Kavyanushasana Critical Study

Author(s): A N Upadhye
Publisher: A N Upadhye

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this point by quotation from the Santiśataka (3. 32) which implies that "it is futile to expect wealth as a fruit of the seed of learning which results in quietitude; for things which have their fruit determined, can not be made to yield other fruits, indeed it is not possible for the seed of wheat to produce a sprout of barley !" Thus it is futile to connect wealth with poetry, so also it is wrong to affirm worldly wisdom and the removal of evil, of poetry.
The cause of Poetry: Pratibha9
After detailing and defending the effects of poetry, Hemachandra proceeds to state the cause or grounds of poetry. According to him, the main cause of poetry is poetic genius. This genius or Pratibha is a vivid imagination or faculty of bright conception. In the gloss, he elucidates his statement about Pratibha by defining it as an in-born poetic talent marked by the ability to create ever new things. This in-born poetic ability is the main cause of poetry. Though learning and constant practice in the composition of poetry are the two other factors that enhance the power of the in-born or innate poetic genius, Hemachandra does not give them a berth in the definition of the ground of poetry since he is of the firm opinion that these latter two factors only help train and refine the in-born genius, and so they are not the grounds of poetry. They are thus relegated to a secondary position as aids to the poet's power of creation.
An off-beat Interpretation of the Twofold Creative Power
The genius or Pratibha is twofold. In-born and Produced. In-born or Sahaja Pratibha is defined in terms of the technical notions of the Jain philosophy of Karma. The key terms in the Sutra are Avaraṇa, Kṣaya and Upaśama, and they mean 'obstruction', 'total destruction' and 'checking' or 'preventing from taking effect' respectively. Thus the first kind of Pratibha, viz., the Sahajā Pratibhā manifests itself when the obstacles which impede its course are totally destroyed and when the
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