Kavyakalpalatavrutti

Author(s): Amarchand Maharaj, R S Betai, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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INTRODUCTION The Work
Right from the oldest days, the काव्यकल्पलतावृत्ति or काव्यकल्पलता-कविशिक्षावृत्ति of Amara Candra Yati (V. S. 12th century) is known, both for its original subjectmatter and for the deep scholarship of the author reflected in it. So many mss. of the work are listed to be found in different manuscript libraries, mainly in western India. The author has written another very elaborate and detailed Vrtti on his own work. This Vịtti, fic by name, is unfortunately available only upto 2.1 and a part of 2.2, i. e., only on the first six stabakas and a part of the seventh, in a work of total 21 stabakas. He is also said to have written a third Vrtti, "Manjari'l by name on his work, thus betraying his constant, unending thinking on the training and equipment of a poet seeking literary perfection. It also seems that during the course of writing of the 'Parimala', the author has revised his 'Vrtti' at places. This is evidenced from the fact that he asks the reader atleast at three places in his 'Parimala' to refer to his 'Vstti'. The reason of the non-completion of ‘Parimala' is not known. Later writers also seem to know it upto a part of 2.2 at the most, as mentioned above. It is very much likely that this his work on 'training and equipment of a poet' is one of his later and mature works, and, in all probability, he could not complete his 'Parimala' before his death. This is, however, only a conjecture.
Another scholar of high order śubhavijayagani (V. S. 17th century) has written a Vrtti, Hohle by name. He, however, makes a very humble claim in his Vrtti. He only supplements 'Parimala' in all respect, and refers to the 'Parimala' at several places in his Vrtti for matters that he would not repeat. Even though claimed to be just a supplement, the Vrtti is scholarly and adds quite a few valuable points not to be found even in the very elaborate 'Parimala'.
all the chiefer is published twice and translated into Marathi once. The first edition was published about 95 years back and the second edition came out in 1931. The Marathi translation is also very old. The ‘Parimala' and 'Makaranda’ are available only in mss. and await publication?. Again, the latest printed Vrtti edited by Pundit Jagannath Shastri Hoshing, is very much faulty, corrupt, hurried and full of misprints. It therefore needs a thorough revision with the help of several authentic and valuable mss. that were perhaps not available to Pundit Hoshing, Except for the Sūtra or Kārikā part, it is likely more to misguide rather than guide