Indian Antiquary Vol 41

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 209

SEPTEMBER, 1912] OUTLINES OF THE HISTORY OF ALAMKARA LITERATURE 205
38
the soul of poetry is a style of composition, which is nothing but a peculiar arrangement of words."" His definition of Alamkára is different from that of Dandin. He says "Gunas are those attributes which produce charm in poetry; while figures of speech enhance it (charm)." 39 Dandin speaks of Alankaras as those attributes which produce charm in poetry; while this function is assigned to Ganas by Vamana. Dandin's treatment is a crude one; he does speak of Ritis (styles), of Gunas ani Alahkaras; but he nowhere assigns to each its proper position. Vâmana is more scientific. He distinctly tells us what the soul of poetry is, and then says that ten Gunas pertain to this soul of poetry (just as bravery, etc., are the qualities of the human soul) and that the business of Alainkaras is to enhance the charm of poetry. Vâmana thus advances one step further than Dandin and adumbrates the theory of rhetoric completely promulgated later on by Anandavardhana. Vâmana also is quite aware of a suggested sense in poetry; but he assigns to it a subordinate position by including it under the figure Vakrokti, which he defines as 'indication based upon resemblance.'39 It was Anandavardhana who first assigned to Alankaras their proper place and elaborated a complete theory of rhetoric. He established in a very subtle and suggestive treatise called the Dhoanydloka that suggested sense is the soul of poetry, that Gunas (Madhurya-sweetness, Ojas --strength, and Prasdda-perspicuity) are the properties of the soul of poetry as bravery is a property of the human mind, and that figures of speech are purely ornaments which set off to advantage the inherent charm of poetry, as ornaments of gold set off the beauty of the person.40 He divided poetry into three varieties: Dhvani (in which the vyangya sense is most prominent, see Divanyaloka-kariká I. 16), Guñibhútavyangya (in which suggested sense is not the most prominent, Karika III. 35, p. 205), and Chitra (in which suggested sense is not manifest, Kárika III. 42-43, p. 220). After establishing that the soul of poetry is suggested sense, a question naturally arises by what process is this suggested sense obtained?" Anandavardhana tries at great length to show that suggested sense is due to a function of words called Vyañjand, which is apart from Abhidha and Lakshaná. Most writers on Alakára such as Mammata, Viśvanâtha, Jagannatha follow the lead of Anandavardhana, and speak of three functions of words, Abhidha, Lakshand and Vyanjaná. But it must be borne in mind that many other schools of philosophy, especially the Tarkikas, speak of only Abhidha and Lakshand, and include Vyañjand under Abhidha or under Aumána (Inference). To the modern mind, it would appear that the two functions, Abhidha (primary power) and Lakshand (indication), are quite sufficient to account for all the meanings of words, and that the Alamkarikas introduced unnecessary intricacies by admitting the Vyañjand-vṛitti. But it appears to us that from the position taken up by Anandavardhana that Vyangya sense is the soul of poetry, he had no other alternative but to admit Vyañjand-vṛitti. The Vyangya sense cannot be conveyed by Abhidha; for if it were so, it would cease to be Vyangya and would be Vachya (expressed). Nor can Lakshand operate; for it is a secondary power of words, while the Vyangya sense is the one most prominently conveyed by words and because suggested sense exists even when Lukshana is absent and vice versa.
6.
In connection with the theory promulgated by Ananda vardhana there are one or two points which deserve consideration. In our opinion Anandavardhana, in advocating that rasa is the soul of poetry, was profoundly influenced by the Natya-idstra of Bharata. Bharata laid down with all the weight of his authority that the business of the drama is to evolve one or more of the eight
Rttir-atma Kavyasya | Visishta pada-rachand retiḥ | Kavyalamkara-sutra I. 2. 6-7.
Kavya-sobhayaḥ kartaro dharma Gunah | Tad-atisaya-hetavas-tv-Alamkara! | Kavyalamkara-satra III. 1. 1-2. Badrisyal-lakshana Fakroktiḥ | Kavyalamkara-satra, IV. 3, 8.
Tam-artham-avalambante ye siginan te Gunah amritaḥ | Angasritas-tv-Alamkara mantavyaḥ kaṭakadivat | Dhva-karika II. 7, p. 78.
* Vide Tarka-dipika "Fyañjand pi Sakti-lakshan-antarbhata | Abaktimala cha anumamadina-anyatha-siddha "