A History of Sanskrit Literature c25.s2.30

c25.s2.30

Vāmana's treatment of figures is important for his reduction of their importance as elements in poetry; the qualities are vital, the figures not: they are related rather to the body, word and meaning, of poetry than to the style which is the soul. Further, he insists that the simile lies at the bottom of all figures and to achieve this result has to omit various figures, in addition to those above mentioned, such as Udātta, Paryāyokta, and Sūkṣma, while others he defines differently. Vakrokti to him is a special mode of metaphorical expression, not the generic term for all figurative speech as in Daṇḍin.