Thinking Activity
Indian Poetics
This blog is written in response to the thinking activity assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad sir, Department of English, MKBU on Indian Poetics. In this blog I will deal with various concepts of Indian Poetics like Rasa, Riti, Vakrokti, Alankara, Dhvani, and Auchitya. The lectures of Indian Aesthetics were taken by a prominent Gujarati Writer, Poet and Critic Prof. Vinod Joshi sir.
Indian poetics is being considered as the earliest(ancient) criticism. Many scholars of India tried to define various literary theories very closely and if we pick any one theory, we will say this is right and at the same time we pick up other theories we would realise that they are also right. But what are those chief characteristics that distinguish as well as give prominent space to all of them in literary theories. We all have three kinds of imagery: 1. Dream 2. Land of memory and 3. Imagination. We can't change Dream and Memory or can't even interrupt it as there is no scope of it. The only thing that is in our hands is "IMAGINATION". This imagination is the only facet that leads oneself to create literary art. To understand Indian literary criticism, it is significant to understand that in literature, we always try to visualise ourselves. So it can be said that literature is our own reflection. In Indian Aesthetics, there are various schools and each of them tries to elaborate the significant part of poetics. These are
1. Rasa theory by Bharata2. Dhvani theory by Anandvardhan3. Vakrokti theory by Kuntaka4. Alankara by Bhamah5. Riti by Vaman6. Ramaniyata by Jagganatha
1. Rasa theory:- Click here to read about Rasa theory
2. Dhvani Theory:-
Kavyasya atma Dhvani
- The sound structure of words
- The semantic aspect of shabda
- The revealed or suggested meaning
Dhvani theory is a theory of meaning, of symbolism, and this principle leads to the poetry of suggestion being accepted as the highest kind of poetry.
Dhvani theory was coined by Anandvardhan in his book dhvanyaloka. To understand Dhvani ‘Shabda’(letter) and ‘Arth’(Meaning) and its interpretation is important.
The Combination of ‘Shabda’(letter) and ‘Arth’(Meaning)is dhvani itself.
‘Shabda’(letter) + ‘Arth’(Meaning)= Dhvani
In the beginning of Raghuvansh, Kalidasa says that,
वागर्थाविव सम्पृक्तौ वागर्थप्रतिपत्तये ।
जगतः पितरौ वन्दे पार्वतीपरमेश्वरौ ॥
Here Kalidas gives importance to the combination of Shabda and Artha by comparing it with the couple Lord Shiva and Parvati.
Before looking at the definition of Dhvani by Anandvardhan, let’s first try to understand the relation of Shabda and Artha by three “Shabda Shaktis”.
1. The denotative function [Abhidha(અભિધા)]:-
When we take and have to take basic on direct or the very first interpretation of anything is called as Abhidha. Here we don’t have to look for another hidden meaning but rather the surface meaning is enough to have understanding.
2. The indicative function[Lakshana(લક્ષણા)]:- When we can’t take direct meaning or any sentence, text or anything and we have to take nearer or another interpretation is called as Lakshana. Idioms, Phrases are categories under this Shabda Shakti. For Lakshana, Mammat says that,
मुख्यार्थबाधे तद्योगे रूढ़ितोऽथ प्रयोजनति्।
अन्योऽर्थों लक्ष्यते यत् सा लक्षणारोपिता क्रिया॥
3. The suggestive function [Vyanjana(વ્યંજના)]:-
When there is a direct meaning or we don’t have to interpret this basic meaning and take another meaning, it is called Vyanjana.
Ex. મીઠા મધુને મીઠા મેહુલા રે લોલ એથી મીઠી છે મોરી માત રે
What Anandvardhan says is to look at Prayojana(Purpose) of any said or written piece of literary art.
જેમાં શબ્દ અને અર્થ ગૌણ બની જાય અને જે પ્રતીયમાન અર્થ પ્રગટે તેને ધ્વનિ કહેવાય.
This pratiyaman artha is that When there is nothing described and we understand it by hidden meaning. So Anandvardhan describes this hidden meaning as Dhvani.
For Example,
Darkness spread over his home.
From this sentence we can get two meanings. First, it is Night and second, one of his family members died or a family member sank in a big problem. This second meaning is described by Ananadvardhan as “Dhvani”.
Dhvani is of three types:
3. Vakrokti Theory:-
In this world each and every natural element has a kind of Vakrata(curvature) which gives charm to it. So this Vakrokti gives charm to language and thus to the Literature. For example,
અમે વળીને જોયું અને તમે વળ્યા વાક,
ગલીનો હોય કે પછી નજરનો છે વાક.
In this example we can get an idea that how poet has used certain words to depict meaning in an ambiguous way.
शब्दार्थौ सहितौ वक्र कवि व्यापारशालिनि।
बन्धे व्यवस्थितौ काव्यं तद्विदाह्लादकारिणी।।
Vkrokti is both words and meanings marked by artistic turn of speech. It generally means 'Markedness'. T.N.Srikantiya rightly points out that Kuntaka’s Vakroktijivita is ‘nothing but a treatise on the function of imagination in Poetry’ and Vakrokti, is a linguistic manifestation of the basic obliquity of the poet’s creative process.
Vakrokti is of 6 types:
"phonetic, [varnavinyasavakrata]. lexical, [padapurvardhavakrata], grammatical [pratyaya vakrata], sentential [vakyavakrata], contextual, [prakaranavakrata] and compositional [prabandhavakrata]"
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