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VAISHALI INSTITUIE RESEARCH BULLETIN NO. 2
determining the Rītis. Bhamaha rejects the idea of division of poetry into Rïtis. He says that it is silly to think that certain poetry is good because it is in Vaidarbhi Rīti while the other is bad because it is in Gaudi Riti. Poetry in his opinion is great on account of its import and way of presentation. If a poem in Vaidarbhi style has not any significant idea and imaginative expression-it is only sonorous sound and no poetry.1
Dap din says that there may be numerous gradations of Ritis (Margas); but he describes the Vaidarbha and the Gauda to distinguish the good and the bad poetry for the gap between these two is appre. ciable.? He holds the Gunas to be the main distinctive features of the Rītis but the basis of countries also is not entirely ruled out, for explaining the Gaudi Riti he frequently says-it is like this in the country of the Gaudas. 3
Vamana asserts that the Ritis are to be distinguished from one another on the basis of the Gupas only. It is the chance emergence of each in a particular part of the country that gave to it its original name; otherwise there is no cause-effect relationship between a country and poetry. 4
Rajasekhara seems to contradict the idea of there being no tie between a place and its poetry. He indicates the tie in the Kavyapuruşa and Sahityavidyāvadha allegory. Ritis are the responses of Kavyapuruşa to different Pravșttis and Vrttis. Now, Pravrttis and Vrttis are the external and internal habits peculiar to people living in
1. Bhamaha Kávyal, I (31-35). 2. Dapdin-KA 1.40 3. Ibid I (41.92) 4. Kavyls of Vámana 1, 2 (7, 8, 10)
Bharata defines Pravștti as : पृथिव्यां नाना देशवेशभाषाचारवार्ता ख्यापयतीति प्रवृत्तिः। Vrttis in Bharata are emoetional peculiarities as expressed by words, moods and gestures. He does not refer each of these to particular regions but Rajasekhara refers these also to places. Sri Hajārī Prasáda Dvivedi in his Introduction to DR. suggests that originally the Vșttis referred to the internal peculiarities of different tribes 'Bharatí to those of the Bharatas- the tribe of the actors, Satvats to those of the Satvatas-the tribe famous for their emotional devotion, Kaisiki to those of the Kaisikas probably a western tribe inhabiting the coastal regions of the Caspian sea and Arbhați to those of the Ārbhatas who might be the Arbitus of the Indus valley, referred to by the Greek authors. (page 50 ft)
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