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

INTRODUCTION. XIX
Rājaśekhara goes a step further and declares that the science
of poetics leads the way to emancipation or Mokṣa, and as such
its status is not different from the six systems of philosophy. In
the third or the last Adhyāya of the introduction, Rājaśekhara
shows how emancipation can be obtained by poets and how they
can experience immense bliss and freedom from worldly troubles,
through the correct understanding of the Sāhityavidyā and
Kāvyapuruṣa, which are primarily designed for the emancipation
of man. The systems of philosophy advocate the real knowledge
of Dharma or Brahman as means of obtaining salvation; even
so, the correct knowledge of Kāvyapuruṣa, the son of Brahman
and Sarasvatī, leads to the realisation of Brahman and the
consequential emancipation from the chain of existence.
To return to the subject matter, the third chapter treats of
the origin of the Kāvyapuruṣa, his connection with Kavi, Vālmīki
and Vyāsa, his marriage with Sāhityavidyā, his wanderings with
her throughout India, the creation of Vṛttis, Pravṛttis and Rītis at
different places and the resolve of the couple to reside permanently
in the minds of poets. While concluding the chapter, the author
declares that those poets who become immortal by virtue of their
compositions enjoy eternal bliss in heaven in a divine form; and
those who can realise the Kāvyapuruṣa, obtain emancipation both
here and hereafter.¹
As has been said already, the subject-matter of the first
Adhikaraṇa or the Kavirahasya commences from the fourth chapter
and may be sub-divided under three broad heads: (1) the equip-
ments necessary for a poet, (2) the rules to be observed by him,
(3) and the methods harmful to him. The first subject is treated
of in six chapters (4–9) where such topics as Padavākyaviveka,
Pāṭhapratiṣṭhā, Kāvyārthayoni, and Arthavyāpti are dealt with.
The second subject as stated above is covered by the tenth
chapter which is one of the most interesting chapters of the
Kavirahasya. This chapter commences with the remark² that

1. Cf. तयोश्च कविलोकस्वर्गसर्गं तमकल्पयेताम् । यत्र काव्यमयेन शरीरेण मर्त्यमपिवसन्तो दिव्येन
   देहेन कवय आकल्पं मोदन्ते ।
   इत्येष काव्यपुरुषः पुरा सृष्टः स्वयंभुवा । एवं विभज्य जानानः प्रेत्य चेह च नन्दति ॥ p. 10.
2. Cf. इत्थंकारं घनैर्यत्नैर्व्युत्पन्नमनसः कवेः । दुर्गमेऽपि भवेन्मार्गे कुण्ठिता न सरस्वती ॥
   गृहीतविद्योपविधः काव्यक्रियायै प्रयतेत । p. 49.

XX INTRODUCTION.
when a poet is armed with all the equipments necessary as pointed
out previously, he may commence to write and while doing so,
observe certain rules of discipline. Thereafter, in the same chapter
the routine to be followed by a poet for all the twenty four hours
is given along with certain secret hints, which may be found very
instructive. Among others, this chapter lays down that (i) a poet
should not read his composition to others so long as it is in an
incomplete stage; (ii) he should not be vain on account of his
good composition; (iii) he should obtain the opinion of his
superiors on his own composition before publication; (iv) he
should not create an enmity with impostrous poets ( v ) and he
should prepare several transcripts of his composition as soon as
final touches had been given.
At the end, the author lays down special rules to be observed
by a king when he himself happens to be either a poet or a patron
of the men of letters.
The third subject is dealt with in eight chapters (11-18) where
the author enumerates various methods considered to be definitely
injurious to the reputation of a poet, and gives copious instances
to illustrate his view-point. This part deals with plagiarism,
conventions of ancient poets, Indian geography and the geography
of the world, ancient methods of description of incidents, places
and men, computation of time, and seasonal changes. While con-
cluding, the author reminds his readers that the methods adopted
by ancient writers are the best and should be adhered to, while
modern methods which run counter to the usage established by
the ancients¹ should be abandoned. How immensely helpful these
hints are, can be realized only too well by one who can detect the
unruly tendencies in modern literature in the extreme pursuit of
the phantom of realistic art !
II. Historical Data.
As has been shown already, the contributions of the Kāvya-
mīmāṁsā to the elucidation of the cultural history of India, are
many and varied. No less important are its contributions to the
political history of Mediæval India. While illustrating the

1. Cf. देशेषु पदार्थानां व्यत्यासो दृश्यते स्वरूपस्य। तन्न तथा बध्नीयात्कविबद्धमिह प्रमाणं नः॥ p. 111.
   अनुसन्धानशून्यस्य भूषणं दूषणायते। सावधानस्य च कवेर्दूषणं भूषणायते॥ p. 112.

