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Introduction Chapter I f —»%i PART 1 ^ J INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I 1.0 General Background 1.1 Date, life and works of PR 1.2 Researches already done 1.3 Scope of the present work I.O GENERAL BACKGROUND In the chronology of the text book writers of Sanskrit Poetics, the name of Panditaraja Jagannatha (•=PR) comes last. He, being nourished and brought out in the midst of the unbroken tradition of Sanskrit literary criticism, is the last star in the galaxy of the great rhetoricians to have made significant contributions towards the enhancement of poetic studies. Being the last, he enjoyed the privilege of recording, reviewing, refuting and re-appraising the various theories on Sanskrit poetics in his magnum-opus Rasagangadhara, (=RQ). With his unique acumen of refined skill, he has chosen the right tool of . Navyanyaya and has successfully employed too, the Navyanyaya technique to define his theories for unambiguous expression. Further, there are many a significant contribution of PR to Sanskrit poetics. In many occasions he differs from his predecessors substantially and fundamentally on some basic and important issues. Thus, to bring out his contribution to Sanskrit poetics in general and to Sanskrit literary criticism in particular, is the aim and objectives of the present work. It may be worth, to record here, the fact that 1 new-logic has influenced RG to a greater extent. This is precisely the reason why RQ has left a permanent impression in the mind of the Sanskrit literary critics, due to the accuracy and preciseness in its presentation. In spite of the fact that some researches are already done, still we do not have a particular work on RG that presents the specific contributions of Panditaraja. The doctrinal differences of RG from the earlier texts are also not presented in any work. Further, English Translation of RG is a long felt desideratum. Coming to present situation there are several books on History of Sanskrit poetics and study works on poetics but they are not specific. We have indeed a few works, dealing with the present work, still they are neither exhaustive nor systematic nor accurate except that of Prof. P. Sriramachandradu and few more. Finally, it is noticed that eventhough these labourious works do not avoid the problems inside the pages of text, still they Are lacking a proper analysis. We have a few Commentaries and some critical studies on RG to choose and base our study in a perfect manner. The concepts like the definition of the poetry, 2 the purpose, the cause, the classification* of poetry, the nature of Rasa, the Guna, the Dosa, the Bhava etc., are discussed in this text. The RG is a vast work and is presented in two anana's (parts) and our work is based on the first anana only. 3 1.1 DATE, LIFE AND WORKS OF PR As, it is already decided that PR belongs to last original writer in Sanskrit poetcs and some History books on Sanskrit poetics also declared his date without any doubt, therefore, we, aro not giving a repetition of PR's time as well as his life history. In the work of V.A.R. Sastri, it is clearly observed by the author and he has given three groups of rhetoricians to choose the proper time of PR. PR's elder contemporaries, close contemporaries and younger contemporaries *rm given in detail. Further, P.V. Kane is also very perfect to establish PR's time with great satisfication in his History of Sanskrit 2 poetics. On the basis of the earlier researches we can safely hold that PR flourished between 1390 A.D. to 1665 A.D. Life of PR: Alike his time, the life history also propounded by Some critics without any hesitation. Starting from his childhood to youth, where he got a chair of Delhi emperor as a court poet and then in Assam state etc., is given in detail. Though, Appayya Diksita, was a strong critic and a first rate rhetorician, yet PR refutes his work CM very sharply in his CHK. Basically, PR was a poet from southern part of India 4 but spent his most of the life in Northern India. Works of PR: PR is more known as an alantkarika. But at the same time, he was an able poet of his time. It may not be fair to compare him with poets like Kalidasa etc., but at the same time one must appreciate his skill in composing good poetry. As one can notice in the present work, he has utilised his own verses as illustrative example2s. It is generally accepted that RG is his last work. However, P.V. Kane tells that PR wrote CMK after RG. He tells that, the work RG breaks off in the midst of the figure