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VAISHALI INSIITUTE RESEARCH BULLETIN NO. 2
and in the process of this formation words take part only as vehicles of meanings-not as sheer sound units for the poet creates with objects and actions and thoughts and their mutual combinations-he does not create with sheer sound.
This brief discussion, however, should not lead us to the conclu. sion that there is supremacy of the meaning over the words. The very idea of supremacy of one over the other is based on their cleavage which is an impossible idea and non-existent like the horn of the hare. Our contention is this much that words are semantic units and a true poet's concern with them is in their capacity to express his meaning. When the poet plays with words with a motive to contrive figures, ingenious expressions and hollow verbal patterns, his poetry suffers a great deal: it is artificial and superficial and betrays lack of vision to be conveyed. Such compositions may create some fun and give momentary pleasure but they fail to permeate the readers' conscious. ness with the real joy of poetry. A trend of playing with words among the poets of a people may have far reaching influence upon their culture. Words are instruments to think with and to create with. Hence to play with them is to abuse them. It is to shirk thinking and creating with them. An extensive habit of such shirking on the part of a people may benumb their reason and creative abilities-the faculties that lead towards the realization of higher ideal-and thus retard their cultural progress.
Abbreviations
Asa
KA
: Abbijñānaśākuntalam
: Kavyadarśa
Kavya L
Kavya M:
KM
Kavyalaṁkāra of Bhamaha
Kavyamimānsă
: Karpuramañjarī
Jain Education International
Kavya P: Kavyaprakāśa
SKA
:
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