Kuntaka’s evaluation of Sanskrit literature
by Nikitha. M | 2018 | 72,578 words
This page relates ‘Styles or Margas’ 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.
3.6. Styles or Mārgas
[Full title: A brief sketch of the contents of Vakroktijīvita, (6): Styles or Mārgas]
Kuntaka also discussed about mārgas or styles by giving numerous examples. The word rīti is used by Vāmana in his Kāvyālaṅkārasūtravṛtti instead of the word mārga for denoting style.
According to Vāmana, unique composition of words is rīti and is divided in to three as vaidarbhī, gaudīyā and pāñcālī.
viśiṣṭā padaracanā rītiḥ /[1]
sā tredhā vaidarbhī, gaudīyā, pāñcālīceti /[2]
These divisions are given according to the places named Vidarba, Gauḍa, and Pāñcāla respectively. Vaidarbhī and gauḍī are the two styles accepted by Daṇḍin in his Kāvyādarśa. Both Vāmana and Daṇḍin also compare vaidarbhī as best, pāñcālī and gauḍīyā as inferior. Kuntaka objects these divisions because there must be endless styles depending on the endless places of this world. He also suggests that it is not proper to categorize the mārgas as good, mediocre and bad as each style has its own charm. There is no need to accept such compositions as poetry which has a little or no beauty at all.
After refuting the divisions of styles made by early rhetoricians Kuntaka establishes his own method.
santi tatra trayo mārgāḥ kaviprasthānahetavaḥ /
sukumāro vicitraśca madyamaścobayātmakaḥ //[3]
According to him there are three poetic styles, they are sukumāra (tender), vicitrā (variegated), and madhyamā (intermediary). Kuntaka opines that the poetic style is based on the nature of the poet and not on the places of the poet as opined by the early rhetoricians. The tender style is that which the master poet like Kālidāsa followed. Kuntaka compares the poets who move through the elegant or tender style as the bees moving through the forest full of blossomed flowers. He includes the poet Sarvasena and Kālidāsa also as the follower of the tender style.
Kuntaka says that the variegated style is the most difficult style and only some scholarly poets have been able to walk through it. Creation of poetry following this style is equal to the movements of warriors through the sharp edges of weapons. Here the unsatisfied poets add figures one after another for revealing their genius. The followers of it mentioned by Kuntaka are Bāṇabhaṭṭa, Bhavabhūti and Rājaśekhara. These poets who come under the category of intermediary style are those who would like to create poetry following both the elegant and brilliant styles. Kuntaka does not give a detailed description and the followers of this styles are Mātṛgupta, Māyurāja, Mañjīra. It is interesting to note that here we cannot find the categorization as good, mediocre and bad but the three styles mentioned by Kuntaka have their own unique beauty.
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
ibid,p.16.
[3]:
K. Krishnamoorthy, op.cit, p.40.