On Genre and the Lyrical Tendency in the History of Sanskrit Poetics

39 ■ Article ■ On Genre and the Lyrical Tendency in the History of Sanskrit Poetics ● Mari Hattori 1. Introduction The notion of the lyrical as a subtype of poetry is not a basic feature of Sanskrit poetics as it is in some other traditions. As Lienhard has noted, "Indians did not divide poetry into three categories that we are familiar with, i.e., lyrical, epic and dramatic" [Lienhard 1984: 45]. The term 'lyrical' is still useful, however, in application to Sanskrit poetry if the evoking of rasa (aesthetical mood), which is brought about only through suggestive expression, is a prominent goal. I use the words `epic' and 'lyric' or 'lyrical' in the sense mentioned by Lienhard: "The main purpose of lyrical poetry was to affect the sense of the reader by suggestion. While epic poetry created art on a large scale and, by its very nature, aimed at painting a broad canvas, in short poems detailed descriptions and suggestive techniques formed an ideal combination which, aided by the format itself, endeavored to attain perfection even in the smallest elements of the poem" [Lienhard 1984: 63]. Lyric is a style that became increasingly widespread in the history of Sanskrit poetry. 服部真理 Mari Hattori, Research Student, Department of Indian Studies, Graduate School of Letters, Nagoya University. Subject: Sanskrit Poetics. Articles: "The Guna in Vamana's Kavyalankarasutravrtti", in Nagoya Studies in Indian Culture and Buddhism: Sambhasa, vol. 21, 2001, pp. 45-53. "Semantic Aspects of Vamana's Poetics" (in Japanese) , in Studies in the History of Indian Thought (Indo-Shisdshi Kenkyu), 13, 2001, pp. 22-37. 40 Journal of the Japanese Association for South Asian Studies, 15, 2003 In contrast to the European classification of genres, in Sanskrit literature the lyrical tendency was a general feature of kavya poetry and not the differentia of a particular type of kavya. Lienhard described the background of kavya and pointed out the difference between the `smaller poem' (laghukavya) and the 'grand poetry' (mahakavya): "laghukavya , which is the older form of poetry, may have developed directly out of the lyrical beginnings described above, [but] the devel- opment of the major form, mahakavya, was not at all so simple. The long poem, also called sargabandha, was rather the result of a long period of assimilation which united the epic and lyrical traditions. Epic elements, which carry the action forward in a logical manner, are prominent in older mahakavyas such as Mvaghosa's poetry; in later long poems, however, they are largely replaced by the lyrical tenden- cies inherent in the concentrated stanzas of the minor form to such a large extent that laghukavya and mahakavya came to resemble each other" [Lienhard 1984: 63]. Taking up the idea of the lyrical tendency of kavyas mentioned by Lienhard, this paper intends to show how this tendency of kavyas is related to the explanation of genres or that of poetry in the Sanskrit poetics (alarikeiras'astras). Firstly, I will discuss the role of genre, which is characteristic in Sanskrit literature.2) Secondly, I will extend the observation in the context of poetics with special reference to the Kavyiidaria (KA) of Dan. d in, written in the 7th century, and the Kavyalankarasfitra (KAS) and Kavyalankiirasfitravrtti (KASV) of Vdmana, written in the 8th century. Thirdly, I will point out how we can see an echo of this characteristic in the later poetics. In conclusion, I will mention the relation between the lyrical tendency and the later poetics, which emphasizes more abstract concepts such as 'rasa' rather than 'figures of speech' (alankara) and so on. 2. Role of genre in Sanskrit poetics Chari points out, "At any rate, it may safely be asserted that literary criticism in Sanskrit is not predominantly a genre-oriented criticism, in spite of the recognition by critics of many formal divisions of literature" [Chari 1995: 63]. He presents a clear analysis of the varieties of genres and sub-genres of kavyas made by Sanskrit poeticians, that is, On Genre and the Lyrical Tendency in the History of Sanskrit Poetics 41 those based on the distinction between "the literature that is meant to be read or heard (Sravya) and that meant to be enacted (drslya)" , those based on the distinction between "verse and prose", those based on the distinction between "short and long", and those based on the distinction of the subject whether it is "fictitious or drawn from historical or legendary source". He then argues that "the genre concept itself was not applied as general criterion of evaluation. There is no rigorous application of the criteria appropriate to each genre, no evaluation of work as being 'good of its kind.' In their theoretical excursions as well, the overriding concern of these critics is with their respective doctrinal standpoints - figuration, style, suggestion, deviant expression, rasa, and so forth - in terms of which they sought to define the nature of literature. From this, one might hazard the conclusion that the theory of genres or formal categories did not play a crucial role