Thinking Activity - Indian Poetics

 This Blog is a response of thinking activity on Indian Poetics given by our professor Dr.Dilip Barad Sir.

Every year Indian Poet Dr.Vinod Joshi Sir comes to our department, and Students of English Department and Gujarati Department get the chance of studying for seven days with Sir.

 

Sir talked about વિચાર, ભાષા, ક્લા, ભાવજગત, નાટ્યશસ્ત્ર, રસ, ધ્વનિ, ઔચિત્ય,વક્રોક્તિ, રીતિ, and અલંકાર.

Introduction of Indian poetics:-

Indian poetics is a vast and diverse field that encompasses the traditional systems of poetry and literary criticism in Indian literature. These systems, known as alankaras, are based on the principles of rhetoric and aesthetics, and are central to the study and appreciation of Indian poetry and literature.

One of the earliest and most influential Indian poetics texts is the Natyashastra, written by the ancient Indian sage Bharata Muni. This text, which dates back to the 2nd century BCE, lays out the basic principles of Indian poetics, including the concept of rasa (emotional flavor), which holds that a work of art should aim to elicit a particular emotional response in the audience.

Indian poetics also includes the concept of dhwani, which means "suggestion" or "implication," and refers to the use of literary devices to create a particular emotional or aesthetic effect. This can include the use of metaphor, simile, and other figures of speech.

Another important concept in Indian poetics is alamkara, which means "ornamentation" or "decoration." This refers to the use of literary devices such as alliteration, rhyme, and metre to enhance the beauty and impact of a work of literature.

In addition to these concepts, Indian poetics also includes a wide range of other literary devices and techniques, such as the use of imagery, symbolism, and narrative structure, that are used to create a rich and varied literary landscape.

Overall, Indian poetics is a complex and multifaceted field that has played an important role in shaping Indian literature and culture for centuries.

Indian poetics means Kavya which is written in India, In Indian language. In Indian poetics we find six schools of theory.

1) The Rasa(aesthetic pleasure) theory

2) The Alamkara (poetic figures) theory

3) The Dhvani(suggestion) theory

4) The Vakrokti(obliquity) theory

5) The Riti(style) Theory

6) The aucitya(propriety) theory

1) The Rasa(aesthetic pleasure) theory:-

शृंगार करुण वीर

         रौद्र हास्य भयानक।

बिभत्स्यद्रभुत शांतश्व

          नव नाट्य रसा: स्मृता।।

                    - अभिनव गुप्त 

१) करुण - Sorrow

२) भयानक - Terror

३) रौद्र - Anger

४) शृंगार - रति - love

५) वीर - उत्साह - Energy

६) हास्य - Mirth

७) बिभत्स - जुगुप्सा - Disgust

८) अदभुत - विस्मय - Astonishment

९) शांत - निर्वेद - Calm

આ ઉપરાંત અનેક ભાવો છે.પણ ઉપર મુજબ ના સ્થાયી ભાવો છે. ઘણા ભાવો જે આવે અને તરત જતા રહે તેને સંચારી ભાવ કહેવાય છે.

Ex સમુદ્રનું પાણી એ સ્થાયી ભાવ કહેવાય પણ તેના આવતા મોજા સાંચરીભાવ કહેવાય.

Sir also told us that,

ભાવ દ્વારા રસની રચના કરવામાં આવે છે.ભાવ એ વચિક્રમને બદલે છે.

અનુભાવ - પ્રતિક્રિયા (reaction)

સંચારી ભાવ - ક્ષણિક હોય તેવો ભાવ

Rasa theory is a concept in Indian aesthetics that refers to the emotional flavors or "essences" that are evoked in the audience by a work of art, literature, or performance. The theory has its roots in the ancient Indian texts known as the Natyashastra and the Abhinavabharati, and it is an important aspect of Indian classical performing arts such as dance and theater. The Natyashastra describes eight primary rasas, which are:

Shringara (romantic/erotic love)

Karuna (pathos/sorrow)

Hasya (mirth/comic)

Veera (heroism/boldness)

Bhayanaka (terror/horror)

Adbhuta (wonder/amazement)

Bhava (sentiment)

Shanta (tranquility/peace)

The Rasa theory is also used as a metaphor in various spiritual and philosophical contexts, to describe the emotions and feelings evoked by spiritual practices, and the ultimate goal of spiritual realization.

Sir also give his own definition -

રસ છે એ વ્યક્તિગત આવેભાવ છે અને એ અનેક પરિણામો પર આધારિત રાખે છે. 

2) The Alamkara (poetic figures) theory:-

Bhamaha is the first who introduced alamkara in Indian poetics .

