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Classification of Poetry
823 “paryāyeņa bahūnām yatra pratiyoginām, kathākušalaiḥ, . śrüyante sūdravaj
jigīşubhiḥ parikathā sā tu.” (pp. 469, ibid) For Bhoja also this type is a series of stories told by expert story-tellers to overcome one another (in the art of story-telling). The illustration is "Sūdraka”. For Bhoja “paryāya' means “one by one”.
Bhoja is of the opinion that expert story-tellers vie with one another in narration of a story, each. Abhinavagupta says that on a given theme, one of the puruśārthas is narrated in parikathā, in diverse manner. ‘kathā' for Bhoja is :
"ya niyamita-gati-bhāṣā divyá-divyóbhayeti-vșttavatī, kādambariva lilāvativa
vā, sā kathā kathitā.” (pp. 469, ibid) The description of kathā almost follows Dandin. For Bhoja 'kathā' is having its 'gati' and 'bhāsā' fixed. This means that it is either in prose or verse and the language could be any. The character of either a divine or a-divya i.e. mortal is portrayed. Kādambari is an illustration of katha in Sanskrit and Lilāvati is one in Prakrta. As for Parikathā Bhoja does not suggest any particular language while Abhinavagupta also does not insist on any one language. Ratneśvara, on Sarasvatīkanthā”bharana (II. 6) notes that both khanda-kathā and Parikathā are necessarily in Prākta, and this could be Bhoja's idea also as in the XXVIIIth chapter of the Śr. Pra., the illustration cited from Śūdraka-kathā is, in prākrta.
'Khandakathā' is a short episode from a bigger work, as illustrated by 'Indumatī. Thus for Bhoja it is a portion of a story picked up from either the middle or the end portion of another larger work. Bhoja is not insistent on any particular language here. But for Anandavardhana, Abhinavagupta and Ratneśvara khandakathā is in Prakrta only. Anandavardhana wants it to be in verse only, like sakalakathā. Bhoja does not allude to sakalakathā. 'Upakathā' for Bhoja is -
"yatrā”śritya kathántaram ati-prasiddham, nibadhyate kavibhiḥ,
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