different topics of the Kāvyamīmāṁsā, Rājaśekhara cites examples
and verses from earlier works, which throw a flood of light on the
problems of political history. And, here, it is proposed to give a
few examples which definitely show that the Kāvyamīmāṁsā is
able to help historical studies.
The verse दत्त्वा रुद्धगतिः etc. occurs on p. 47 of this work, and
this is given manifestly as an example of Muktaka or a detached
verse. But the verse alludes to a very important historical fact.
On information obtained from this verse and other sources such
as the fragments of the Devīcandragupta¹ of Viśākhadatta, the
Sañjan Copper-plates of Amoghavarṣa² I, (A. D. 873), Bāṇa's
Harṣacarita,³ Śṛṅgāraprakāśa⁴ of Bhoja, the Cambay plate of
Govinda⁵ IV, the Nāṭyadarpaṇa of Rāmacandra and Guṇacandra,⁶
scholars have come to certain conclusions regarding the history of
the Gupta period, and these may be summarised as follows. There
was a king called Rāmagupta who succeeded his father Samudra-
gupta and preceded his brother Candragupta II, and ruled for a
short time. Dhruvadevī was the queen of Rāmagupta originally.
This king encountered a certain Khasa or Śaka king in the
Himālayas and was defeated. He saved himself and his kingdom
by entering into an ignominious treaty with the victor. According
to the terms of the treaty he was to surrender his queen Dhruva-
devī to the Khasa or Śaka king in return for the liberty of
himself and his kingdom. The humiliating treaty enraged his
brother Candragupta, who, disguised himself as Queen Dhruvadevī,
went to the enemies' camp at Alipura and killed the Khasa
or Śaka king. On his return, he killed his brother Rāmagupta
also and married his widowed queen Dhruvadevī.
There is a general agreement amongst scholars regarding the
historical facts just mentioned, but on certain details there still
rages a great controversy. The controversy centres round the

1. Portions from this drama are found quoted in the Śṛṅgāraprakāśa
   and the Nāṭyadarpaṇa (G. O. S. edi. ).
2. E. I. Vol. XVIII p. 248.
3. अरि(लि)पुरे च परकलत्रकामुकं कामिनीवेषगुप्तश्चन्द्रगुप्तः शकपतिमशातयत् ।
4. स्त्रीवेषनिह्नुतश्चन्द्रगुप्तः शत्रोः स्कन्धावारं अलिपुरं शकपतिवधायागमत् ।
5. E. I. Vol. VII, p. 36.
6. G. O. S. edi.

XXII INTRODUCTION.
name of Khasādhipati or S'akādhipati, his identity and the iden-
tification of his capital Alipura, the author of the verse in question,
and the king to whom it is addressed.
The verse in question makes it clear that the engagement
between the Gupta and Khasa kings took place in the Himālayan
region, and thus it can be said that Alipura, the capital of the
Khasa or S'aka king, was situated somewhere in the Himālayas.
Moreover, according to Rājaśekhara's version the victor is
called the Khasādhipati, and the Gupta king is named as S'arma-
gupta or Senagupta instead of S'akādhipati and Rāmagupta ob-
tained from sources other than the Kāvyamīmāṁsā.
There seems to be an agreement at least on one point, namely,
that the S'aka or Khasa king referred to in the passage in question,
should represent a Kushāṇa king of the Punjab but not a S'aka
Satrap of either Malwa or Mathura. But in this connection,
attention of scholars is required to be invited to the form Khasā-
dhipati as recorded in the Kāvyamīmāṁsā. This particular word
means a king of the Khasas or the Khasa tribes the existence of
which is made well-known by the Rājatarangiṇī of Kalhaṇa. Sir
Aurel Stein located the tribe in the widely distributed regions of
the western Himālayas flanking the boundaries of Kashmir with
their capital at Rajapuri also known as Khasālaya or Khasālī.
The Khasas before the fifth century A. D. became very powerful
and seized the kingdom of Kashmir and ruled over it.¹ Is it not
possible to identify this Alipura with Khasālī, the capital of
the Khasas ?
Let us now discuss the question regarding the identity of the
person to whom the verse in question is addressed. Various
scholars have advanced different opinions, and let us examine them
in detail and make an attempt to discover whether any finality
can be reached. A clue to this vexed question is, however, supplied
by the verse itself in its fourth line: गीयन्ते तव कार्त्तिकेयनगरस्त्रीणां
गणैः कीर्तयः ।
In interpreting this line Prof. Altekar² has fallen into the
regrettable error of taking the word Kārttikeya in the vocative
and in assuming that the verse is addressed to Kārttikeya who is
obviously the Kumāragupta I of the Gupta dynasty.

