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Chapter X Classification of Poetry
(form-oriented)
Literary aesthetes have attempted the classification of poetry i.e. Kāvya i.e. literature in general, both from the point of view of form and content, and also from the point of view of its literary evaluation i.e. criticism. The first, we will term as 'formal or external, which of course takes care of content also, and the second will be placed under criticism-oriented classification such as from the point of view of the suggested meaning i.e. roughly speaking 'dhvani', or from the angle of vakratā, and the like.
It may be noted at the outset that the types of poetic composition as illustrated by the Rāmāyana and the Mahābhārata, - the so called 'itihāsā' variety are out of question here. For the later Mahākāvyas or kathā and ākhyāyikā could hardly be taken as portions of these two epics which are a class by themselves. Actually not only the content of these two epics but their divisions in kandas and parvans and sub-divisions also inspired various types of literature that was written by such greats as Kālidāsa and the like. Actually various forms of performing art beginning with drama proper i.e. nātaka and such other forms that were meant for both actual presentation on the stage and also for reading as 'prabandhas' or longer compositions, are also included by critics as forms of poetry such as drsya-kavya We will have to take care of all these types of composition which were drsya and śravya. It is perhaps Hemacandra, who was of course influenced by Bhoja, who attemps a most scientific classification of poetry by first bisecting it as preksya and śravya i.e. poetry to be viewed as represented on the stage and poetry to be heard (and read). But we will come to Hemacandra much later but as is the case with other thought-currents so also here, we will begin with Bhāmaha, Dandin, etc. the earlier ālamkārikas and will go down to Viśvanātha. It may be observed in the beginning that the earliest documentary evidence available is the Natya-śāstra of Bharata that treats of the varieties of drama i.e. rūpaka and the sub-varieties or upa-rupakas also. But as Bharata's work concerns itself directly with dramaturgy we will consider the same only when we deal with drsya type of poetry i.e. that
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