Indian Aesthetics

 Hello readers! This blog is written in response to a thinking activity assigned by Dilip Barad sir, Department of English, MKBU. In this blog I am going to write about Indian Poetics. We had an expert lecture of famous gujarati poet, writer and literary critic Vinod Joshi sir from 5th to 13th January 2023. He taught Indian Poetics to us. He discussed various schools of Indian Poetics like Rasa, Dhvani, Auchitya, Vakrokti, Riti and Alankar. 

Introduction:

Indian aesthetics is a unique philosophical and spiritual point of view on art, architecture and literature. Indian Aesthetics is all about analysis of literature especially Poetries. There are several chief Indian Aesthetics & Poetics who introduced the various theories which we used alot in our literature. The prosperous tradition of Indian aesthetics is said to have begun from Bharat Muni in and around the 1st century.

As there is ‘Western Criticism’ and can be called ‘Poetics’ as a proper canon, similarly, in Sanskrit there is a particular canon of Sanskrit Criticism which is usually bannered as ‘Kavya Mimamsa’ and which acts like an umbrella for various schools developed by scholarly thinkers. In Indian Aesthetics, there are various schools and each of them tries to elaborate the significant part of poetics. 

1.Rasa theory by Bharata

2. Dhvani theory by Anandvardhan

3. Vakrokti theory by Kuntaka

4. Alankara by Bhamah

5. Riti by Vaman

6. Ramaniyata by Jagganatha 

1) Rasa Theory:

The Rasa theory originates with Bharata in Natyashastra. It claims that the object or meaning that is sought to be conveyed in literary composition is in the nature of an emotional effect of diverse human experience on man's mind and heart. Bharata has given the formula Kehtak has defined Rasa. The most personal thing in the world is 'ભાવ'. The emotion is natural. We experience emotions without language but when we think about something then we need a language.

Rasa are created Bhavas means State of mind. According to Bharat, to understand Indian literary criticism, it is significant to understand the connection of "Bhava"(emotion) and "Language". Bhava is the first thing with which humans are connected since birth, also each and every animal has Bhava. But language is something which 

Synopsis of Bharata's Natyashastra is:

विभावानुभावव्यभिचारी संयोगात रसनिष्पत्ति:।

अर्थात: ભાવ, વિભાવ, અનુભાવ, તથા વ્યભિચારી ભાવના સંયોગથી રસનિષ્પત્તિ થાય છે.

1) Vibhav:

The reason through which Rasa comes out is called Vibhav. There are two types of vibhav

1. Aalamban Vibhava ~ inclined

2. Uddipana Vibhava ~ stimulus / catalyst

Uddipana is also very much needed in life. Poet Kalidasa composed Uddipana to evoke the feeling of love in Kehtake. 

2) Anubhav:

Nothing happens from action, everything happens from reaction. Anubhava is followed by action.

An event of Kalidasa's Kumarasambhava, Parvati dances. शैलाधिराज तनया...

In साहित्य दर्पण, It is said that, Rasa is emerged when Sthayi bhavas are combined with Vibhav, Anubhav and Vyabhicharibhav. So, before understanding Rasa Sutra, Let's first try to look at the Sthayi Bhavas:

3) Sthayi Bhav:

Sthayi Bhava is explained by Bharata through commentary. आहार निद्रा भय मैथुनश्च। Bharata has described eight emotions. Mammat introduced the ninth rasa. Sthayi bhavas are those bhavas which we can't prevent from coming out as an expression. We can control these bhavas, we can increase and decrease the immensity of its expression. સ્થિરભાવ is shown as સ્થાયીભાવ.

श्रृंगार करुण वीर रौद्र हास्य भयानक

बिभत्यद्भुत शान्तश्च नव नाट्ये रासा: स्मृता ।।

अर्थात्: ખેવના, ચીવટ, દાનત, તાત્પર્ય, એકાગ્રતા, જિજ્ઞાસા તમે જે કલા શીખો છો તેની દ્રષ્ટિ પરખવાની હોવી જોઇએ.

સ્થાયીભાવ:

રતી - શૃંગાર 

શોક - કરુણ 

ઉત્સાહ - વીર 

ક્રોધ - રૌદ્ર

હાસ - હાસ્ય 

ભય - ભયાનક 

જુગુપ્સા (ચિતરી) - બિભત્સ્ય

વિસ્મય - અદભુત 

શમ - શાંત 

Bhatt Lollat:

Bhatta Lollat says, "Interest does not exist, interest has to be produced." How is interest generated? In the play, the interest is through the character. Bhatta Lollat's entire argument is known as derivationalism(ઉત્પતીવાદ)

Shree Shankunk:

Shree Shakuk countered Lollat’s opinion that there is no rasa and rasa is neither created nor generated, rasa is only perceived or inferred. This supposition or perception are of four types:

1.   True conviction (યથાર્થ પ્રતીતિ)
2.    False conviction (મિથ્યા પ્રતીતિ)
3.  Suspicious conviction (સંશય પ્રતીતિ)
4.   Similar conviction (સાદૃશ્ય પ્રતીતિ)

Bhatt Nayak:

He has given the principle of normalization (સાધરણીકરણ). When Nut feels the feelings of the original character in himself and the audience also feels this feeling through Nut, it is called generalization. The intensity of the perception of interest increases as that interest is enjoyed. There is no conviction until interest is experienced.

Abhinav Gupta:

"પ્રકાશાનંદમય જ્ઞાનની પ્રતીતિ, અનુભૂતિ કરાવે તેનું નામ રસ"

 Abhinavagupta counter argued to all three scholars that Rasa is generated only when the nut-nuty, the audience and the creator predict bhavas and engrossed in that bhavas. It is not enough to enjoy but churning should be done. Tastes and juices are different. Chew it and feel the sensation when it is absorbed.

