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Classification of Poetry
875
sometimes calls more descriptively Rāga-kavya. From the name we can see, that kävya or Rāga-kāvya is a musical composition covering a complete story, i.e. a whole kāvya in the shape of songs. It might have been something like a south-India Harikathā-Kālakṣepa where one definite theme is chosen for exposition, the songs of the theme are sung and an exposition in prose is given. Since the is said to be a nộtya-prabandha it must have comprised the singing of songs of a continuous theme in one Rāga or in various rāgas (if citra-kävya), and the interpretation of the contents of songs by a single dancer through abhinaya. The following facts about the rāga-kāvyas are found in the Abhinavabhāratī. On p. 174, there are two observations which prove that the whole musical theme of Rāgakāvya was rendered into gesture.
- "ityabhinīyamāno rāgakāvyā”diḥ krtah.” (pp. 174) "rāghava-vijayā”di-rāga-kāvyā”di-prayogo nāțyam eva, abhinaya-yogāt.” (p. 174) "rāghava-vijaya-mārīca-vadhā”dikam rāga-kävyam” (p. 183).
esa eva kalāvidhinā nibadhyamānaḥ rāghava-vijaya-mārīcavadhā"dikam rāga-kāvya-bhedam udbhāvayatīti (p. 183). yathoktam kohalena - "layántaraprayogeņa rāgaiścā’pi vivecitam, nānārasam su-nir-vāhyakatham kāvyam iti smytam.” (P. 184)
From these observations it is plain that Kāvya means just what the word means while applied to śravya-kāvya, but is written not exactly in mere metres, vịttas, but in the form of songs which are sung and gesticulated by a single individual. Abhinavagupta mentions the names of two specimens both on the theme of Rāmāyana, the Rāghavavijaya and the Maricavadha. Both of these belong to the class of Kāvya sung throughout in one Rāga, the first variety of Bhoja. For Abhinavagupta says that, though the rasas and situations differ, the tune and the time-measure do not change in a rāga-kāvya, as in drama proper. The Rāghavavijaya is throughout sung only in thakka-rāga and the Māricavadha in the grāmarāga called kakubha. -
- "na Kāvyártha-viparyāsa vašena rāga-bhāvā"di-viparyāso nātya iva. tathā hi rāghava-vijayasya hi thakkārāgenaiva vicitra-varṇanīyatve'pi nirvāhaḥ, mārīcavadhasya kakubha-grāma-rāgenaiva. ata eva rāgakāvyānīty ucyanta etāni.” (p. 184. Abh. G.O.S. Edn. pt. I).
The Kāvya described by Kohala in the verse given above as quoted by Abhinavagupta is Bhoja's citrakāvya, for it has more than one rāga and tāla.
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