Handbook of Classical Sanskrit Rhetoric /37

Introduction
 
ception of alaṃkāra is very wide. According to him the value of
poetry is to be determined by its figurative diction which means
beautification of word and meaning. He is the protagonist of rīti or
stylistic diction and advocates three principal styles -
 
ception of alam- vaidarbhī,
gaudī and pāñcālī -- primarily connected with the poets of the
three particular geographical locations, but basically related to
prominent poets likāra is very wide. According to him the value of
poetry is to be determined by its figurative diction which means
beautification of word and meaning. He is the protagonist of riti or
stylistic diction and advocates three principal styles vaidarbhi,
gaudī and pāñcālī — primarily connected with the poets of the
three particular geographical locations, but basically related to
prominent poets like Kalidaālidāsa, Bāṇabhaṭṭa and others. Vamana
declares that riti is the soul of poetry and it means application of
āmana
declares that rīti is the soul of poetry and it means application of
appropriate word and refinement of diction. He also acknowledges spe-

cial importance of figurative expression and values it more than
gun
guṇas. His classification of poets and treatment of käāvyapāka(ie to

use the most appropriate word which cannot be changed or substi-

tuted) are very much interesting.
 
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8. Kāvyālamṃkāra : Rudraṭa's Kāvyālamṃkāra or (Critique of Poetry),

an extensive work on poetics, is divided into 16 chapters and con-

tains 734 kārikās in aryā metre with illustrations of his own. He
gives special importance to figures of speech and classifies them in

gives special importance to figures of speech and classifies them in
4 broad groups based on logical principles such as vaāstava,

aupamya, alisaya and śleşa ie alamtiśaya and śleṣa ie alaṃkāras based on objective relation,

based on similitude, based on hyperbolic statement, based on

paronomasia. For such innovative treatment in the classification

Rudratṭa should be given special credit because most of the rhetori-

cians have acknowledged the common and traditional divisions -
ie alam-
ie alaṃkāras based on sound and sense. He has listed 68 figures,
but he does not accept all the alam
but he does not accept all the alaṃkāras as given by his previous

rhetoricians, therefore he drops a few of them and introduces

some new ones like bhāva, mata, sāmya and pihita.
 

 
9. Agnipurāṇa: Out of the 36 Puranṇa texts the Agnipurāṇa (900-

1050 AD cir) traditionally ascribed to Vyāsa, the author of the most

voluminous and renowned Sanskrit epic Mahābhārata, is basically

an encyclopedia of the voluminous Purāṇa literature and cotains
ntains
11,500 verses. But practically the original text of this Purāṇa gradu-

ally developed into such enormous size through the addition of
profuse interpolations made by enthusiastic scholars in different

profuse interpolations made by enthusiastic scholars in different
periods. With various types of materials of polemic nature it turned

to be an anthology of Indological studies of ancient and mediaeval
 
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