Srngaramanjari Katha

Author(s): Bhojdev, Kalpalata K Munshi
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Page 78

CHAPTER V
THE PURPOSE OF THE WORK
(i)
Creative art is regarded as the spontaneous expression of a genius. His talent may find expression through literary art, and it would, therefore, be unjust to his creativeness to always search for some purpose in his work. The pleasure of the poet in creativeness, however, subsequently gives pleasure to the reader and, therefore, 'to delight' came to be regarded as the aim of a poet. After the poet attained Heaven, as Bhamaha says, his body remained on earth, pure and pleasant in the shape of his poem. It continued to delight the reader and it also won fame for the poet. Acquisition of fame, therefore, appealed to the poet as an aim to be pursued. Thus, writers on poetics recognize both pleasure (Priti) and fame (Kirti) as the two purposes of a kāvya.1 But when natural expression became difficult, the poet attempted to exhibit his erudition. Erudition Vyutpatti2 came to be regarded as one of the requisities of a poet and it prompted the poet to impart instruction to the reader, though unobtrusively as a beloved would do. The poet being always wedded to poverty could not achieve the above-mentioned aims easily; therefore, he sought patrons, mostly kings. 'It was the duty of the king to bridge the gulf between wealth and poetic talent', and so the poet wrote also with a view to please the patron and thus to gain wealth (Artha) for himself. Other objectives like warding off evil3 and obtaining fruition of the four ends in life, dharma, artha, kama and mokṣa, or at least the first three though subsidiary as regards kāvya came to be regarded as the poet's purposes.
Poets of the classical period wrote with one or more of the above-mentioned purposes in view. This work does not in the beginning mention in so many words the purpose underlying it. Yet, indirectly, the purpose of story-telling in general, and this work
1. Vāmana, Kävyälamkarasutrāni, I, 1, 5. Bhoja, SKA, I. 2. कीर्ति प्रीतिं च विन्दति ।
2. Rudrața defines it as: छन्दोव्याकरणकला लोकस्थितिपदपदार्थविज्ञानात् । युक्तायुक्तविवेको व्युत्पत्तिरियं समासेन ||
Kavyalamkara, I, 18.
3. Mammața, Kavyaprakāśa, I. _काव्यं यशसेऽर्थकृते व्यवहारविदे शिवेतरक्षतये । सद्यः परनिर्वृत्तये कान्तासंमिततयोपदेशयुजे ॥
4. Bhāmaha, op. cit, I, 2. धर्मार्थकाममोक्षेषु वैचक्षण्यं कलासु च । करोति कीर्ति प्रीतिं च
Dandin, op. cit, I, 15. त्रिवर्गसाधनं नाटयम ।
चतुवर्गफलायत्तम् ।
5. Agnipurana, 337, 7.