1. M. A. Stein. Rājatarangiṇī translation. Vol. I. 317.
2. J. B. O. R. S. Vol. xiv. p. 223.

INTRODUCTION. XXIII
Mr. K. P. Jayaswal disagrees¹ with the above and points out
that the word Kārttikeya goes with the word Nagara, and adds
that "no poet would have mentioned so irreverently about Kumā-
ragupta's own mother to him."
Against this, it may be pointed out that the verse does not
show any irreverence on the part of the poet whose business
obviously is to eulogise his patron king Kumāragupta or Skanda-
gupta of the Gupta dynasty. For, the weakness of Rāmagupta
was already made known by Candragupta, also by Dhruvadevi
who discarded her worthless husband and married his brother.
Moreover, the descendants of the Gupta dynasty out of disrespect
for Rāmagupta never mentioned him in the inscriptions as one of
their ancestors. Dr. D. R. Bhandarkar who discussed the question
later on,² is disposed to agree with Mr. Jayaswal in considering
the word Kārttikeyanagara as the name of a town, and identified
it with the ancient village of Vaijanātha in Almora District U. P.
on the authority of the Pāṇḍukeśvara copper plate and the Tāle-
śvara charters.³ Dr. Bhandarkar believes, however, that the
verse is addressed to Candragupta, though he is not named
expressly therein.
If this position is accepted, Mr. Jayaswal's objection of
showing irreverence to Kumāragupta's mother or Dhruvadevi is
set at rest. Prof. V. V. Mirashi,⁴ however, remarks that the
view held by Dr. Bhandarkar is hardly convincing, because the
verse quoted here is a Muktaka or a detached stanza which should
not only be complete in itself but also contain the name of the king
addressed to. He, thus, commits the same mistake as Prof. Altekar,
and takes the word Kārttikeya in the vocative, but advances the
new theory that the word stands for the king Mahīpāla of the
Gurjara Pratīhāra dynasty, the patron of Rājaśekhara. In support
of this, he further adds that Kṣemīśvara in the Bharatavākya of
his drama Caṇḍakauśika similarly calls his patron Mahīpāla as

1. J. B. O. R. S. Vol. XVIII, p. 20.
2. Malaviya Commemoration Volume. p. 194.
3. I. A. XXV. 178, and E. I. Vol. XIII, pp. 115-118.
4. I. A. 1932, p. 201.

XXIV INTRODUCTION.
Kārttikeya.¹ According to him the verse, in question, was either
Rājaśekhara's own or a composition of one of his contemporaries
in the court of the king Mahīpāla which he inserted in his
Kāvyamīmāṁsā.
Against Prof. Mirashi's theory, it may be pointed out that if
the word Kārttikeya is taken out, the word Nagarastrīṇām will
have to be taken as a separate and independent word. No poet,
howsoever dull, would ever think of saying that the fame of a king
was sung by women of the town and afterwards would leave the name
of the particular town undisclosed. Nor does it seem reasonable
to suppose the poet to be so particular as to exclude the village-
women from participating in the praising or singing campaign, by
specially naming the women of the town. It is not also possible
to suppose that it is the women of the towns who took part in
singing eulogies, while the village-women refrained from doing so!
The expression स्त्रीणां गणैः is sufficient to include all women, both of
towns and villages, and why should it be necessary to qualify स्त्रीणां
with the word नगर which reduces the value of the eulogy?
It is not also correct to assume that the Muktaka verse which
should be complete in itself should also contain the name of the
person to whom the Muktaka is addressed. On the same page 47,
there are five other examples of Muktaka verse, and in none of
these there is any mention of the name of the person addressed to.
Under the circumstances we can only confirm the view of
Messrs. Jayaswal and Bhandarkar both of whom rightly take
Kārttikeyanagara as one word and identify it with the place where
Rāmagupta first sustained a defeat, and later, the Khasa king
was killed by Candragupta II in whose praise the verse in question
is composed. Accordingly, the last lines of the verse, in question,
may be translated thus:
"Your fame is sung today by the women of the Kārttikeya-
nagara in the same Himālayas which is resonant with the singing
of the Kinnaras living in the hollows of spacious caves."

