A History of Sanskrit Literature c25.s2.35

c25.s2.35

Rudraṭa, who wrote before 900 and probably in the earlier part of the ninth century, the *Kāvyālaṁkāra*,¹ in sixteen chapters of Āryā verses, makes no innovation in theory, but belongs essentially to the school which, without scientific investigation, accepted as its duty the enumeration of figures. He seeks to divide figures on the base of sound and sense, and then to subdivide on principles of his own; under those of sound he classes figures on the basis of equivocation (*vakrokti*), paronomasia (*çleṣa*), pictorial effects (*citra*), alliteration and Yamakas; those of sense are based on reality, similitude, hyperbole, and coalescence. This results in a repetition of some figures under different heads, and his plan of division received no general acceptance, though Mammaṭa adopted some of his figures, and his new interpretation of Vakrokti as an equivoke based on paronomasia or intonation (*kāku*), though rejected by Hemacandra, prevails from Mammaṭa onwards over the wider sense of Daṇḍin or the narrower interpretation as a figure based on similitude of Vāmana. He generalizes and extends the manners of Udbhaṭa, in whom they seemed to be restricted to alliterative effects, by laying down five manners of letters (*varṇa*), sweet, harsh, pompous, dainty (*lalitā*), and excellent (*bhadrā*). But he accepts also the styles, Rītis, of Vāmana, though under the influence of Bhāmaha we find them looked at in a new light. They now number four, and the distinction is based on the use of compounds. The Vaidarbhī has none, verbal prefixes not ranking as compounding elements. Pāñcālī compounds up to three words, Lāṭīyā five to seven, and Gauḍīyā any number. His debt to Daṇḍin is seen in his dealing at great length with Yamakas and developing the idea of Citra, tricks in poetic form, such as Māgha declares to distinguish poetry in his day, but which Bhāmaha and Udbhaṭa ignore, while Udbhaṭa also passes over Yamakas. A novel feature is the introduction in four chapters of the theory of sentiment which, however, is in no wise brought into vital connexion with his subject, but stands in a merely formal collocation. He recognizes ten sentiments, adding the feelings of calm and friendship to the traditional list.