry. However the reputed critic i.e. 叠丑腻尘补丑补, 顿补峁囜笉颈苍, 痴腻尘补苍补, 搁耻诲谤补峁璦 and 鲍诲产丑补峁璦 etc. does not discussed on this theory but the earlier poets had used such types of convention in their works i.e. 础艣惫补驳丑辞峁, 叠丑腻蝉补 and 碍腻濒颈诲腻蝉补 etc.
In the Buddhacarita of 础艣惫补驳丑辞峁 used the matter of kavi-samayas (poetic conventions) about Sarojas blooming during the day only and Kumudas blooming in the night only[1].
There he refers to the Udayagiri in the Eastern part and 膧蝉迟腻肠补濒补 in the Western part of country, describes the God of Love as 笔耻峁补蝉补谤补 and 笔补帽肠补产补苍补 and also 颁补办谤补惫腻办补 pair as a symbol of ardent passion;
E.g.
鈥�sa cakrav膩kyeva hi cakrav膩kastay膩 sameta岣� priyay膩 priy膩rha岣� |
n膩cintayadvai艣rame峁嘺峁� na 艣补办谤补峁� tatsth膩naheto岣� ku ta岣� eva 诲丑补谤尘补峁� || 鈥�- Saundar膩nanda of 础艣惫补驳丑辞峁: IV/2
Then the Pratithaya艣膩 N膩tyak膩ra 叠丑腻蝉补 in his thirteen plays used the above described kavi-samaya or kavi-samketa (poetic conventions) i.e. Kumuda blooming at night[2], Malaya as the home of sandal[3], 颁补办谤补惫腻办补 pair as a symbol of ardent love[4] and their separation at night[5]. He also described the story as white and love as red colour and refers to the Rising Mountain and the Setting Mountain.
Therefore the works of 惭补丑腻办补惫颈 碍腻濒颈诲腻蝉补鈥檚 are very much full of these conventions. i.e. In the drama 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补艣补办耻苍迟补濒腻[6] the sun causing the day-lotuses to bloom and the moon the night-lotuses[7]. 颁补办谤补惫腻办补s as symbol of sexual love and their separation at evening[8], 颁腻迟补办补 begging of a cloud[9]. In the 惭别驳丑补诲奴迟补-II, 碍腻濒颈诲腻蝉补s going to the 惭腻苍补蝉补 Lake during the rainy season and a female crane conceiving merely on hearing the thunder of the cloud[10]. 颁补苍诲谤补办腻苍迟补尘补苍颈, the Lunar Gem oozing at the touch of the rays of the moon[11] A swan separating water from milk in the[12] and 艢奴谤测补办补苍迟补尘补苍颈 burning when touched by the rays of the sun[13] a female cuckoo getting her eggs hatched by a female crow[14], Gandhadvipa scaring away the elephants by means of the fragrance of its ichors[15] In the 碍耻尘腻谤补蝉补峁僢丑补惫补[16], an owl being afraid of the light of the sun and throbbing of right eye in the case of men and left eye in the case of women as an auspicious omen[17].
The use of common kavi-samaya (poetic convention) like glory, smile and laughter being while, love and wrath being red etc. are present here and there in all 碍腻濒颈诲腻蝉补鈥檚 works. Beside those he also applied some new interesting pregnancylongings, Dohadas in connection with the 础艣辞办补 tree and 叠补办耻岣穉 tree. In the 惭别驳丑补诲奴迟补[18], and 惭补濒补惫颈办腻驳苍颈尘颈迟谤补[19], said that, the first desires to be kicked with the left foot of a beautiful woman and the other desires to be sprinkled over with a mouthful of wine by her.
Therefore, the two Mah膩办腻惫测补s 碍耻尘腻谤补蝉补尘产丑补惫补 and 搁补驳丑耻惫补峁兣沘 of 碍腻濒颈诲腻蝉补 represent at the models for later writers and generally described the same things by the later writers. Beside those, the poets 叠丑腻谤补惫颈 in his 碍颈谤腻迟腻谤箩耻苍墨测补, 惭腻驳丑补 in his 艢颈艣耻辫腻濒补惫补诲丑补, 艢谤颈丑补谤峁 in his 狈腻驳腻苍补苍诲补 and the works of B膩峁嘺bha峁弓a鈥檚 K膩dambari and 贬补谤峁肠补谤颈迟补 also found the uses and utilizes of kavi-samaya (poetic convention).
In the 狈腻峁瓂补艣腻蝉迟谤补 of Bharata assumed that the origin of 办补濒腻蝉 (atrs) is out of the representation of the real worldly life by saying:
鈥�n膩n膩bh膩vopasampanna峁� n膩n膩vasth膩ntar膩tmakam |
lokav峁泃t膩nukara峁嘺峁� n膩峁瓂ametanmay膩 k峁泃am || 鈥�- 狈腻峁瓂补艣腻蝉迟谤补 of Bharata: Ch-I/112
There 鈥榩oetic truth鈥� does not need to correspond to the 鈥榥atural truth鈥�. Because 鈥減oetry is not limited to the imitation of the world of sense; it has not only the whole circle of nature for its province, but makes new worlds of its own and shows the person who are not be found in being鈥�.[20] The concepts of kavi-samayas (poetic conventions) transforms the poetic descriptions more relishable and gives the difference between 鈥榩oetic truth鈥� and 鈥榥atural truth鈥�
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Buddhacarita: 1/ 8
[2]:
础惫颈尘腻谤补办补: II
[3]:
Ibid: IV
[4]:
厂惫补辫苍补惫腻蝉补惫补诲耻迟迟补: II
[5]:
Ibid: III
[6]:
础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补艣补办耻苍迟补濒腻: V/ 28
[7]:
Ibid.
[8]:
础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补艣补办耻苍迟补濒腻: IV, 搁补驳丑耻惫补峁兣沘: III/ 24
[9]:
搁补驳丑耻惫补峁兣沘: V/ 17
[11]:
Ibid: 67
[12]:
础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补艣补办耻苍迟补濒腻: VI
[13]:
Ibid: II
[14]:
Ibid: V
[15]:
Ibid: IV, 18
[16]:
碍耻尘腻谤补蝉补峁僢丑补惫补, I/ 12
[17]:
础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补艣补办耻苍迟补濒腻 : I and VII, Meghaduta: 92
[18]:
惭别驳丑补诲奴迟补, 75
[19]:
惭补濒补惫颈办腻驳苍颈尘颈迟谤补, III
[20]:
Vide, M.H. Abrams, op. cit. Pp-275