2) Dhvani Theory:

'Shabda’(letter) + ‘Arth’(Meaning)= Dhvani

જેમાં શબ્દ અને અર્થ ગૌણ બની જાય અને જે પર્તિયમાન અર્થ પ્રગટે તેને ઘ્વનિ કહે છે. 

Dhvani theory was coined by Anandvardhan in his book dhvanyaloka. Motion is the cause of Dhavani. Dhvanyaloka’ itself is a huge compendium of poetry and poetics styles. The medium of literature is language. But why is criticism possible without linguistics? Words have no meaning. Meaning is imputed. The joy of literature comes to us through its fulfilling Dhvani.

In the beginning of Raghuvansh, Kalidasa says that,

वागर्थाविव सम्पृक्तौ वागर्थप्रतिपत्तये ।

जगतः पितरौ वन्दे पार्वतीपरमेश्वरौ ॥

Here Kalidas gives importance to the combination of Shabda and Artha by comparing it with the couple Lord Shiva and Parvati.

Abhidha:

"શબ્દ અને અર્થ એ બંને સાથે હોવા જોઈએ, એ બંને એક જ છે." (આનંદવર્ધન)

Abhidha which gives the Direct meaning while reading. It gives real meaning. Literature is the combination of words and meaning. 

Lakshana:

When we can’t take direct meaning or any sentence, text or anything and we have to take nearer or another interpretation is called as Lakshana. 

Vyanjana: 

When there is a direct meaning or we don’t have to interpret this basic meaning and take another meaning, it is called Vyanjana.

Ex. મીઠા મધુને મીઠા મેહુલા રે લોલ એથી મીઠી છે મોરી માત રે 

Pratiyman:

જેમાં શબ્દ અને અર્થ ગૌણ બની જાય અને જે પ્રતીયમાન અર્થ પ્રગટે તેને ધ્વનિ કહેવાય.

This pratiyaman artha is that When there is nothing described and we understand it by hidden meaning. So Anandvardhan describes this hidden meaning as Dhvani.

For example:

અંધારું થયું:

- વચ્યાર્થ - પ્રકાશ ચાલ્યો ગયો.

- પ્રતીયમાન અર્થ - કોઈનું મૃત્યુ થયું.

3) Vakrokti:

शब्‍दार्थौ सहितौ वक्र कवि व्‍यापारशालिनि।

बन्धे व्‍यवस्थितौ काव्‍यं तद्विदाह्लादकारिणी।।

Kuntaka is known as the originator of this Sanskrit literary theory. Vakrokti is a theory of poetry which perceives poetry essentially in terms of the language of its expressions. Kuntaka was remembered for his work Vakroktijīvitam in which he postulates the Vakrokti Siddhānta or theory of Oblique Expression, which he considers as the hallmark of all creative literature. Vakrokti gives charm to language and thus to the Literature. For example,

Ex - 

અમે વળીને જોયું અને તમે વળ્યા વાક,

ગલીનો હોય કે પછી નજરનો છે વાક.

There is a Six types of Vakrokti:

1. Varn Vinyas Vakrata 
2. Padpurvardh Vakrata 
3. Padparardh Vakrata
4. Vakya Vakrata
5. Prakran Vakrata
6. Prabandh Vakrata 

4) Alamkara:

Bhamah has discussed Alankara in detail in his book “Alankarshstra ''. Alankar generally means Ornaments. Here we talk about ornaments of literature. In most of the literary art we will find so many examples of these ornaments applied to the language. Second and third chapters of Kavyalankara deal with 35 figures of speech.

Ex-

" નાહ્યા પછી નખ કુણા

સખી રે, મારા સાજન છે એવા સલોણા"

"બીજ માંથી સીધી પૂનમ લય ને 

સહેજ પાપણ નમેલી ખોલી નાખ"

Types of Alamkara:

Arthalamkara

Shbdalamkara

Vastava (Realistic)

Swdt (Eluviation)

Anupamaya (Comparison)

Slesh (paronomasia)

Astisaya (Exaggeration)

Citra (Pectoris)

Slesa (Coalescence)

Yamaka (Repetition)

Anuprasa (Alliteration):

Mammata enumerates sixty-one figures and groups them into seven types like…

1. Upma(simile)
2. Rupaka(Metaphor)
3. Aprastuta Prasmsa(Indirect decription)
4. Dipaka(Stringed figures)
5. Vyatreka(Dissimilitude)
6. Virodha(Contradiction)
7. Samuccaya(Concatenation)

5) Aucitya:

Kshemendra is the founder of Auchitya School. The other nearest meaning of this word is' Perfect' or we can also say 'Complete'. Kshemendra made aucitya spine elements of literature. He defines aucitya as the property of an expression being an exact and appropriate analogue of the expressed. In literature, Auchitya plays a vital role. If Auchitya is missing in the work of art then that work of art will not be able to create that much effect. And for that it is compulsory that the meaning or we can say that the words used by the author must be conventional. The theory of property or appropriateness claims that in all aspects of literary composition.

6) Riti:

रीतिरात्मा काव्यस्य ; विशिष्टापदरचना रीति: |

Riti is the way of presentation or the style of presentation. He is one who developed it into a theory of “Vishista Padrracana” . Riti is a formation of arrangement of marked inflected constructions. While discussing this theory, Sir referred to Shakespeare's drama and also explained in detail on four major Styles of Writing-

1. Vaidarbhi
2. Panchali
3.  Gaudiya
4.  Lati

Words - 1,503

Images -  3