1. येनादृश्य प्रयोगं घनपुलकभृता नाटकस्यास्य हर्षात्
   वक्षालङ्कारहेम्नां प्रतिदिनमकृशा राशयः सम्प्रदत्ताः ।
   तस्य क्षत्रप्रसूतेः भ्रमतु जगदिदं कार्तिकेयस्य कीर्तिः
   पारे क्षीराख्यसिन्धोरपि कवियशसा सार्धमग्रेसरेण ॥

INTRODUCTION. XXV
From the foregoing discussion, it is easy to discover that
the verse in question is addressed to Candragupta Vikramāditya
by a contemporary poet, and is quoted by Rājaśekhara in his
Kāvyamīmāṁsā.
The second marriage of Dhruvadevī with Candragupta is also
to be taken as a settled historical fact, on the authority of the
Sañjan¹ copper plate of Amoghavarṣa I and the Cambay² plate of
Govinda IV.
Two more verses are quoted by Rājaśekhara on pp. 60-61
of the Kāvyamīmāṁsā, which throw a flood of light on the vexed
question of the date of Kālidāsa. The verses in question record a
conversation between a king and his messenger. Identical verses
are subsequently quoted by Bhoja in his S'r̥ṅgāraprakāśa with
the remark that here the king represents Vikramāditya and the
messenger, Kālidāsa.³ The verses in question refer to a message,
conveyed by Kālidāsa from the king of Kuntala to Vikramāditya
who approves of the request made by the Kuntala king. Tradition
ascribes to Kālidāsa a work called the Kuntaleśvaradautya, and as
the subject-matter of the verses quoted here relates to the dip-
lomatic communications of the king of Kuntala, it is not un-
reasonable to suppose that the verses belonged to the now lost
work Kuntaleśvaradautya of Kālidāsa. A verse from the same
work quoted in the Aucityavicāracarcā by Kṣemendra refers to the
fact that Kālidāsa as an envoy of Vikramāditya was not respected
in the court of the Kuntala king who made him sit on the ground
and did not offer a seat.⁴ It thus transpires that Kālidāsa was
sent as an envoy to the court of the Kuntala king Pr̥thvīṣeṇa
Vākāṭaka, a subordinate of the Gupta kings, by Candragupta II
Vikramāditya and that on account of Kālidāsa's mediation friendly
relations were established between the two royal houses. This
embassy further helps us in fixing a suitable date for Kālidāsa,
and once for all ends the controversy regarding his time, raging

1. हत्वा भ्रातरमेव राज्यमहरद्देवीं च दीनस्तथा लक्षं कोटिमलेखयत्किल कलौ दाता स गुप्तान्वयः ॥
   E. I. Vol. XVIII, p. 248
2. सामर्थ्ये सति निन्दिता प्रविहिता नैवाग्रजे क्रूरता बन्धुस्त्रीगमनादिभिः कुचरितैरावर्जितं नायशः ।
   शौचाशौचपराङ्मुखं न च भिया पैशाच्यमङ्गीकृतं त्यागेनासमसाहसैश्च भुवने यः साहसाङ्कोऽभवत् ॥
   E. I. Vol. VII, p. 36.
3. See. infra. Notes. p. 215.
4. Ibid.
   4

XXVI INTRODUCTION.
for the last fifty years or more, in which celebrated scholars have
taken part. Kālidāsa must be a contemporary of Candragupta
Vikramāditya and the Vākāṭaka Pṛthvīṣeṇa, and thus he should
be assigned a period corresponding to the last quarter of the fourth
century A. D.¹
While mentioning the four boundaries of the city of Kanauj,
the capital of his patron kings Mahendrapāla and Mahīpāla, Rāja-
śekhara clears up several topographical problems connected with
the city, and helps us in identifying certain well-known names of
places, identifications of which were open to doubt for a long time.
On page 94 he mentions four places: Vāmanasvāmī, Gādhipura,
Kālapriya and Brahmaśilā, and all of them seem to be situated
in the four directions of the city of Kanauj. Thus, we can under-
stand that these four well-known places in literature were the
suburbs of the city of Kanauj. For further details the attention
of readers is invited to the page 243, of the explanatory notes
appended to this edition.
III. The Geography of Bhāratavarṣa.
Rājaśekhara's fondness for geography is borne out by the
numerous references to geographical names mentioned in his works,
and the ancient notions regarding world geography find a lucid
expression in these productions. He gives geographical references
in abundance, particularly in two works, namely, the Bālarāmāyaṇa
and the Kāvyamīmāṁsā. In the former work, while staging the
Sītāsvayaṁvara, a short drama supposed to be a composition of the
sage Bharata, and while describing the aerial flight of Rāma to
Ayodhyā from Laṅkā, he mentions a large number of places in
succession, and these references enable us to fix their location with
a fair degree of exactitude.
In the 17th chapter of the Kāvyamīmāṁsā, the author gives
by far the most prolific geographical information regarding the
divisions of the world, and the details of the Bhāratavarṣa, and this
represents the expert knowledge of geography as prevalent in his
time. The earth, he says, is divided into seven great islands
encircled by seven oceans. Among these the Jambūdvīpa is

