Sambodhi 2005 Vol 28

Author(s): Jitendra B Shah, K M Patel
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 16

10
TAPASVI NANDI
SAMBODHI
presented before us in the form of a written script. Precisely for this, Bharata has also taken care of the thought-currents of gunas or poetic excellences, dosas or poetic blemishes, alamkāras or turns of speech and also laksanas i.e. distinguishing marks. This is so, for Bharata also cares for the written script. For this reason only, Ācārya Hemacandra in his Kāvyànuśāsana observes : (sūtra, 196) in the eighth chapter viz. “kāvyam preksyam śravyam ca.” (Kā. śā. VIII. i.)
We will not concern ourselves with the types of rūpakas and upa-rupakas, the Indian theory talks about. But we will try to look into it carefully how poets have sought manifestation of beauty through these art-forms, both literary and dramatic. We will also consider how critics have tried to evaluate this.
It may be noted again at the outset that when we mention the broad classification of narrative, descriptive and dramatic, we do not mean to suggest that these are watertight compartments where a given type is not fused to an extent with another type at all. Actually the so-called narrative has at times a lot of dramatic element and vice-versa and an overall touch of descriptive element is scattered in any form whatsoever. Again, it also may be noted that the narrative type takes in its sweep both prose, verse and a mixture of both and the dramatic is decked not only by pure narration and description but also by a lot of dance and music too. One thing is absolutely clear and common to all this and it is that it is an act of poetic creativity.
Narration could be both in prose and verse. Of course, the western thoughtcurrent of narratology of which we will have an occasion to refer to, is little more conservative and restricted in its approach. We will talk of it at an opportune moment. For the present we proceed with our observation, backed by Indian Literary Aesthetics that narration could be both prose and verse. Again it can vary in its expanse. It can be a single act such as a small prose-piece as one in Pañcatantra or Hitopadeśa, or it can be a longer narration as seen in prose romances such as Kādambarī. It can take the shape of an auto-biography in part, and a biography, such as Harsa-carita. It can be a mixture of prose and verse giving us what the Indian theory calls "Campū" literature. These narrations abound in descriptive portions and also tend to have touch of the dramatic woven into it. Similarly, the dramatic has a lot of, narrative and descriptive in it and we don't stand in need of a search for it. The fact is selfevident. It is interesting to note that ācāryas or literary critics have taken care to reveal the beautiful in this in their own way. If someone terms it as Dhvani and the rest, and if others call it Vakrokti, the cause does not suffer, for "a rose is a rose, is a rose", call it by any other name. Earlier we had suggested that all art is an expression of the Divine. The Highest is taken as "sat", "cit" and "Ananda"-and it is the 'Ananda'