History of Sanskrit Poetics c6.34.2

c6.34.2

1 भामह calls his work काव्यालङ्कार, at the end (VI. 64) he says ‘अवलोक्य मतानि सत्कवीनामवगम्य स्वधिया च काव्यलक्षम ।.’ The ध्व० also (in I. 3) speaks of काव्यलक्ष्मविधायिभिः (as having explained Upamā and other figures of expressed sense). Another name for Poetics is sāhitya. This word seems to have been used in early works in three different but allied senses, though in modern times it is generally employed for Poetics. In the verse साहित्यसङ्गीतकलाविहीनः the word साहित्य appears to have been used in the sense of काव्य. In the verse साहित्यपाथोनिधिमन्थनोत्थं कर्णामृतं रक्षत हे कवीन्द्राः (बिल्हण’s विक्रमाङ्कदेवचरित I. 11), it will be noticed that साहित्य means ‘literature in general’ and kāvya is said to arise like nectar from the ocean of साहित्य (i.e. काव्य is the quintessence of साहित्य). प्रतीहारेन्दुराज eulogising his teacher मुकुल and his proficiency in the मीमांसा and other śastras speaks of him as ‘साहित्यश्रीमुरारेः’. Here obviously the word साहित्य stands for साहित्यशास्त्र (as in the case of मीमांसा, व्याकरण and तर्क that precede the word साहित्यश्रीमुरारेः). मुकुल in the explanation of the kārikā पदवाक्यप्रमाणेषु तदेतत्प्रतिबिम्बितम् । यो योजयति साहित्ये तस्य वाणी प्रसीदति ॥’ अभिधावृत्ति० p. 22) remarks ‘व्याकरणमीमांसातर्कसाहित्यत्मकेषु चतुर्षु शास्त्रेषूपयोगात्’. राजशेखर (काव्यमी. p. 4) says ‘पञ्चमी साहित्यविद्येति यायावरीयः । सा हि चतसृणामपि विद्यानां निष्यन्दः ।’. मङ्ख says ‘विना न साहित्यविदाऽपरत्र गुणः कथञ्चित्प्रथते कवीनाम् ।’ श्रीकण्ठचरित II. 12).