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OPINIONS OF RĀJAŚEKHARA AS A CRITIC not without a certain degree of violence that he has managed to dove. tail breath with breaking and cheeks with descending.
(vi) Rasakavi-primarily concerned with delineation of sentiments.
(vii) Mārgakavi-writing according to various Rītis. (viii) Śástrakavi-adopting the diction of the Sastrās in poetry.
He concludes that one who combines in himself the traits of all the eight categories is a Mahakavi.1
Stages of a poet's development
Normally a poet, according to Rajasekhara develops through the following seven stages. (i) he learns under the guidance of some elderly poet, (ii) sings to himself, (iii) publishes anonymously for lack of confidence, (iv) writes on the pattern of some great poet, (v) composes short but original pieces, (vi) produces sustained works-prabandhas; at this stage he is entitled a Mahakavi; (vii) and he deserves the title of 'Kavirāja' when he becomes capable of writing original poetry in any language and can successfully and independently delineate any sentiment.
Talking of Paka he quotes his wife Avantisundari according to whom it is the perfection of coherence between the expression on one hand and the sentiment on the others. His own views are very close to it. If the expression is not perfect and appropriate, poetry can never be effective. Third rate expressions defy all attempts to correct it; a rehandling preferably by a better craftsman may refine a second rate expression; but the expression of a first rate poet does not stand in need of any additional art and artifices.'
Rajasekbara's definition of Poetry
Rajasekhara defines poetry as a sentence endowed with the Gunas and with the Alamkāras also." The stress being on the Gunas and not on the Alamkāras, the former have to be taken as inevitable whereas the latter at times may be dispensed with. In his Kāvya.
1. Hafturatît Helafa:
Kavya M. ch. V. 2. Among Sanskrit and the Prakrts. 3. Targa TafirfaraTaT: : 4. स्वभावशुद्धं हि न संस्कारमपेक्षते । न मुक्तामणेः शाणस्तारतायै प्रभवति । 5. TOCA55057 91TTÀT Prozi i Kavya M. Ch. VI.
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