Studies In Sanskrit Sahitya Shastra

Author(s): V M Kulkarni
Publisher: B L Institute of Indology

Page 14

Studies in
.
former poets ? But in truth the borders being excepted, everything is new to modern poets. The minds of ordinary poets wander greatly in search of a subject, whereas subjects come to the hearts of great poets without any effort on their part to find them. The province of poetry, although daily drawn on by great poets from the very beginning of the universe, remains even to date as unlimited as ever before".
Bāņa (C.A.D. 620) in his introductory verses to Harşacarita speaks of 'Kukavi's (bad poets, poetasters) Utpadaka-Kavis (poets of creative genius) and of the so-called poets that are merely plagiarists. He distinctly condemns the poetasters and plagiarists :
"Innumerable are the poets to be found in each house that can write only plain and matter of fact descriptions, like dogs (that are also numberless). By modifying phrases or the words of other poets and hiding the distinctive signs of authorship, a poet without being expressly declared to be so is revealed to be a thief -a plagiarist in the midst of the good".2
Among the Alamkārikas, Vāmana, the author of the Kāvyālamkārasutra (A. D. 800), is the first who classifies the subject-matter (Artha) in poetry and vaguely refers to plagiarism. His classification of Artha may be shown in a tabular form as follows:
अर्थः
अयोनिः
अन्यच्छायायोनिः
व्यक्तः
सूक्ष्मः
व्यक्तः
सूक्ष्मः
भाव्यः वासनीयः
भाव्यः
वासनीयः कालाणा पढम-कईहि भमियमपरिगहेसु मग्गेस । इहरा मईहिं हीरति दुक्कर के वि काणं पि ॥' कत्तो णाम णइटें सच्चं कइ-सेविएसु मग्गेसु । सीमंते उण मुक्कम्मि तम्मि सव्वं णवं चेअ॥. अस्थालोअण-तरला इअर-कईणं भमंति बुद्धीओ। अत्थ च्चेअ णिरार भौति हिमश्र कइंदाण ॥ आसंसार कइ-पुंगवेहि तद्दिअह-गहिअ-सारो वि । अज्ज वि अभिण्ण-मुद्दो व्व जअइ वाआ-परिप्फदो ||-Gaudavaho, v. 84-87 सन्ति श्वान इवासंख्या जातिभाजो गृहे गृहे । उत्पादका न बहवः कवयः शरभा इव ॥ अन्यवर्ण-परावृत्त्या बन्धचिहूननिगृहनैः ।। अनाख्यातः सतां मध्ये कविश्चौरो विभाव्यते ॥-vv 5-6 These verses yield different meanings also for which, see Kane's notes to Harşacarita, Chapter I.