in the Sanskrit theory of literature, as it did in Western criticism" [Chari 1995: 74]. After indicating that an aesthetic character such as style (riti), which specifies the nature of work, is not sufficient as a criteria to identify the genre of Sanskrit literature because "it does not yet give us any notion of the distinct pleasure that it communicates, or, more accurately, of the meaning components that communicate that pleasure", Chari con- cludes that "the rasa doctrine seems to offer not only the best definition of the literary art, but a more satisfactory basis for distinguishing between kinds of aesthetic effects and consequently for generic distinc- tions" [Chari 1995: 75]. Keeping in view the "notion of the meaning components that communicate that pleasure" which is necessary when we deal with the classification of Sanskrit literature proposed by Chari, let us consider the point of "distinct pleasure" that we can find in the explanations of genres of literature by Dandin and Vamana. I use the term 'distinct pleasure' to refer to the very point in a poem where the charm or beauty comes. They emphasize either 'figures of speech' (alankara) or `style' WO , rather than 'rasa', as the essential factor that enhances poetry, but we can still see the point of the 'distinct pleasure' when they discuss the genres of kavyas. 42 Journal of the Japanese Association for South Asian Studies, 15, 2003 3. Classification of genres in the KA, KAS and KASV The following passages illustrate the classification of kavyas mentioned in the KA. padyam gadyam ca mis"ram ca tat tridhaiva vyavasthitam. / padyam catuspadi tac ca vrttam jeitir iti dvidhall (KA 1.11). "This (the body of kavya) is of exactly thre e kinds: verse, prose, and mixed. The verse is a stanza of four lines and it (the verse) is of two kinds, vrtte and jati.4) chandovicityam sakalas tatprapanco nidarsitah.I seividya naur viviksiinam gambhFram kavyaseigaramll (KA 1.12). "The details of these are all mentioned in the Chandoviciti.5) The knowledge (of this book) is a ship for those who wish to enter into the deep ocean in the form of kavya." muktakam kulakam kosah samgheita iti tadriah. / sargabandham- s'arfupatvdd anuktah padyavistarah// (KA 1.13). "Variation of metrical poetry , such as muktaka,6) kulaka,7) kosa,8) and samgheita,9)is not mentioned because of the fact that they are part of the composition in cantos (sargabandha)." apadah padasantano gadyam dkhydyikei katheiliti tasya prabhedau dvau . // (KA 1.23abc). "Prose is a succession of words which is not divided into quarters . It (prose) has the two varieties of dkhydyika10)and katha.11) mis'rani natakadini tesam anyatra vistarahl gadyapadyamayi kacic cam- par ity abhidhiyate II (KA. 1.31). "Mixed compositions are the drama') and so on . Their detailed explanation will be [shown] in another place. There is a certain [mixed composition] containing prose and verse, called campu." Here in KA 1.13, we can see that the KA has treated each variety of verses as a part of `sargabandha' . After this passage, Dandin explains `sargabandha' in detail , where we can see his concern with composition of a work as a whole. sargabandho mandkavyam ucyate tasya laksanam/ asir namaskriya vastunirdeso vapi tanmukham// (KA 1.14). itihasakathodbhutam itarad va sadasrayam / On Genre and the Lyrical Tendency in the History of Sanskrit Poetics 43 caturvargaphalayattam caturodattanayakam // (KA 1.15). nagardrnavasailartucandrarkodayavarnanaih / udyanasalilakrTddmadhupanaratotsavaih // (K A 1.16). vipralambhair vibhilhais"ca kumarodayavarnanaih I mantradfitaprayandjindyakabhyudayair api // (KA 1.17). alamkrtam asamksiptam rasabhavanirantaram I sargair anativistirnaih iravyavrttaih susamdhibhih// (KA 1.18). sarvatra bhinnavrttantair upetam lokaranjanam / kavyam kalpantarasthayi jayate sadalamkrti // (KA 1.19). "Composition in cantos is grand poetry (mahakavya) and its definition is as follows: Its opening is benediction, salutation, or table of contents. It (mahakavya) takes its plot from historical leg- end or story or based on a fact. It adheres to the attainment of four ends of human life. It has a wise and noble hero. It (mandkavya) should be embellished with the description of a city, the ocean, a mountain, seasons, moonrise, and sunrise; and with [the description of] a garden, play in the water, drinking wine, and the joy of love- making; the sorrow of separated lovers, a wedding, and with the description of birth of a son, and also with [the description of] a king's council, an embassy, the marching forth of an army, a battle, and the victory of a hero.n) It (mahiikavya) should not be con- densed; it should be filled with rasa (aesthetical mood) and bhava (emotion) without interruption; and endowed with cantos that are not too lengthy, with metres agreeable to the ear, with nice joints, and with different metres in the end [of the cantos]; such a kavya endowed with good figures of speech, satisfying people, lasts to another kalpa." The above passages show how each element of description is necessary for a composition in cantos.

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