Handbook of Classical Sanskrit Rhetoric /173

Praśnottarahhas been expressed through a contradictory statement in the form
of a riddle or enigma.
 
The second example is a riddle with syllables to be dropped or
changed or added. Here sāle is intended as rasāle (r being added)
ypophora
 
hasauvane is intended as vane (yau been expressed through a contradictory statement in the form
of a riddle or enigma.
 
The second example is a riddle with syllaing dropped) and vadanena is
intended as madanena (va bles to be dropped or
changed or added. Here sāle is intended as rasāle (r being added)
yauvane is intended as vane (yau being dropped) and vadanena is
intended as madanena (va being changed as ma)
 
eing changed as ma)
 
Definitions
 

 
द्वयोरप्यर्थयोर्गुह्यमानशब्दा प्रहेलिका। अ. ३४३.२८

प्रहेलिका सकृत्प्रश्नः । स. २.१४६ ;
 
:
 
<headword>प्रश्नोत्तर</headword>
 
प्रश्नोत्तरः Praśnottaraḥ : Hypophora :
 

 
It is termed praśna-uttara (question-and-answer)--√pracch (to ask)

na <namṃ, ut √trṛ a <ap. The figure Praśnottara denotes asking ques-

tions and answering them. It is otherwise known as Uttara (Rhetorical

Answer) or Chitrottara (Refined Answer). It represents some poetically

refined or artistic statement set in the form of question-and-

answer. Such a device of literary expression is found to be very

common and popular in language. The form of putting question

and supplying the answer may be either simple or abstruse. If the

figure is simply Uttara, then in such case, either some question may

be presumed from the answer or the vice versa. It is also called

Praśna (Erotesis or Interrogation) and in that case, the question is put

in such a form that the answer comes out itself from the question.
 
117
 

 
Bhoja remarks that Prasnottara is a kind of cultural entertain-

ment in the council of the elite. He gives sixfold varieties of this fig-

ure:
 

(i) bahiḥ-praśna (question simply stated),
 
(ii)
 
(iii)
 

(ii)antaḥ-praśna(question abstrusely stated),
 
"
 

(iii)bahirantaḥ-praśna (an amalgum of the previous two

forms),
 

(iv) jāti-praśna (question in natural order),
 

(v) prstṛṣṭa praśna (question seeking answer),

(vi) uttara-prasna (question with Answer).
 
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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN