History of Sanskrit Poetics c6.43.3

c6.43.3

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).