काव्यमीमांसा (महाकवि राजशेखर - कवि-रहस्य एवं देश-विभाग सटीक)

XXXVI INTRODUCTION.
on the Himālayas with the desire of having a son. Pleased with
her penance, Brahmā gave her a son, afterwards called the Kāvya-
purusha. It was from him that metrical speech first originated.
Word and meaning make up his body, the different languages his
limbs. Sentiment is his soul, and figures of speech are his orna-
ments. Once upon a time, while Sarasvatī was going to the celes-
tial assembly as a judge, the Kāvyapurusha persisted in following
her. In order to prevent him, Bhavānī created Sāhityavidyā-
vadhū as his bride and asked her to follow him. The bride had to
adopt various sorts of dress and dramatic devices to win him. The
Kāvyapurusha was gradually captivated by her, and at the end of
the journey, he was wholly won over. The pair was then married
in Vatsagulma by the Gāndharva marriage. The different kinds
of dress and the dramatic modes adopted by Sāhityavidyāvadhū in
different countries are imitated by the people of those parts.
The literary court of a king-poet.¹ The king-poet should
have a special chamber for testing literary compositions. The
chamber should have sixteen pillars, four doors and eight turrets.
The pleasure-house should be attached to this chamber. In
the middle of the chamber there should be an altar one hand high
with four pillars and jewelled floor. Here the king should take
his seat. On its northern side should be seated Sanskrit poets and
behind them Vaidikās, logicians, Paurānikās, Smārtās, physicians,
astrologers and such others ; on the eastern side the Prākṛita poets,
and behind them actors, dancers, singers musicians, bards and
such others ; on the western side the vernacular poets and behind
them painters, jewel-setters, jewellers, goldsmiths, carpenters,
blacksmiths and such others ; and on the southern side Paiśācha
1 राजा कविः कविसमाजं विदधीत । राजनि कवौ सर्वो लोकः कविः स्यात् । स काव्यपरीक्षायै
सभां कारयेत् । सा षोडशभिः स्तम्भैश्चतुर्भिर्द्वारैरष्टभिर्मत्तवारणीभिरुपेता स्यात् । तदनुलग्नं राज्ञः केलिगृहम् ।
मध्येसभां चतुःस्तम्भान्तरा हस्तमात्रोत्सेधा समणिभूमिका वेदिका । तस्यां राजासनम् । तस्य चोत्तरतः संस्कृताः
कवयो निविशेरन् । बहुभाषाकवित्वे यो यत्राधिकं प्रवीणः स तेन व्यपदिश्यते । यस्त्वनेकत्र प्रवीणः स सङ्क्रम्य
तत्र तत्रोपविशेत् । ततः परं वेदविद्याविदः प्रामाणिकाः पौराणिकाः स्मार्त्ता भिषजो मौहूर्तिका अन्येऽपि तथा-
विधाः । पूर्वेण प्राकृताः कवयः; ततः परं नटनर्तकगायनवादकवाग्जीवनकुशीलवतालान्वचरा अन्येऽपि तथा-
विधाः । पश्चिमेनापभ्रंशिनः कवयः; ततः परं चित्रलेप्यकृतो माणिक्यबन्धका वैकटिकाः स्वर्णकारवर्धकिलोहकारा
अन्येऽपि तथाविधाः । दक्षिणतो भूतभाषाकवयः; ततः परं भुजङ्गगणिकाः प्लवकशौभिकजम्भकमल्लाः शस्त्रोप-
जीविनोऽन्येऽपि तथाविधाः । तत्र यथासुखमासीनः काव्यगोष्ठीं प्रवर्तयेत् भावयेत् परीक्षेत च । p. p. 54-55.