1. For further information on the date of Kālidāsa and his connections
   with Vākāṭaka kings, see my Paper entitled “King Pravarasena and Kālidāsa”
   in the Proceedings of the Seventh All-India Oriental Conference, 1933.

INTRODUCTION. XXVII
situated in the centre and its chief mountain is Mahāmeru. The
Mahāmeru, again, is surrounded by the country called the
Ilāvṛtavarṣa. The third country to the south of the Mahāmeru is
called the Bhāratavarṣa.
The Bhāratavarṣa is divided into nine parts, and the Kumā-
rīdvīpa, one among them, corresponds with the present India
from Cape Comorin to the Himālayas. This country is also
known as the Cakravartikṣettra. One who holds sway over the
whole country is called a Cakravartin, while the king who is
able to conquer all the nine parts of the Bhāratavarṣa is called
a Samrāṭ.
The author mentions the seven Kulaparvatas of the Kumā-
rīdvīpa, and says that the Āryāvarta is a part of this Dvīpa.
Kumārīdvīpa is again subdivided into five parts with Madhyadeśa
in the middle, and four other countries in the four directions of
the middle country, which according to him is bounded by the
Prayāga, the Vindhya range, the Vinaśana and the Himālayas.
He places the other four countries as follows: from Benares in the
east, from Māhiṣmatī in the south, from Devasabhā in the west
and from Pṛthūdaka in the north, all extending to the extreme
limits of India.
In the same chapter Rājaśekhara gives innumerable details
regarding the countries, rivers, mountains and the agricultural
products of all the five divisions of the Kumārīdvīpa. These
geographical names have been collected together in an appendix
in which an endeavour has been made to identify the places
mentioned by him, as far as practicable, since it has now
become difficult to trace the old sites. It is noteworthy, however,
that Rājaśekhara includes such countries as Arabia, Persia and
Afghanistan in the northern India, and distinguishes Siṁhala
from Laṅkā. Moreover, he includes in his list many new names
not known to the Purāṇas, or the Rāmāyaṇa and the Mahā-
bhārata, or even to the Greek or Arabic historians and the Chinese
travellers, as will be seen from the appendix already referred to.

Introduction to the First Edition.
The author of this first work in the Gaekwād’s Oriental Series,
now presented before the public, is Rājaśekhara, the well-known
author of the four dramas, Bālarāmāyaṇa, Bālabhārata, Viddha-
śālabhañjikā and Karpūramañjarī.
Rājas'ekhara's Ancestry. Rājaśekhara calls himself in the
Kāvyamīmāṁsā as Yāyāvarīya¹ (born in the Yāyāvara family).
He seems to have been better known as Yāyāvara to his successors.
Dhanapāla in the introductory verses to his Tilakamañjarī refers to
him as Yāyāvara Kavi.² The author of the Udayasundarī refers to
him simply as Yāyāvara³ and praises him for his dramatical skill.
1 यायावरीयः सङ्क्षिप्य मुनीनां मतविस्तरम् । p. 2. l. 11.
“पञ्चमी साहित्यविद्या” इति यायावरीयः । p. 4. l. 14.
2 समाधिगुणशालिन्यः प्रसन्नपरिपक्रमाः ।
यायावरकवेर्वाचो मुनीनामिव वृत्तयः ॥ Tilakamañjarī 33.
3 यायावरः प्राज्ञवरो गुणौघैराशंसितः सूरिसमाजबंधैः ।
नृत्युदारं भणिने रसस्था नटीव यस्योदरसा पदश्रीः ॥
Udayasundarī 8th Uchchhvāsa.
This Udayasundarī is a Champūkathā composed by Soḍḍhala, a Vālabha
Kāyastha of Lātades'a, in emulation of Bāṇa's Harshacharita, about Saṁvat
1050, in the reign of Vatsarāja and under the patronage of king Mummuṇirāja
of Koṅkaṇa. The author has, over and above his own caste and lineage, given
about 25 verses in praise of old poets. It will be instructing to quote these
verses; such verses are rare in Sanskrit literature.
लक्ष्मीभुजो भुवि सभापतयः क नाम सन्तीह सम्प्रति गुणेष्वनुरागवन्तः ।
ये हि प्रलीनखलरोलभराः सुखेन शृण्वन्ति संसदि कवीन्द्रसुभाषितानि ॥
श्रीविक्रमो नृपतिरत्र पतिः समानामासीत्स कोऽप्यसदृशः कविमिश्रनामा ।
यो वार्धमात्रमुदितः कृतिनां गृहेषु दत्वा चकार करटीन्दुघटान्धकारम् ॥
हाले गते गुणििन शोकमराद्बभूवुरुच्छिन्नवाग्व्ययजडाः कृतिनस्तथाऽमी ।
यत्तस्य नाम नृपतेरनिशं स्मरन्तो हेत्यक्षरं प्रथममेव परं विदन्ति ॥
श्रीहर्ष इत्यवनिवर्तिषु पार्थिवेषु नाम्नैव केवलमजायत वस्तुतस्तु ।
गीर्हर्ष एष निजसंसदि येन राज्ञा सम्पूजितः कनककोटिशतेन बाणः ॥
सृष्टं तदत्र युवराजनरेश्वरेण यद्दुष्करं किमपि येन गिरः श्रियश्च ।
प्रत्यायनं स्फुटमकारि निजे कवीन्द्रमेकासने समुपवेशयताऽभिनन्दम् ॥

