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76
A Handbook of Classical Sanskrit Rhetoric
Kāku
: 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.
Mammaţa and his followers admit two varieties of Vakrokti
based on paronomasia (śleșa) and the other based on kāku (ie
stress or phonetic change or shift of accent. So we find that the
alamkāra Kāku is chiefly concerned with phonetic tone of expres-
sion. Phonetic quality of syllabic accent is threefold:
(i) udātta (acute)
(ii) anudätta (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 ójās means power, ojás 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
sound, whereas Vakrokti is considered as both figure of sound as
well as figure of sense. But Rajasekhara 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.
(b) Shall I not annihilate
(c)
wrath?
I will kill hundreds of kauravas in the battle, and not
through wrath.
Digitized 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
A Handbook of Classical Sanskrit Rhetoric
Kāku
: 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.
Mammaţa and his followers admit two varieties of Vakrokti
based on paronomasia (śleșa) and the other based on kāku (ie
stress or phonetic change or shift of accent. So we find that the
alamkāra Kāku is chiefly concerned with phonetic tone of expres-
sion. Phonetic quality of syllabic accent is threefold:
(i) udātta (acute)
(ii) anudätta (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 ójās means power, ojás 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
sound, whereas Vakrokti is considered as both figure of sound as
well as figure of sense. But Rajasekhara 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.
(b) Shall I not annihilate
(c)
wrath?
I will kill hundreds of kauravas in the battle, and not
through wrath.
Digitized 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
Original from
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN