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Definition and Scope of Poetry
121
(also, Locana)
It is clear that both Tauta and Abhinava-gupta seem to hold that pratibhā is that inborn quality in a poet which prompts him to describe things in newer and newer light and perspective.
Vägbhata (I) who is posterior to both Mammata and Hemacandra again holds inborn genius-pratibhā-as the supreme cause of poetry. He observes : (vāgbhatålamkāra I. 3, and 4) :
'pratibhā kāraṇam tasya vyutpattis tu vibhūṣaṇam | bhțśotpatti-kşd-abhyāsaḥ ity adya-kavi=samkathā 11‘prasanna-pada-navyā’rthayuktyudbodha-vidhāyini | sphuranti sat-kaver-buddhih
pratibhā sarvatomukhi ||But even prior to Abhinavagupta it was Rājasekhara who in his Kāvyamīmāmsā devoted two full chapters (i. e. Chs. IV and V) that discuss the nature of pratibhā and vyutpatti. He quotes various opinions of some alamkārikas who are almost forgotten names for us. He gives names of Syāmadeva and Mangala. He, on his part, seems to favour only 'pratibhā' which is made to flash forth both by internal effort-i.e. samadhi-backed by Syāmadeva, and also external effort-abhyāsabacked by Mangala. Rājasekhara seems to accept a compromising attitude but for him sakti or pratibhā is the prime cause : "tāv ubhāv api śaktim udbhāsayataḥ. sā kevalam kāvye hetuh.” He explains pratibhā as that flash of imagination which prompts a poet to use (appropriate) words, meanings, alamkāras, excellent turns of expressions (-ukti-mārgam-perhaps rīti-mārga) and such other things which make for poetry. Says he : (Kāvya-mīmāmsā, ch. IV) : yā śabda-grāmam arthasārtham, alamkāra-tantram, ukti-mārgam, anyad api tathāvidham adhi-hỉdayam pratibhāsayati să pratibhā.”
It is this which seems to be echoed in the opinion of Vāgbhata (I) as quoted above. When Rājasekhara quotes the views of Syāmadeva who pressed for samādhithe interal effort, he seems to be quoting a tradition upheld by Syāmadeva but perhaps also represented by Rudrata the predecessor of even Ānandavardhana. For Rudrata had also, while insisting on pratibhā had observed in his Kāvyālamkāra I. 14 that all the three i.e. pratibhā, vyutpatti and abhyāsa make for poetry :
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