INTRODUCTION. XXIX
Some particulars about the ancestry of the author can be gathered
from his dramas. He is very proud of his family and his literary
देव्याः सरोजदलधामनि हंसपृष्ठे लीलायितं चरणयोर्दितयेन यस्याः ।
सा किं रमाभिषनिषण्णविलोचनेषु चिल्हाविषेषु ............टं करोति ॥
योऽप्यस्ति लोकतिलकः क्षितिषेषु कश्चिदेकः कृती स्वयमसावनुपासितोऽपि ।
निर्मथ्य पन्नगधनाथ इव द्विजिल्हान् क्षिप्तामृतं नभसि नेष्यति काव्यकुम्भम् ॥
ये नाम केचिदमुना कवितारसेन व्यासादयः कृतधियो भुवनेषु सिद्धाः ।
तेषामुपासितपदाः कवयः किमन्यदासादयन्ति परमत्र सुवर्णसिद्धिम् ॥
बाणस्य हर्षचरिते निशितामुदीक्ष्य शक्तिं न केऽत्र कवितास्त्रमदं त्यजन्ति ।
मान्यं न कस्य च कवेरिह कालिदासवाचां रसेन रसितस्य भवत्यवृष्यम् ॥
1 Uchchhvāsa.
आसीदसीमस्फुरितोरुधामा वाल्मीकिरग्रण्यतमो मुनीनाम् ।
निर्वाणमार्गैकमहाध्वगोऽपि सम्पर्कतः कापि न यो रजोभिः ॥
ब्राह्मीनिवासात्सुमितः स साक्षाद्देवः स्वयंभूरिति कीर्तितो यः ।
कोऽन्यः क्रमस्थापितवर्णसारां सृष्टिं कृती काव्यमयीं चकार ॥
छन्दोविचित्रेर्निहितैः क्रमेण पदैः समन्तान्मसृणीकृतोऽन्तः ।
निषेव्यते वर्णमहाटवीषु यस्यैष दिग्व्यैरपि काव्यमार्गः ॥
वंशः कवीनामुदियाय तस्मान्मूर्ध्ना धृतो भूमिभृतां गणेन ।
अच्छिद्रितेऽपि त्रिदशप्रतोर्ष्या वाणीगुणः स्फूर्जति कोऽपि यत्र ॥
यस्मिन्नभूदग्रभवः कवीनां व्यासो मुनिर्यस्य गुणैर्विजेतुः ।
ध्वजच्छटेवोन्नतसोमवंशमालम्बिता वल्गति भारते गीः ॥
कविर्गुणाढ्यः स च येन सृष्टा बृहत्कथा प्रीतिकरी जनानाम् ।
या संविधानेषु सुसन्धिवन्ध्यैः निपीड्यमानेव रसं प्रसूते ॥
स कश्चिदालेख्यकरः कविले प्रसिद्धनामा भुवि भर्तृमेण्ठः ।
रसप्लवेऽपि स्फुरति प्रकाभं वर्णेषु यस्योज्ज्वलना तथैव ॥
ख्यातः कृती सोऽपि च कालिदासः शुद्धा सुधास्वादुमती च यस्य ।
वाणीमिषाच्चण्डमरीचिगोत्रसिन्धोः परं पारमवाप कीर्तिः ॥
बाणः कवीनामपि चक्रवर्ती चकास्ति यस्योज्ज्वलवर्णशोभम् ।
एकातपत्रं भुवि पुष्पभूतिवंशश्रयं हर्षचरित्रमेव ॥
मान्यो जगत्त्यां भवभूतिरार्यः सारस्वते वर्त्मनि सार्थवाहः ।
वाचं पताकामित्र यस्य दृष्ट्वा जनः कवीनामनुपृष्ठमेति ॥
सामन्तजन्मापि कवीश्वराणां महत्तमो वाक्पतिराजसूरिः ।
यश्छाययाप्यन्यमपीडयन्सन्नुत्पादयत्यर्थमनन्यदृष्टम् ॥
वन्द्यः स विद्वानभिनन्दनामा विश्रम्भपात्रं च वचोधिदेव्याः ।
समर्पिता यस्य खलु स्वकीयकोशाधिकारेषु सुवर्णमुद्रा ॥
यायावरः प्राज्ञवरो गुणज्ञैराशंसितः सूरिसमाजवर्यैः ।
नृत्यत्युदारं भणिते गुणस्था नटीव यस्योदरसा पदश्रीः ॥
बभूवुरन्येऽपि कुमारदासभासादयो हन्त कवीन्दवस्ते ।
यदीयगोभिः कृतिनां द्रवन्ति चेतांसि चन्द्रोपलनिर्मलानि ॥
तस्मिन्सुवंशे कविमौक्तिकानामुत्पत्तिभूमौ कचिदेकदेशे ।
किञ्चित्कविः सोढल इत्यजातनिष्पत्तिरासीज्जलबिन्दुरेव ॥
यो वत्सराजेन वरेण राज्ञां लाटावनीमण्डननायकेन ।
सूक्ष्मावृढस्तोकगुणाश्रितोऽपि मिश्रीकृतो भानुमतेव पद्मः ॥

