Studies in the History of Sanskrit Poetics v2.c85.34

v2.c85.34

One of the most important writers of this group is Ruyyaka, who comes immediately after Mammaṭa and who also appears to have written a commentary on Mammaṭa’s work. In his treatment of the poetic figures, with which his work (as its name implies) is directly concerned, he shows, however, a remarkable degree of insight and independence of judgment which distinguishes him from his predecessor. The value of his contribution in this respect may be judged from the fact that his *Alaṃkāra-sarvasva* not only helped to define and fix the conception of an *alaṃkāra*, of which the first indication was given by Kuntala but which was left untouched by the authors of the *Dhvanyāloka*, but it had also a great influence in establishing by its careful analysis the scope and nature of individual poetic figures, so that his views on this matter have been accepted as authoritative by such important later writers as Viśvanātha, Vidyādhara, Vidyānātha and Appayya Dīkṣita.