BHAMAHA—KAVYALANKARA

1. Bhamaha on the importance of poetry.Criticism & Theory

a. Composition of good poetry makes one capable in the pursuit of dharma, artha Kama and moksa. It also confers pleasure and fame.

b. Knowledge of Sastras possessed by one who is not a poet is like the pauper’s charitableness, the eunuch’s dexterity in arms, and the fool’s self-confidence.

c. What is wealth without modesty? What is night without the moon? What is cleverness of speech without the capacity to compose good literary works?

d. Even the dull-witted can learn Sastras with the help of a teacher. But poetry is for whom who has a natural capacity.

e. Even to those who have passed away to svarga but who have composed good literary works there surely exists a body consisting of their works which is both beautiful and free from disease.

f. Further as long as his imperishable fame continues he continues to occupy a position among the devas. Therefore the wise one who aims at fame whish shall last as long as the world directs his endeavours towards the essentials of poetry.

g. The desire to compose kavya should be entertained after learning grammar and the meaning of works and after having served the masters therein and after having studied other kavyas.

h. Never shall be spoken a word which is faulty. By a work which is bad, one gets a bad name, as by a bad son—vilakshana hi kavyena dututeneva nintyate.

i. Not being an author does not lead to evil or disease or punishment. But being a bad author is, according to the wise, nothing less than death.

2. Alankaras—Sabdalankara and Arthalankara

Bhamaha then speaks about two types of Alankaras—Sabdalankara and Arthalankara. [Mammata, another theoretician points out that these two are not mutually exclusive. There are many cases in which both occur. In fact, in practically all cases, with some ingenuity both can be proved. In such cases the author’s intention is our guide whether the passage can be considered as Sabdalankara or Arthalankara.]

Arthalankara.

Some Alankarikas vehemently maintain that only Rupaka etc. constitute kavya’s ornaments. A damsel’s face, though beautiful does not shine, if it should be devoid of ornaments.

The supporters of this school argue that the bratty of a kavya consists in its rasa which depends on vibhavas. These result from the meaning of words.

Sabdalankara

Supporters of this school maintain that the proper disposition of nouns and verbs constitutes the real ornaments of speech.  It is language that first attracts one and then the meaning arises. What enhances the beauty of words must be the real ornament. So sabdalankara is superior to arthalankars. In fact, it is after the words have functioned and produced a meaning, arthalankaras can come in.

3. Classification of poetry based on structure and language.

Word and meaning taken together constitute kavya. It is of 2 kinds—prose and verse.

4. Classificatin based on subject-matter.

Kavyas are divided into four groups:-

a.      Real narratives of gods,

b.      Stories put together (fiction),

c.      Facts relating to arts, and

d.      Facts relating to science.

5. Classification based on the nature of composition:-

1.      those that are built up by divisions called Sargas;

2.      those that could be acted or exhibited on the stage;

3.      Akhyayikas;

4.      Kathas;

5.      Unconnected composition.

a. Those built by Sargas.

a. Mahakavya is that which is made up of Sargas. It treats the big things and is big. It is devoid of vulgarity of expression. It has profound significance and contains figures of speech and treats of the good.

b. It also consists of the description of state-councils, messengers, travels, war and the good fortunes of the hero. It contains also the five sandhis. It does not require much commentary and has a prosperous ending.

Vagbhata in Kavyanusasana explains the Sandhis as follows:-

Mughasandhi: the seed of the plot

Prathimughasandhi: The sprouting of the seed partially visible.

Garbhasandhi: the full development of the same culminating in the attainment of the desire or the reverse.

Vimarsasandhi: the investigation of the same.

