History of Sanskrit Poetics c6.99

Language: English

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We must now say a few words about वृत्ति and प्रवृत्ति and their relation to *rīti*. भरत in नाट्यशास्त्र 22 (=GOS ed. chap. 20) speaks of the mythical origin of the four वृत्तis called भारती, सात्वती, कैशिकी and आरभटी and their angas (vide p. 34 above). The नाट्यशास्त्र (old K. M. ed. 20. 62) stated that the vrttis were (like) the mothers of nāṭya¹ (वृत्तयो नाट्यमातरः) and further provides that कैशिकीवृत्ति should be employed in शृङ्गार and हास्य, सात्वती in वीर, रौद्र and अद्भुत, आरभटी in भयानक, बीभत्स and रौद्र, भारती in करुण and अद्भुत. the साहित्यदर्पण (VI. 122-123) also calls them मातृकाः and slightly differs as to the rasas for which each is proper. The रसार्णवसुधाकर (pp. 69-71) gives the same rule, offers a mythical origin of the वृत्तis and fanciful derivations of the names (e. g. भारती from भार burden, कैशिकी from केश). The ध्व. III. 33 remarks that the employment of words and senses that are favourable to a rasa and are endowed with appropriateness are known as various vrttis (रसानुगुणत्वेन व्यवहारोर्थशब्दयोः । औचित्यवान्यस्ता एता वृत्तयो विविधाः स्मृताः ॥); and the वृत्ति on that कारिका runs: व्यवहारो हि वृत्तिरित्युच्यते । तत्र रसानुगुण औचित्यवान् वाच्यआश्रयो यो व्यवहारस्ता एता कैशिक्याद्या वृत्तयः । वाचकआश्रयोपनागरिकाद्याः । वृत्तयो हि रसादितात्पर्यण संनिवेशिताः कामपि नाट्यस्य काव्यस्य च छायामावहन्ति । रसादयो हि द्वयोरपि तयोर्जैवभूताः । इतिवृत्तादि तु शरीरभूतमेव ।

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This shows that इतिवृत्त (plot) is the body of नाट्य or काव्य, the वृत्तis called उपनागरिका and others are concerned with the words (वाचक). The ध्वन्यालोक (on III. 19 p. 202) remarks यदि वा वृत्तीनां भरतसिद्धान्तां कैशिक्यादीनां काव्यालङ्कारान्तरप्रसिद्धानामुपनागरिकाणां वा यदनौचित्यमविषये निबन्धनं तदपि रसमहहेतुः.. The नाट्यशास्त्र I. 46 (Ch. ed. 45-46 and GOS ed. vol. I. chap. I. 45-46) states that the कैशिकी can be properly rendered by women (actresses) only. उद्भट (varga I) defines the three वृत्तis of words as follows: शषाभ्यां रेफसंयोगैद्वगैण च योजिता । परुषा नाम वृत्तिः स्याद् हह्याद्यैश्च संयुता ॥ सरूपसंयोगयुता मूर्ध्नि वर्गान्त्ययोगिभिः । स्पर्शैर्युतां च मन्यन्ते उपनागरिकां बुधाः ॥ शेषैर्वर्णैयथायोगं कथिता कोमलाख्या । ग्राम्यां वृत्तिं प्रशंसन्ति काव्येष्वद्भुतबुद्धयः ॥. The काव्यप्रकाश (VIII) first shows what combinations of letters are favourable to the gunas called माधुर्य, ओजस् and प्रसाद and then remarks that the उपनागरिकावृत्ति is constituted by letters that are indicative of mādhurya, परुषा by letters indicative of ojas and komalā (called ग्राम्या by some) by letters other than those indicative of माधुर्य and ओजस्. The काव्यप्रकाश notes that Vāmana and others regard उपनागरिका, परुषा and कोमला as the three rītis respectively called वैदर्भी, गौडी, पाञ्चाली (एतास्तिस्रो वृत्तयो वामनादीनां मते वैदर्भी गौडी पाञ्चालाख्या रीतयो मताः। काव्यप्र. IX. p. 498). Rudraṭa (II.

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4-6) speaks of four rītis वैदर्भी, पाञ्चाली, लाटीया and गौडीया based upon the absence of compounds or the presence of a few or many compounded words. Rudraṭa (II. 19) speaks of five vṛttis of अनुप्रास viz. मधुरा, प्रौढा, परुषा, ललिता and भद्रा, all of which are based on the employment of certain letters and conjunct consonants, and his मधुरा and परुषा are like उपनागरिका and परुषा of काव्यप्रकाश. But रुद्रट's use of them is restricted to अनुप्रास alone. The नाट्यशास्त्र (14.36) mentions four प्रवृत्तिs, आवन्ती, दाक्षिणात्या, पाञ्चाली, ओड्रमागधी and states that प्रवृत्ति¹ is concerned with the dress, languages and manners of various countries and that the दाक्षिणात्या प्रवृत्ति is constituted by plenty of dancing, singing and music and with Kaiśikī and abhinaya of the limbs which is clever, pleasing and delicate. The सर. क. (II. 3) includes रीति and वृत्ति among the 24 śabdālaṅkāras and then mentions six varieties of रीति (वैदर्भी, पाञ्चाली, गौडीया, आवन्तिका, लाटीया, मागधी) and six of वृत्ति (viz. कैशिकी and the other three plus मध्यमआरभटी and मध्यमकैशिकी). In this welter of conflicting views I should like to quote the काव्यमी. (III. p. 9) 'तत्र वेषविन्यासक्रमः प्रवृत्तिः, विलासविन्यासक्रमो वृत्तिः, वचनविन्यासक्रमो रीतिः'. सागरनन्दिन् (ना. ल .र. को. p. 44) adopts the words विलास...वृत्तिः and provides that भारतीवृत्ति is the aṅga of वैदर्भी, गौडीय and पाञ्चाल rītis (p. 52, lines 1231-33), सात्वती is an aṅga of पाञ्चाली (p. 55 line 1302), कैशिकी is an aṅga of वैदर्भी (p.

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57 line 1346) and आरभटी of गौडी (p. 58 line 1325). The विष्णुधर्मोत्तर (III. 20. 53-60) has to say that प्रवृत्तिs are the abode of वृत्तिs.