XXX INTRODUCTION.
forefathers.¹ Akālajalada his great-grandfather was famous for
his poetical gems.² His verses were plagiarized by Kādambarīrāma
in his drama.³ Surānanda, Tarala and Kavirāja also belonged to
this family. Surānanda seems to have been famous at the court
of Chedi.⁴ It appears from his opinion quoted in the Kāvya-
mīmāṁsā that he had written some work on poetics. ⁵Tarala was
also a poet of some eminence. Nothing is known about Kavirāja.
Rājaśekhara's father Durduka or Duhika was a great minister
(Mahāmantrī), and his mother's name was Śīlavatī.
Rājaśekhara's caste. We have seen that Rājaśekhara
belonged to the Yāyāvara family, but it is not clear whether he
was a Brāhmaṇa or a Kshatriya. His position as the Upādhyāya
of King Mahendrapāla speaks in favour of his being a Brāhmaṇa;
while the name Rājaśekhara and the fact that his wife was of the
Chahuāna⁶ family may lead one to think that he was a Kshatriya.
Rājaśekhara not a Sectarian. As the author of the
Haravilāsa, Rājaśekhara might be regarded to have been a staunch
Śaiva, but from the quotations in the Kāvyamīmāṁsā⁷ in praise of
Vishṇu, it seems that he was not a sectarian. On the other hand,
from the Maṅgala verse of the Haravilāsa, it is clear that he believed
जडेन तेनोदयसुन्दरीति कथा दुरालोकिनि काव्यमार्गे ।
सारस्वतालोकलबैकदृष्ट्या सृष्टा कविम्मन्यमनोरथेन ॥
सा चात्र देवीभवने निवृत्तशापार्तिना बाणकवीश्वरेण ।
कविश्रमोद्धूतकृपेण सम्यक् श्रुता धृता हृद्यभिनन्दिता च ॥
वागीश्वरं हन्त भजेऽभिनन्दमर्थेश्वरं वाक्पतिराजमीडे ।
रसेश्वरं स्तौमि च कालिदासं बाणं तु सर्वेश्वरमानतोऽस्मि ॥ 8th Uchchhvāsa.
1 स मूर्तो यत्रासीद्गुणगण इवाकालजलदः सुरानन्दः सोऽपि श्रवणपुटपेयेन वचसा ।
न चान्ये गण्यन्ते तरलकविराजप्रभृतयो महाभागस्तस्मिन्नयमजनि यायावरकुले ॥
Bālarāmāyaṇa I, 13.
2 अकालजलदेन्दोः सा हृद्या वचनचन्द्रिका । नित्यं कविचकोरैर्य्या पीयते न च हीयते ॥
Rājaśekhara quoted in the Sūktimuktāvalī.
3 अकालजलदश्लोकैश्चित्रमात्मकृतैरिव । जातः कादम्बरीरामो नाटके प्रवरः कविः ॥ Ibid.
4 नदीनां मेकलसुता नृपाणां रणविग्रहः । कवीनां च सुरानन्दश्चेदिमण्डलमण्डनम् ॥ Ibid.
5 यायावरकुलश्रेणेर्हारस्यैष मण्डनम् । सुवर्णवर्णरुचिरस्तरुलस्तरलो यथा ॥ Ibid.
6 चाहुआणकुलमोलिमालिआ राजसेहरइन्दगेहिणी ।
भत्तुणो कइमवन्दिसुन्दरी सा पउञ्जयिदुमेअमिच्छइ ॥ Karp. 1, 11.
7 pp. 42, 43.