The study of alamkara is an essential part of the study of Indian poetics and is still studied and used by poets and writers .

The Alamkara theory is part of Indian poetics, and its earliest reference is found in Natyashastra, written by Bharata Muni. Natyashastra is considered as the scripture of Indian dramatic art.

The use of alamkaras in literature is considered an important aspect of creating an aesthetically pleasing work. However, it is also important to use alamkaras in a balanced way so as not to overpower the content of the work.

Alamkara is a theory of literary ornamentation in Indian aesthetics. It is a set of literary devices used in Sanskrit poetry and drama to enhance the beauty and expressiveness of a work. These devices include metaphors, similes, and other figures of speech, as well as other stylistic elements such as sound patterns and wordplay. The theory of alamkara is an important part of the Indian tradition of literary criticism and is still studied and used by poets and writers today.

ભામ: અલાંકરશાસ્ત્ર કાવ્યપ્રકાશનો ઉલ્લાસ 10 માં અલંકાર વિશે કહ્યું છે.

In Indian aesthetics, alamkara is a theory of literary ornamentation and a set of literary devices used in Sanskrit poetry and drama to enhance the beauty and expressiveness of a work.

 Alamkara is not indispensable but necessary, it enhances the beauty of the language. 

 The word alamkara is derived from the Sanskrit word alam, meaning “ornament” or “decoration”, and kara, meaning “making” or “doing.”

The theory of alamkara is an important part of the Indian tradition of literary criticism and is still studied and used by poets and writers today. According to the theory, there are 32 different types of alamkaras, which can be grouped into four main categories: sabda (sound), artha (meaning), rasa (emotion) and dharma (morality). 

Rasa: evoking emotions in the reader or audience, such as love or horror.

Sabda: using various literary devices such as alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia to create pleasing sounds.

Dharma: using literary devices to convey moral or ethical lessons.

Artha: using literary devices to convey meaning, such as metaphor and simile.

 ભામ: - કલામાં/ કાવ્યમાં / સાહિત્યમાં અલંકાર છે એવી ખબર પડી જાય તો એ કાવ્ય j નથી, અલંકાર જ નથી.

જે અલંકાર પ્રયોજન નથી જાણતો એ કવિ, કવિ જ નથી.

Ex. (1)બીજ માંથી સીધી પૂનમ દઇદે

            સહેજ નમેલી પાંપણ ખોલી નાખ

                                     - મનોજ ખંડેરિયા 

                  (2) ભાલણનાં નળાખ્યાનમાં દમયંતીનું વર્ણન.

3) The Dhvani(suggestion) theory:-

ધ્વનિ એટલે શું?

અર્થઘટન

मुख्यर्धबाधेतधोगेरुढितोऽथ प्रयोजनात्।

अन्योर्थ लक्ष्यते यत्सालक्षणारोपीता: किया:।।

In Indian poetics, Dhvani is considered to be an important aspect of the emotional impact of a piece of literature. It is said to be the "echo" or "resonance" of the emotions expressed in the work, and is believed to be capable of evoking a similar emotional response in the audience.

Dhvani is closely related to the concept of Rasa, which refers to the emotional state or sentiment evoked in the audience by a literary or musical work. Rasa is considered to be the ultimate goal of Indian poetics, and Dhvani is seen as the means by which this goal is achieved.The Natyashastra, an ancient Indian treatise on performance arts, describes eight primary Rasas

In Indian poetry, Dhvani is created through the use of figures of speech and literary devices such as metaphor, simile, and alliteration. Poets also use the concept of Dhvani to create emotional resonance in their work. For example, in music, dhwani is created through the use of specific melodic patterns, rhythms, and musical forms.

આનંદવર્ધન દ્વારા રૂપક આપવામાં આવ્યું.

विभाति लावण्यमिवाऽगनासु।

विभाति लावण्यम् ईव अऽगनासु॥

Dhvani is divided into three major types.

1.વસ્તુ ધ્વનિ:- Sudden blast of meaning.

2. અલંકાર ધ્વનિ:- Alankar make dhvani more beautiful or thriller.

3.રસ ધ્વનિ:- Indirect meaning of sentence. Which is more interesting.

Mammta explains dhvani in three fold functions.

1) Abhidha (અભિધા - સીધો અર્થ મળે)

2) Lakshana(લક્ષણા - સીધો અર્થ મળતો નથી માટે નજીકનો અર્થ લેવો)

3) Vyanjana (વ્યંજના - સીધો અર્થ મળે છતાં તેના બદલે બીજો અર્થ લેવો)

Ex. મીઠાં મધુ - અભીધા

      મીઠાં મેહુલા રે લોલ - લક્ષણા

      એથી મીઠી તે મોરી માત રે - વ્યંજના

Dhvani is a concept that emphasizes the emotional impact of literature and music, and is considered to be an essential aspect of Indian poetics. It is closely related to the concept of Rasa and is used by poets and musicians to create emotional resonance in their work.

