The ripeness of poetry — innovation in the concept of kāvyapāka as introduced by Bhoja
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12797/CIS.22.2020.02.04Keywords:
kāvyapāka, pāka, prauḍhi, Bhoja, Sarasvatīkaṇṭhābharaṇa, Śṛṅgāraprakāśa, poeticsAbstract
The ripeness of poetry — innovation in the concept of kāvyapāka as introduced by Bhoja
The paper examines the contribution of Bhoja, an 11th-century theoretician of Sanskrit literature, to the theory of kāvyapāka—the maturity or ripeness of poetry. The concept relies on comparison between a poem and a fruit as they likewise must come to fruition to reach perfection—the state when they are most pleasing to their recipients. The theory is mentioned in numerous important Sanskrit works on poetics. However, different theoreticians perceive the state of perfection in poetry somewhat differently. Bhoja provides yet one more view on this matter. Although he relies on his predecessors, and in some points agrees with them, he also offers fresh perspectives on the subject. The paper focuses on the analyses of relevant passages from Bhoja’s works, Sarasvatīkaṇṭhābharaṇa and Śṛṅgāraprakāśa, concerning the subject of kāvyapāka, and compares them with the views of other theoreticians as summarized in the first part of the study.
PlumX Metrics of this article
References
Primary sources:
Kāvyālaṅkāra = P. V. Naganatha Shastry (ed. and transl.). 1970. Kāvyālaṅkāra of Bhāmaha. Delhi, Varanasi, Patna: Motilal Banarsidass.
Kāvyālaṃkārasūtravṛtti = M. Durgāprasāda, K.P. Parab (eds). 1926. The Kāvyālankāra Sūtras of Vāmana, with His Own Vṛtti. Bombay: Nirnaya Sagar Press.
Kāvyamīmāṃsā = C. D. Dalal, R. Anantkrishna Shastry (eds). 1934. Kāvyamīmāṃsā of Rājaśekhara. Baroda: Oriental Institute.
Sarasvatīkaṇṭhābharaṇa = K. Śarmā, W. L. Śāstrī Paṇśīkar (eds). 1934. The Sarasvatī Kaṇṭhābharaṇa by Dhāreśvara Bhojadeva, with Commentaries of Rāmsiṃha (I-Ⅲ) and Jagaddhara (Ⅳ). Bombay: Nirnaya Sagar Press.
Śṛṅgāraprakāśa = G. R. Josyer (ed.). 1955–1958. Maharaja Bhojaraja’s Sringara Prakasha vol. I–IV. Madras: Coronation Press.
Secondary sources:
Battistini, A. 2016. When Poetry Is Ripe: An Overview of the Theory of kāvyapāka. In: C. Pieruccini and P. M. Rossi (eds). A World of Nourishment. Reflections on Food in Indian Culture. Milano: Ledizioni: 145–161. https://doi.org/10.13130/2611-8785/310717.
Cox, W. 2012. Bhoja’s Alternate Universe. In: Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 22(1): 57–72. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1356186311000770. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1356186311000770
Kane, P. V. 1961. History of Sanskrit Poetics. Delhi–Varanasi, –Patna: Motilal Banarsidass. Krishnamachiariar, M. 1974. History of Classical Sanskrit Literature. Delhi–Varanasi, Patna, Bangalore: Motilal Banarsidas.
Krishnamoorthy, K. 1971. Maṅgala, a Neglected Name in Sanskrit Poetics. In: Journal of the Oriental Institute of Baroda, 20(3): 247–55.
Lipowska, L. 2016. Śajja i paka. In: S. Cieślikowski, Teoria literatury w dawnych Indiach. Kraków: Księgarnia Akademicka: 351–355.
Narayana Rao, V. 1995. Coconut and Honey. Sanskrit and Telugu in Medieval Andhra. In: Social Scientist, 23: 24–40. https://doi.org/10.2307/3517881. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3517881
Raghavan, V. 1973. Studies on Some Concepts of the alaṃkāra śāstra. Madras: The Adyar Library and Research Center.
Raghavan, V. 1978. Bhoja’s Śṛṅgāra Prakāśa. Madras: Vasanta Press.
Sircar, D. 1953. Mahākavichakravartin Chhittapa. In: Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 16: 124–128.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