uttara and the commentary of Nagesha Bhatta, who flourished only about 50 years after PR, extends only upto the same figure. It is not to be supposed that PR passes away in the midst of the task of composing the RG, because from the second introductory verse to his CMK, it 4 appears that he wrote the latter work after RG. In the CMK, PR directs the readers to refer the RQ for further details, specially for the udaharana a figure of speech. His verses are almost supported by alliteration and suggestive figures of speech and on his all works the verses are coming with very simple yet majestic and forcible style. "His mellifluous diction, his clear and pointed expressions, his weaving out poetry 5 from Sastric ideas and above all, his wide and de erudition coupled with his poetic imagination have K_ for him the position of a great poet in Sanskrit 1iterature". Really, he had a great fluentive power to produce such types of instance-verses as his RO carries all the examples, which *r^ composed by himself. In his itnroductory verses to RQ, PR declares that all the illustrative verses are his own and he has not borrowed a single verse from any others works. nirmayanutanamudaharananurupam Kavyam mayatra nihitam na parasya kincit, kirn sevyate sumanasam manasapi gandhah Kasturikajanana saktibhrta mrgena. It means all the examples given in R6, for understanding the sense of the contexts, are composed by PR. It proves that he had a strong caliber to produce varieties of poetries as he wanted and put them in their proper places. Beside RG, there are other works of PR, which are recorded here! There are five waves (pancalahari) which carry the devotional verses mostly and in the view of poetic critics, these five waves are countable under the uttama or may be uttamottama poetry group, by their 6 excellent senses and rhetoric sounds. Only by the author's imagination, there are such types of verses and we cannot tell them as ordinary like common works. PR himself calls these five small works as the main — 8 — suggestion of bhava. These five waves are; Sudha lahari, Amrtalahari, Gariga(piyusa) lahari, Laxmilahari and Karunalahari 1. Sudhalahari (=-SI_) This is a small muktaka type of poem, of 30 verses composed in the praise of Sun-God in Sragdhara metre. Out of 30, two verses are given as examples in RG. As a matter of fact, only one verse is 9 given as an example of madhyamakavya group in RG. Here, in this small work, "Sun-God is the protector of world"! i* described in the 3rd, 4th, ilth, 16th, 19th, 23rd and 27th verses. Again Sun is the devine tree (kalpataru) of his devotees, is given in the 3rd 10 verse. He is the life-giver of all who suffer from physical mental problems. Further Sun is the father 12 of two planets - Moon and Jupiter. Me can compare it with Suryasataka of flayurakavi, that the former preserves the latters brightness. 2. Amrtalahari( =AL) . Next to sudha lahari, it comes with full of devotional songs and some special poems of the holy river Yamuna. There are, in all eleven verses and out of them, 10 verses are for main theme and last one is poets colophon. Yamuna1ahari , the 7 other name of AL composed in sarduUvikridita metre. The first verse is a requisition verse to Goddess - 13 Yamuna. The natural flows of Yamuna water and its purity, who can save any body from severe sin, is 14 written in 7th verse. 3. Gangalahari (= GL) : It contains 52 verses, devoted to the prayer of Goddess riwer Ganga and the last verse at the end contains a phalasruti . This work also recorded as piyusalahari and there arm some 15 — 15 verses, quoted in RG. The style of this lahari is very simple. 4. Karuna-lahari («KL) This is a poem of 65 verses in viyogini metre in praise of lord Visnu. It is also named as Visnulahari. In the introduction of Bha minivilasa , the author says that KL is of sixty verses. Till today, only 55 verses are available. 5. Laxmilahari (=LL) Goddess Laxmi is praised in this poem in 41 verses in Sikharini. Only one verse is quoted as an example verse in RG, from this lahari. This is a laborious work that the narrations of each and every parts of Laxmi is given here as the eye- corner, shining nails, ankles, deep and round navel, breasts, heart, four hands etc., are for real instances. 6. Asafavilasa (=Avi) This is an akhyayika and from its first passage and two verses, we know that PR was the patronage of 8 king Asafa in the time of Jahangir and Shah Jehan. This is a very small one of two paragraphs and two verses only, hardly have any liteary merits.
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