Handbook of Classical Sanskrit Rhetoric /149

<headword>निदर्शना</headword>
 
निदर्शना Nidarśanā : Illustration
 
FAGf Nidarśanā : Illustration :
 

 
ni darśana (√drsṛś-ana <anat) àā means an instance, example or illustra-

tion. Rhetorically Nidarśanā is an illustrative sentence confirming

another similar statement or assertion. Here the contextual and

supporting statements are expressed in two different sentences

and exhibit a sense of implied similitude based on the relation of

type-and-prototype (vastu-prativastu-bhava) or the original-and-
reflection (bimba-pratibimba-bhāva) or the original-and-
reflection (bimba-pratibimba-bhāva). Bhāmaha thinks that the
mutual relation implying similitude is established through the con-

mutual relation implying similitude is established through the con-
nection of action only. But Viśvanātha says that the objective rela-

tion between the two statements may be possible in any way or

even impossible, while Mammațṭa observes that the relation of

unity between them though impossible constitutes this type of

similitude.
 

 
Nidarśanā bears close resemblance with Drstäṛṣṭānta. In both cases,

words like iva denoting resemblance are absent and, therefore, the

relation of similitude is always implied. Still there is some sort of

difference between the two figures. In Dṛṣṭäānta, each statement is
independent and complete in itself and their mutual relation of

independent and complete in itself and their mutual relation of
type-and-prototype becomes isolatedly clear. But in Nidarśanā, the

meanings of both the sentences though complete by themselves
are mutually dependent and the complete meaning of the entire

are mutually dependent and the complete meaning of the entire
statement has to be understood through their mutual relation.
 

 
Therefore, Nidarśana has two main divisions:
 

(a) one connecting the contextual and the supporting state-
ments through some probable relationship and
 
93
 

ments through some probable relationship and
(b) the other connecting the two through some improbable

relationship.
 

 
The second variety is again twofold -
 

(a) relating to word-meaning and
 

(b) relating to sentence-meaning.
 

 
eg 1. janmedam bandhyatāṁ nitam bhava-bhoga-vilipsayā.

kāca-mülyena vikrito hanta cintamaṇir mayā.
 
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