History of Sanskrit Poetics c6.111.2

c6.111.2

Though it is possible to extract some sort of व्यङ्ग्य sense from any sentence or word, still all words or sentences are not necessarily *kāvya*, but only those words, which have particular qualities and are arranged in a particular manner and contain a charming व्यङ्ग्य, constitute *kāvya*. Vide लोचन (p. 32) ‘तेन सर्वत्रापि न ध्वननसद्भावेपि तथा व्यवहारः । आत्मसद्भावेपि कचिदेव जीवव्यवहार इत्युक्तं प्रागेव ।’. The ध्वन्यालोक refutes at great length the theory of some that *dhvani* is गुणवृत्ति or लक्षणा (secondary sense due to the possession of some quality common to two objects); vide ध्व. I. 17 ‘भक्त्या बिभर्ति नैकत्वं रूपभेदादयं ध्वनिः। अतिव्याप्तेरव्याप्तेर्न चासौ लक्ष्यते तया ।’. The ध्व. (p. 18) divided व्यङ्ग्य sense into three varieties, रसादि, अलङ्कार and वस्तु. Under the first are included not only the nine *rasas* but all the *bhāvas* and their *ābhāsas* also. What is meant by वस्तुध्वनि is this that a mere fact is suggested by words that express another sense.¹ What is meant by an *alaṅkāra-dhvani* is this that what is suggested is an imaginative thing (not a matter of fact) which if expressed in so many words would assume the form of a figure of speech. The ध्व. seems to hold like Wordsworth that poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings (क्रौञ्चद्वन्द्ववियोगत्थः शोकः श्लोकत्वमागतः॥ p. 31.