Nirvahanasandhi: the conclusion, the gathering up of the threads and bringing the plot to an end. 

c. While describing the four-fold objects of human existence [dharma, artha, Kama, moksha] it relates chiefly to the acquisition of wealth, conforms to the ways of the world and contains separately the various rasas.

d. after having first placed the Nayaka by extolling his ancestry, prowess, knowledge, etc. do not narrate his destruction with the object of enhancing the glory of another. [Here nayaka means prathinayaka. Bhamaha’s view is that if the poet first extols the virtues of the person and enlist the support and sympathy of the audience, it will be inharmonious to describe his destruction with the object of extolling the virtues of the hero. Dandin attacks this view.]

b. Those that could be acted or exhibited on the stage

Nataka consist of Dvipadi, Samya. Rasaka, Skandaka.

Akhyayikas

 It is a prose composition treating of an elevated subject-matter and characterised by agreeable words, meaning and style in harmony with the context. It is divided into parts called Ucchvasaas. It must contain forecasts of events on appropriate occasions. It must be marked by some narratives of the poet’s own creation. It must treat of the abduction of damsels, of war, of separation and of success.

c. Kathas

In it the history of the hero is narrated by others and not by himself.

d. Unconnected composition

Anibadha consists only in Gathas and verses. Unconnected composition means that the various slokas are not connected with each other but deal with separate subjects. 

There are certain wise people who refer to another type of composition. It is called Vaidarbha. If a composition is devoid of suggestion or cleverness of statement but is merely clear, smooth and elegant, then it is called Vaidarbha. Bhamaha condemns it as mere song but Vamana in his Kavyalankarasutra recognises it as a distinct source of enjoyment under the name Vaidarbhi.

 There is mention about yet another composition called Gaudiya. It consists of elegant meaning but is not considered superior. But even Gaudiya becomes superior if it has alamkara and is devoid of vulgarity. It must have full meaning and is simple.

6. Defects in poetic language.

Poets do not use the language which has the following defects:-

Neyartha, Klista, Anyartha, Avacaka, Ayuktimat, and Gudhasabdabhidhana.

a.      Neyartha—something from which proper meaning has to be forcibly dragged out by clever people. It transcends the laws of the language and is created by desire. The statement “auspicious as deceit” —[“Mayeva Bhadra”]— is given as an example for neyartha by Bhamaha.[ the story of Venudari, an asura and the son of Banasura is given as an example. Being an asura maya or deceit might have been auspicious for him.]

b.      Klista—difficult—in which the meaning is obstructed. No illustration is given.

c.      Anyartha—the accepted meaning is absent.

d.      Avacaka—‘him apahamitra dhara—clouds. Hima= snow. Apah=enemy. Amitra=unfriendly. Dhara=carries. The enemy of snow is fire. That which is unfriendly to fire is water. That which carries water is clouds. The poet says that the sky is overcast by ‘himapahamitradhara’[clouds]. The expression is an example where the intended meaning is not clear.

e.      Ayuktimat—[unintelligent]--the employment of clouds, winds, the moon, the bee, the cakravaka bird as messenger is ayuktimat. The cloud messenger of course refers to Meghaduta of Kalidasa. Those that cannot speak and those that are of indistinct utterance—how can these, going to distant places perform their function as messengers. Such descriptions do not fit in with reason.

f.       Gudhasabdabhidhana—poets never employ words with hidden meanings. It does not even help the learned readers. Bhamaha gives the following example: - “let the son of fire [Lord Subramanya] destroy your enemies completely by his fierce, dazzlingly white and fearful glances. He who is the bearer of mountains, the lord of the inhabitants of heaven and has more than two eyes”. The word ‘asitha’ means not white, therefore ‘black’.

Four other defects of speech are also mentioned—srutidusta [offensive to the ear], arthadusta [of improper or objectionable meaning] kalpanadusta [objectionable construction] and srutikasta [painful to the ear—cacaphony]

            Just as a man who strings up a garland uses one kind of flower because it is sweet-smelling and rejects another because it is ordinary; knows that one (particular) flower will look pretty when interwoven in a particular manner or that only a particular place is suited for a particular flower. Just as such a man strings up discriminating correctly—so should one who is composing a ‘kavya’ dispose of words with close attention.

S. Sree Kumar