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V. M. Kulkarni
"It is only in Prakrit that we shall have in abundant measure, till (the end) of the world's duration, a presentation of ever fresh themes and a rich variety of compositions that are cool and pleasing in their arrangement." (38)
Anandavardhana quotes Gauḍavaho v, no. 406 to illustrate 'atyantatiraskṛta-vacya (dhvani)':
"How charming when the clouds reel in the sky, how lovely when in the woods the white Arjuna trees are torn (? shaken) by great downpours of rain. Though in the sky the moon has lost all pride yet these black nights have a haunting beauty of their own." (9) Here the words "reel" and "has lost all pride" are full of suggestion with the literal meaning completely lost. Anandavardhana seems to have quoted another Prakrit gatha most probably from Vakpati's Mahumahaviaa (Sk Madhumathavijaya) as pointed out earlier.(40)
154
As pointed out by Dr. Masson and Prof. Patwardhan(41) several of Anandavardhana's (or Kärikäkära's) most cherished ideas come from this great poem (Gaufavaho): In his Vriti on Kärikä II. 16 Anandavardhana observes......"In the case of a poet who is intent upon suggesting rasas and who has imaginative genius (pratibhanavar), even figures of speech which may appear (to the reader) difficult (to create) clamour to present themselves to him".
This statement is similar enough to Gauḍavaho, verse 86 (42). "The minds of other (i.e. ordinary) poets wander about frantically searching for subjectmatter. (But) in the case of great poets the themes themselves rush to their hearts, without any effort on their part."
Again, Anandavardhana's long discussion on anantya, the endlessness of poetic themes is certainly influenced by Vakpati's some of the fine gathas dealing with 'The praise of poets,'
Anandavardhana's long discussion may briefly be summarised as
follows:
For literature (vāṇī) that is embellished with any one of these varieties (of suggestion) though it reproduce ideas already treated, appears fresh (navatvam). By using rasa in a poem even subjects seen time and again will appear new, just as do trees in the month of March - with the advent of spring. By using divani and gunlbhūta-vyangyu in this manner, there will be no end to the subject-matter of poetry as long as there is the gift of poetic Imagination.
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