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Classification of Poetry
877 "layantara-prayogena rāgaiścā’pi vicitritam, nānā-rasam sunirvāhyakatham
kāvyam iti smộtam.” This is according to Kohala as quoted by Abhinavagupta. The only difference is that H. reads "vicitritam” for “vivecitam" in the Abh. (pp. 182, ibid). But perhaps as at many other places, so also here, Hemacandra seems to present a better, and even original reading. Vicitritam' here means "rendered beautiful". So, 'Kavya' is said to have different and many 'layas' and 'rāgas' and is also 'nānā-rasam' i.e. having different rasas (in various situations); and is having a story element which is presented easily or gracefully. Perhaps Bhoja also means this. We do not feel like Dr. Raghavan that Bhoja intends two separate varieties such as kāvya and citrakāvya. On the contrary, perhaps when more than one rāgas or laya are introduced, it becomes more charming or "citra', according to Bhoja. Dr.Raghavan's own submission that Gīta-govinda is an illustration of citra-kāvya shows that ‘kāvya' which carries more rāgas and layas becomes more charming and is therefore 'citra'. Actually, in sūtra 4, Adhyāya VIII (pp. 445) when H. mentions varieties of 'geya', he calls it 'rāga-kavya'. Read : geyam dombika-bhāna-prasthāna-singaka-bhānikāpreraņa-rāmākrīda-hallīsaka-rāsaka-gosthi-śrī-gadita-rāgakāvyā”di. These are twelve in all. When H. defines them one by one he, as seen above, calls it "Kāvyam”. This means rāga-kāvya and kāvya are one and the same for H. and both are 'vicitrita', i.e., rendered beautiful by 'layántara-prayoga' and 'rāgaih'. Thus citra-kāvya need not be taken as a different variety as done by Dr. Raghavan. Even Abhinavagupta while quoting from Kohala does not seem to intend it to be a separate variety. The ND. has the following:
"ākṣiptikā'tha varno mātrā-dhruvako’py abhagnatālaś ca paddhatikā chardanikā yatra syus
tad iha kāvyam iti." (N.D. IV. 11; pp. 408) This is the first verse from Bhoja's definition. Dr. Raghavan (ft. n. 1, pp. 54a) observes that, “The Nātyadarpana, p. 215, which gives only the first of these two (= of the verses from Bhoja), reads 'a-bhagha-tālaśca' which is wrong, and 'paddhatikā', 'chardanikā' which seem to be correct. The text of the Bhā. Pra. (p. 265) however, reads the words mostly as found in the MS. of the Śr. Pra.”
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