Studies In Sanskrit Sahitya Shastra

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

Page 34

Studies in
(3) Poetic convention puts artificial restrictions on the existence of things. For instance, though sharks are found in rivers as well as oceans, and pearls in many places, according to poetic convention, sharks exist only in the ocean and pearls only in the Tamraparni,
22
(4) A particular thing ('dravya'-substance) may not be existing in a particular form, yet poetic convention allows it to be so described. For example, darkness, which, in reality, can neither be handled, nor pierced by a needle is so described or moonlight which cannot be really carried in a jug is so described.
(5) A particular thing may be actually in existence but it is not described to exist
at a particular time. For example, moonlight exists in the dark half of the month as well as the bright half or darkness exists in the bright half of the month. Poetic convevtion, however, describes that moonlight exists in the bright fortnight (only) and darkness in the dark fortnight.
(6) A particular thing alone is said to possess a certain thing, e. g., Malaya mountain alone is the source of sandal trees, or the Himalayas alone are the source of birch trees.
The poetic convention under the miscellaneous section may thus be illustrated the sea of milk and the salt-ocean, though different, are looked. upon by poetic convention as identical; so too the ocean and the great ocean are regarded by poetic convention as identical.
(7) Although certain actions on the part of certain individuals or beings are not true to life, they are described as actually taking place. For example, the Cakravāka bird is described as parted at night from its mate; the Cakora is described to subsist on the moonbeams.
(8) Although certain actions are found in actual life, they are ignored by poetic conventions. For example, although blue lotuses bloom by day and Sephälikā flowers do fall during the day also, by poetic convention the blue lotuses are described as blooming at night and Sephaälikä flowers dropping down at night.
(9) Certain actions are restricted to particular seasons. For example, the cuckoo produces warbling notes in the Grisma season etc. It is, however, described by poetic convention to coo only in the spring. The peacocks cackle and dance in other seasons too, but by poetic convention they are described as cackling and dancing during the rains only.
(10) Although certain things do not possess any colour in fact, they are described by poetic convention to have colour. For instance, fame and laughter are, according to convention, white, infamy and sin dark, anger and love red.
1 There is a controversy regarding the nature of darkness. According to the Bhaṭṭa school of Mīmāmsakas, darkness is a dravya (substance). The Naiyayikas hold that it is merely the negation of light. The author of Sarvadarśanasangraha mentions two more views with respect to the nature of darkness.