काव्यालङ्कार (आचार्य भामह - भारतीय काव्यशास्त्र एवं अलङ्कार-सिद्धान्त मूल महाग्रन्थ सटीक)

14 BHĀMAHĀLAṄKĀRA
give several divisions of काव्य. First he gives a
twofold classification, then a threefold, both in
this verse, then a fourfold classification in the next
verse and a fivefold classification in the next after
that. The twofold classification of काव्य is into गद्यं and
पद्यं Prose and poetry to which Daṇḍin adds a third
one—मिश्रं Mixed Prose and poetry under which are to
be included the नाटक literature and the चम्पू literature.
The threefold classification is made from the point
of view of the language into संस्कृत, प्राकृत and अपभ्रंश
to which also Daṇḍin adds a fourth one viz., मिश्रं.
संस्कृतं lit., the perfect, is the language of the gods,
scientifically regulated by great sages like Pāṇini
and Patañjali. प्राकृतं is directly descended of and a
corruption of Sanskrit. अपभ्रंश is the dialect of cow-
herds, shepherds, huntsmen and barbaric tribes, a
still more gross corruption of Sanskrit. मिश्रं men-
tioned by Daṇḍin is a mixture of one or more of the
above languages. For a clearer idea of this clas-
sification note the following extract from Daṇḍin’s
Kāvyādarśa :—
तदेतद्वाङ्मयं भूयः संस्कृतं प्राकृतं तथा ।
अपभ्रंशश्च मिश्रं चेत्याहुरायाश्चतुर्विधम् ॥
संस्कृतं नाम दैवी वागन्वाख्याता महर्षिभिः ।
तद्भवस्तत्समो देशीत्यनेकः प्राकृतक्रमः ॥
महाराष्ट्रियाश्रयां भाषां प्रकृष्टं प्राकृतं विदुः ।
सागरः सूक्तिरत्नानां सेतुबन्धादि यन्मयम् ॥