Handbook of Classical Sanskrit Rhetoric /132

76
 
A Handbook of Classical Sanskrit Rhetoric
 
<headword>काकु</headword>
 
Kāku
 
काकु : Stress :
 
one
 

 
The word kāku technically means change of voice or tone caused by dif-

ferent emotions such as fear, anger, sorrow. The figure kāku is other-

wise called Kākū-vakrokti and considered as a variety of Vakrokti.

Mammaţṭa and his followers admit two varieties of Vakrokti
--one
based on paronomasia (śleșṣa) and the other based on kāku (ie

stress or phonetic change or shift of accent. So we find that the
alam
alaṃkāra Kāku is chiefly concerned with phonetic tone of expres-

sion. Phonetic quality of syllabic accent is threefold:
 

(i) udātta (acute)
 

(ii) anudäātta (grave)
 

(iii) svarita (circumflex)
 

 
Such accent system in pronunciation is to be found only in

Vedic Sanskrit. Change in accent sometimes affected the meaning

there (for example óojāas means power, ojáas means powerful). But this

Vedic accent has not been preserved in classical Sanskrit where

change of voice, shift of stress under the influence of strong emo-

tion on the part of the speaker can sometimes change the mean-

ing. This is what is called Kāku. Rudrața recognises it as a figure of
ṭa recognises it as a figure of
sound, whereas Vakrokti is considered as both figure of sound as

well as figure of sense. But Raājasekhara and others are not inclined
śekhara and others are not inclined
to give Kāku a separate position as a figure of speech.
 

 
eg 1. mathnāmi kauravasatam samare na kopat?
 

 
मथ्रामि कौरवशतं समरे न कोपात् ।
 

 
Due to the shift of stress or change of voice the sentence may

give the following meanings:
 
——
 

(a) I shall not annihilate hundreds of kauravas in the battle
 
through wrath.
 
through wrath.
(b) Shall I not annihilate
 
............wrath?
(c)
 
wrath?
 
I will kill hundreds of kauravas in the battle, and not
through wrath.
 
Digitiz
through wrath.
(d) I will kill hundreds of kauravas not in the battle, but
through wrath.
 
It is a part of a dialogue uttered by
 
..........
 
(d) I will kill hundreds of kauravas not in the battle, but
 
through wrath.
 
It is a part of a dialogue uttered by Bhima when he found to his
 
Google
 
Original from
 
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
 
īma when he found to his