4) The Vakrokti(obliquity) theory:-

 શ્રુતિને આનંદ આપે તે વક્રતા.

વક્રોક્તિ જ કાવ્યને જીવાડે છે. - કુંતક 

   In the whole range of Sanskrit poetics, the term Vakrokti took altogether a new significance and the highest position as the all-pervading poetic concept in Kuntaka'sVakroktijivita. Presenting the major schools of Sanskrit poetics, the book gives a general definition of vakrokti and its multi- dimensional implications. Vakrokti means the hidden meaning of the work of art.

The writer outs the message in the hidden way that at the first glance we will not be able to find the meaning of the poem or the sentence or any creative work of art. It is also a theory of language of literature. It claims that the characteristic property of literary language is its markedness'. Kuntaka made- Vakrokti a full-fledged theory of literariness.Vakrokti literally means deviant or marked expression. kuntaka's theory of vakrokti and makes its critical analysis in relation to various literary concepts-alankara, rasavadalankara, marga and rasa.

शब्दार्थो सहितौवक्र कविव्यापार शालिनी।

बन्धे व्यवस्थितौ काव्यम् तद्धिदाहलाद कारिणी॥

Ex. અમે વળીને જોયું અને તમે વળ્યાં વળાંક

There are six types of Vakrokti (વક્રતા)

1. વર્ણવિન્યાસ વક્રતા

2. પદ પૂર્વાર્ધ વક્રતા

3. પદ પરાર્ધ વક્રતા

4. વાક્ય વક્રતા

5. પ્રકરણ વક્રતા

6. પ્રબંધ વક્રતા

5) The Riti(style) Theory:-

વિશિષ્ઠ પદ રચના એટલે રીતિ . - વામન

Riti is the theory of language of literature. The word Riti was first used by Bharata'sNatyasastra' itself under the republic of vrtti. But it was Vamana who first developed it into a theory of VisistaPadaracanariti'. In the very simple words formation of or arrangement of marked constructions is riti.

Acharya Vamana is the propounder of riti theory and declared 'the riti to be the soul of poetry.' He makes his statement more clear by saying that the (word) Sabda and its Artha (sense) constitute the body of which the soul is 

the Riti. He defines riti as 'visistapada rachana' or particular arrangements of 

words.

The term Riti is derived from the root 'Ri' meaning to move. The identity of Riti with Atman | becomes complete when we take Dandin's metaphor of Gunas as Pranas. Just as the Atman is the Karana Sarira of a person, Riti is the Karana Sarira of a Kavya. The natural beauty or Sobha of a Kavya depends on the Gunas of its Soul which is Riti. "Riti is the Soul of a Kavya." 'RitiroatmaaKaavyasyaSareerasyeva'. Riti is to the Kavya what Atman is to the Sarira. It is necessary here to study the etymology of the terms Atman and Riti in order to realise the significance of Vamana's conception of the Soul of a Kavya. The word Atman is believed to have been derived from the root 'At' meaning to move constantly or from the root Anmeaning to live, or perhaps from both.

Vamana has mentioned three ways.

વાતાવરણને અનુલક્ષીને

ભૂમિને અનુલક્ષીને

 સર્જકને અનુલક્ષીને

6) The aucitya(propriety) theory:-

The theory of propriety or aucitya was propounded by crya Kshemendra in the 11th century. Bharata recognizes it in the context of performance (say, the aptness of acting to the context, social stature of the hero, etc.). nandavardhana discusses it and so does Kuntaka. But it gets central focus in the hands of Kshemendra who highlights the fit among the elements, the subject, the contexts, and so on. Again, here is a concept that can extend without much modification to the various art forms. In simple words, there must be a fit between theme and form and this is so in all aesthetic fields.  

"Auchitya is a Hindi word taken from Sanskrit, It means justification, propriety, decency "

Propriety can be defined in this contact as the details of rules of behaviour conventionally considered to be correct. Or that which is correct,appropriate and fitting. The word 'Auchitya' also contains the Hindi word "उचित" which in English means "appropriate".

According to Kshemendra - "Auchitya is a soul of the Poem"

Famous Poetics Works on Auchitya:-

• Auchitya Vichar Charcha
• Kavilanthabharana
• Suvrottatilaka

Words:- 2066

Photos:-7