Kuntaka’s evaluation of Sanskrit literature
by Nikitha. M | 2018 | 72,578 words
This page relates ‘Purpose of poetry according to Kuntaka’ of the study on the evaluation of Sanskrit literature with special reference to Kuntaka and his Vakroktijivitam from the 10th century CE. This study reveals the relevance of Sanskrit poetics in the present time and also affirms that English poetry bears striking features like six figurativeness taught by Kuntaka in his Vakroktijivita, in which he propounds the vakrokti school of Sanskrit literary criticism.
3.1. Purpose of poetry according to Kuntaka
[Full title: A brief sketch of the contents of Vakroktijīvita, (1): Purpose of poetry according to Kuntaka]
There was no information about Vakroktijīvita for a long time but for some quotations and references found in some poetics texts like Alaṅkārasarvasva of Ruyyaka and Sāhityadarpaṇa of Viśvanātha Kavirāja. In 1923 Dr. S.K. De published the first two unmeṣas of the text. The next two unmeṣas were also published by him in 1928[1]. Vakroktijīvita is the only available work of Kuntaka. It is divided in to four chapters named unmeṣas. As most of other poetical texts, it is also written in the form of kārikā, vṛtti and udāharaṇa taken from various sources. In the first unmeṣa, Kuntaka has elaborated the basic concepts of poetry like its definition and purpose with a brief introduction to vakrokti and its six varieties. The second unmeṣa deals with detailed study of the first three varieties of vakratā. Vākyavakratā is elaborated in the third unmeṣa. The last two types of vakratā are explained in detail in the fourth unmeṣa.
Most of the Sanskrit poetic works discuss about the purpose of poetry, cause of poetry, definition of poetry etc. in detail. Kuntaka has given three verses for explaining the purposes of poetry in the first chapter.
The first one is as follows:
dharmādisādhanopāyaḥ sukumārakramoditaḥ kāvyabandhobhijātānām hṛdayāhlādakārakaḥ/[2]
“A poetic composition created with an eye to beauty is not only a means for the inculcation of values like righteousness, but also a delight to the hearts of the elite.”[3]
According to Kuntaka, one of the purposes of poetic composition is to delight and instruct the princes as they are the future protectors of their country. Since they enjoy many luxuries, they may be reluctant to understand the ethics and morality by studying difficult śāstras. But they would be interested in reading poetry due to its simplicity and attractiveness. They easily imbibe the values of life-like righteousness, wealth, enjoyment and liberation by reading poetry. Thus poetry helps in shaping their character. So a good poet should include the values of life like righteousness, wealth, enjoyment and emancipation in their compositions; otherwise it will be a mere pleasurable pastime to the princes. Though there are numerous śāstras giving values of life, their presentation is not as inspiring as in poetry because poetry delights and instructs the people simultaneously.
The second verse runs as follows:
vyavahāraparispandasaundaryam vyavahāribhiḥ satkāvyādhigamādeva nūtanaucityamāpyate/ /[4]
“Participants in the affairs of life can come to appreciate the beauty of life-activity in a new light, viz. an appropriate pattern imposed by the poet, only by means of good poetry.”[5]
Through this second purpose of poetry, Kuntaka says that a poet should include in his poetic composition, the good conduct to be practiced by the ministers and other members associated with the king, at the time of explaining the moral values of a king. Such portrayal of good conduct would really help the readers to understand the proper behavior of people belonging to different categories.
Yet another one is given below:
caturvargaphalāsvādamapyatikramya tadvidām kāvyāmṛtarasenāntaścamatkāro vitanyate//[6]
“Apart from the enjoyment of the benefits of the four-fold values, there is the immediate sense of delight produced in the reader as a result of his enjoying the nectar of poetry.”[7]
Here Kuntaka says that apart from attainment of the four-fold aims of life, the primary function of poetry is the inner delight of readers. The readers enjoy the nectar of poetry. Kuntaka also says that everyone cannot do this and only those who have an aesthetic sense can enjoy it. The instructions laid down in śāstras are difficult to understand but poetry gives sudden delight to the readers, which gives poetry a higher position than the śāstras.
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
K. Krishnamoorthy, op.cit,p.3, In all the chapters metrical verses and their translations and also most of the illustrative verses are taken from K. Krishnamoorthy, Vakrokti-jīvita of Kuntaka.
[3]:
ibid,p.289.
[4]:
ibid,p.4.
[5]:
ibid,p.290.
[6]:
ibid,p.5.
[7]:
ibid,p.291.