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Sthānäriga (sūtra 282) divides kathā (or better dharmakatha) into four sub-varieties: 1. aksepani (aksepani), 2. viksepani (vi-ksepini), 3. samvegani (or samvejani) and 4. nirvejani (or
nirvedani).4
According to the Vasudevahindi the kathä is twofold: 1. carita (narrative based on tradition, biography, life) and 2. kalpita (work of imagination, fiction, invention). Carita is twofold: narrative of life of a woman or of man. Carita is : whatever is seen, heard or experienced with regard to the achievement in the field of the three ends of human life, (dharma (virtue, sacred law or duty), 2. artha (wealth) and 3. kāma (pleasure). But whatever is opposite of this i.e., whatever is invented by the poet or story-teller and added to what has been told by the wise is called kalpita. Men and women are known to be: 1. uttama (exalted, excellent). 2. madhyama (middlemost) and 3. nikrsta (low or vile or debased). Narratives based on their lives (caritas) too are of the same kind."
Haribhadrasuri in his Introduction (bhumikā) to his own Samarādityakathā informs us that according to the view of the ancient ācāryas the subject matter of a story may relate to (1) only divine characters or (2) divine and human characters together or (3) all human characters. A story in general could have four: (1)
4. These varieties and sub-varieties are duly explained in the
discussion that follows. 5. दुविहा कहा - चरिया य कप्पिया या तत्थ चरिया दुविहा - इत्थीए
पुरिसस्स वा । धम्मत्थकामकजेसु दिढ सुयमणुभूयं चरियं ति वुञ्चति। जं पुण विवजासियं कुसलेहिं उवदेसियपुव्वं समतीए जुजमाणं कहिज्जइ तं कप्पियं। पुरिसा इत्थीओ य तिविहावबुद्धसु - उत्तिमा मज्झिमा णिकिट्ठा य, तेसिं चरियाणि वि तव्विहाणि । ततो सो एवं वोत्तूण चरियकप्पियाणि अक्खाणयाणि .... वण्णेति ।।
- Vasudevahindi, Lambhax, Bhavnagar, 1931, pp.208-209. 6. तत्थ य ‘तिविहं कहावत्थु ति पुव्वायरियपवाओ। तं जहा - दिव्वं दिव्वमाणुसं माणुसं च। तत्थ दिव्वं नाम जत्थ केवलमेव दिव्वचरियं वण्णिजइ, दिव्वमाणुसं पुण जत्थ दोण्हं पि दिव्वमाणुसाणं; माणुसं तु जत्थ केवलं माणुसचरियं ति ।
-Samaradityakatha, Bhumika.
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