Since you are not logged in, some functions (such as the OCR button) have been disabled. To use all website features, please create an account.

Handbook of Classical Sanskrit Rhetoric / 35 Image 35 of 262 (Page xxiii)

Proofed once

Help

prosody, literary qualities, riddles and especially grammar through
illustrative verses. The complete book is divided into 4 sections --
prakīrṇa, adhikāra, prasanna and tiṃanta. The 3rd section is entirely
devoted to poetics and here we get 75 verses as illustrations of 38
figures in the 10th canto, 87 verses as examples of bhāvika in the
12th canto and 50 verses as examples of the figure bhāṣa-sama in
the 13th canto. In his treatment of the figures of speech, Bhaṭṭi fol-
lows the same tradition accepted by Daṇḍin and Bhāmaha. Bhaṭṭi
is roughly placed on the latter half of the 6th century AD.

4. Kāvyādarśa or Mirror of Poetry : The Kāvyādarśa is the magnum
opus of Daṇḍin (650-700 AD) who is also the author of the
Daśakumāra-carita, a prose romance and the Avantisundarī-kathā
(also a prose romance which is unfortunately lost barring a few
pages at the beginning).

The Kāvyādarśa, divided into 3 chapters, is an authentic work
dealing with almost all the topics of Sanskrit poetics. Daṇḍin is the
founder of the Rīti school and accepts two principal styles of poetic
diction (ie vaidarbhi and gauḍī) and recognises the former as the
finest of literary styles, which is characterised by the ten guṇas (lit-
erary attributes). But he also gives equal importance to alaṃkāras
and uses the term alaṃkāra in a very wide sense. Figures, according
to him, are the elements of beautification of poetry. In the II chap-
ter of his book 35 alaṃkāras have been defined, explained and
illustrated and the varieties of Upamā as given by him appears very
much interesting. Among the early rhetoricians Daṇḍin holds a
very high position as a rhetor and critic of literature.

5. Kāvyālaṃkāra or Embellishment of Poetry: The Kāvyālaṃkāra of
Bhāmaha (700-750 AD), divided into 6 chapters containing about
400 verses along with an index of topics at the end, discusses the
common topics of poetics. Like Daṇḍin he also expresses his
indebtedness to his predecessors and refers to Medhāvirudra by
name. Commentaries of the Kāvyādarśa also refer to Kāśyapa,
Brahmadatta, Vararuci and Nandisvāmin as his predecessors; but
unfortunately no treatise of these scholars has been available so
far. Bhāmaha is considered as the oldest exponent of alaṃkāra

Edit summary (optional) Status

Needs more work

Proofed once

Proofed twice

Not relevant

Only registered users can save changes. Create an account or sign in to save your changes.