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Studies in Indian Philosophy
These and other considerations against dhvani prompted Kuntaka to cut the Gordian knot of Indian aesthetics by proposing the least controversial and most comprehensive definition of poetry by making his all embracing principle of vakrokti the differentia of sahitya or singular unity of form and content. Vakrokti in its myriad forms could account for all the aesthetic categories adequately, assigning all of them an important place, vastu and rasa on the content-side (alaikārya); alarkāras on the form-side, and varying gunas as rooted in the varied types of poetic temperament, leading to different styles (mārgas ). Even this bare sketch of the different Indian concepts is an unavoidable preliminary to understand any one of them in proper perspective. Almost all the modern literary critics in the West who believe in analytico-ciritical analyses of poetic imagery and who accept like I. A. Richards the emotive use of language in poetry, or like William Empson talk of 'seven types of ambiguity' or like E. M. W. Tilly-ard admit types of poetry direct and oblique' are anticipated in essence both by Anandavardhana and Kuntaka. We might content ourselves here with a single quotation :
Poetry strives for a conviction begotten of the emotions rather than of the reason. The approach of poetry is indirect. It proceeds by means of suggestion, implication, reflection. Its method is largely symbolical. It is more interested in connotations than in denotations.
(Harold R. Walley and J. Harold Willson) The Anatomy of Literature. New York, 1934, pp. 143-144)
Yet, there is one remarkable difference too. The modern West has not yet found experimental Psychology confirming the existence of anything like a soul in man. The very analogy of Indian aestheticians might therefore appear anathem to them.
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