History of Sanskrit Poetics c6.43

Language: English

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6 The purpose of Poetry (काव्यप्रयोजन). Poetry is an art and its immediate purpose and aim are the giving of delight, of aesthetic pleasure. This has been recognised by Sanskrit critics from very ancient times. The नाट्यशास्त्र says that the dramatic art was promulgated by Bharata as a pleasure-giving device for all people ‘क्रीडनीयकमिच्छामो दृश्यं श्रव्यं च यद्भवेत्’ and ‘वेदविधेतिहासानामाख्यानपरिकल्पनम् । विनोदजननं लोके नाट्यमेतद्भविष्यति ॥’ नाट्य. I. 11 and 116-7 (=K. M. ed. I. 11 and 120 and GOS. vol. I. pp. 9 and 45, chap. I. 11 and 123); ‘तथापि प्रीतिरेव प्रधानं...प्राधान्येनानन्द एवोक्तः’ लोचन p. 14 and प्रीत्यात्मा च रसस्त- देव नाट्यं नाट्य एव च वेद इत्यस्मदुपाध्यायः’ लोचन p. 114; ‘सकलप्रयोजनमौलभूतं समनन्तरमेव रसास्वादनसमुद्भूतं विगलितवेद्यान्तरमानन्दं’ काव्यप्र. I. Several other purposes that are served by poetry are enumerated by the works on Poetics. Some of them are benefits derived by the poet himself, while others are reaped by the reader. They are (from the reader’s point of view); I delight, solace; II instruction in knowledge of religion, morality and philosophy; III. proficiency in the arts and ways of the world. To the poet also poetry brings fame and wealth. The नाट्यशास्त्र says that to minds that are afflicted by the sorrows and worries of this world, नाट्य would bring relief and solace ‘दुःखार्तानां श्रमार्तानां शोकार्तानां तपस्विनाम्। विश्रामजननं लोके नाट्यमेतद्भविष्यति॥’ (I. 111-12). भामह says ‘धर्मार्थकाममोक्षेषु वैचक्षण्यं कलासु च।

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प्रीतिं करोति कीर्ति च साधुकाव्यनिबन्धनम्॥’ I. 2; सर. क. I. 2 निर्दोषं गुणवत्काव्यमलङ्कारैरलंकृतम्। रसान्वितं कविः कुर्वन् कीर्ति प्रीतिं च विन्दति; वामन says ‘काव्यं सददृष्टार्थ प्रीतिकीर्तिहेतुत्वात्’ I. 1. 5; ‘काव्यं यशसेऽर्थकृते व्यवहारविदे शिवेतरक्षतये। सद्यः परनिर्वृतये कान्तासंमिततयोपदेशयुजे॥’ काव्यप्र. I; this mentions 6 purposes viz. fame, wealth, knowledge of the ways of the world, removal of ills, highest delight, sweet instruction. Delight of a high spiritual order is the chief end of poetry. Instruction, moralizing, cleverness in arts are only by-products, secondary results of poetry. The दशरूपक (I. 6) ridicules भामह and others who speak of व्युत्पत्ति or knowledge of पुरुषार्थs as the purpose of poetry. Similarly, the view of भामह (V. 3 quoted on p. 76) saying that Poetry is like a dose of honey inducing persons to take a bitter medicine has a parallel in western theories of Aesthetics that explained that poetry was ‘the pleasant taste which hid the Aloes and Rhubarb of wholesome things’ as Prof. E. F. Carritt says in his ‘the Theory of Beauty’ p. 43 (5th ed. of 1949). That Aesthetics would influence life (though indirectly) is emphasized by मम्मट in the words ‘रामादिवद्वर्तितव्यं &c. हेमचन्द्र (p. 2) accepts only three of these ‘काव्यमानन्दाय यशसे कान्तातुल्यतयोपदेशाय च’ and says that one may or may not get wealth from काव्य and the other purposes can be secured by other means; vide रुद्रट I. 4, 8-13, 21 and XII. 1 ‘ननु काव्येन क्रियते सरसामवगमश्चतुर्वर्गै।

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लघु मृदु च नीरसेभ्यस्ते हि त्र्यन्ति शास्त्रेभ्यः॥’. Poetry however, does not (or should not) directly teach religion, philosophy or morality, but only indirectly and impliedly as said by मम्मट ‘कान्तेव सरसतापादनेनाभिमुखीकृत्य रामादिवद्वर्तितव्यं न रावणा- दिवदित्युपदेशं...करोतीति’. *Vide* my notes on साहित्यद० p. 4. Most of the works on Poetics more or less echo the words quoted above. *Vide* उज्ज्वलनीलमणि pp. 55-56 quoting भागवत X ‘वर्तितव्यं शमिच्छ-द्विभक्तवन्न तु कृष्णवत् । इत्येवं भक्िशास्त्राणां तात्पर्यस्य विनिर्णयः । रामादिवद् वर्तितव्यं न कचिद्रावणादिवत् ।’. The word प्रीति (among प्रयोजनs) mentioned by भामह, वामन, सर. क. may be construed with the poet also. The poet finds supreme delight in creating an artistic poem. The words सद्यः परनिर्वृतये of मम्मट (immediate higher and delightful experience) are more definite and appropriate. Even an early writer like Aśvaghoṣa states that whatever else he included in his work other then relevant to the subject of Mokṣa was included because of the rules of poetics in the same way as a bitter medicine is mixed with honey in order that it may be pleasant to drink (सौन्दरानन्द 18.63 यन्मोक्षात्कृतमन्य-दत्र हि मया तत्काव्यधर्मात्कृतं पातुं तिक्तमिवौषधं मधुयुतं हृद्यं कथं स्यादिति).