INTRODUCTION. XXXI
in the unity of the three godheads. It appears from the ¹Yaśas-
tilaka Champū of Somadeva that in Rājaśekhara's works honour
was done even to Jinās when occasion arose.
His wife an accomplished lady. Rājaśekhara quotes thrice²
in the Kāvyamīmāṁsā the opinion of his wife Avantīsundarī. It
would thus appear that she had composed some work on rhetorics.
The Karpūramañjarī was also first acted at her desire.
Rājaś'ekhara's date. It is understood from the prologues
of Rājaśekhara's dramas that he was the Upādhyāya of Mahēndra-
pāla, king of Kanouj, and was also patronized by his son and
successor Mahīpāla. The Siydoni inscription tells us that king
Mahēndrapāla was reigning in 903 and 907 A. D. and Mahīpāla in
917 A. D. (Epigraphia Indica Vol. I, p. 171). Independent of his
references to king Mahēndrapāla of Kanouj in his works, we can fix
his date from other sources too. He quotes in the Kāvyamīmāṁsā
Vākpatirāja,³ the author of Gauḍavaho, and also Udbhaṭa⁴ who
was the Sabhāpati of Jayāpīḍa, king of Kashmir, who reigned from
779 to 813 A. D., and quotes Ānandavardhana⁵ who flourished in
the reign of Avantivarmā of Kashmir (857-884 A. D.). Rāja-
śekhara is also referred to by Somadēva in the Yaśastilaka Champū
which was completed in 960 A. D. and praised by Soṭṭala who
flourished about 990 A. D. From this we can conclude that
Rājaśekhara lived about 880-920 A. D.
1 तथा उर्व्वभारविभवभूतिभर्तृहरिभर्तृमेण्ठकण्ठगुणाढ्यव्यासभासवासोस्कालिदासबाणमयूरनारायण-
कुमारमाधराजशेखरप्रदिमहाकविकाव्येषु, तत्र तत्रावसरे भरतप्रणीते काव्याध्याये, सर्वजनप्रसिद्धेषु तेषु
तेषूपाख्यानेषु च कथं, तद्विषया महती प्रसिद्धिः ।
( 4th Ās'vāsa, pt. II, p. 113.
2 "इयमशक्तिर्न पुनः पाकः" इत्यवन्तिसुन्दरी । p. 20
"विदग्धभणितिनिवेशं वस्तुनो रूपं न नियतस्वभावम्" इति अवन्तिसुन्दरी । तदाह-
'वस्तुस्वभावोऽत्र कवेरतन्त्रो गुणागुणावुक्तिवशेन काव्ये ।
स्तुवन्निबध्नात्यमृतांशुमिन्दुं निन्दंस्तु दोषाकरमाह धूर्तः ॥' p. 46.
"अयमप्रसिद्धः प्रसिद्धिम्रानहम्, अयमप्रतिष्ठः प्रतिष्ठावानहम्, अप्रक्रान्तमिदमस्य संविधानकं प्रक्रान्तं
मम, गुडूचीवचनोऽयं मृद्वीकावचनोऽहम्, अनादृतभाषाविशेषोऽयम् अहमादृतभाषाविशेषः, प्रशान्तशातृकमिदम्,
देशान्तरितकर्तृकमिदम्' उत्सन्ननिबन्धनमूलमिदम्, म्लेच्छितकथानिबन्धनमिदमित्येवमादिभिः कारणैः शब्दहरणे
अर्थहरणे चाभिरमेत" इति अवन्तिसुन्दरी । p. 57
3 "न" इति बाक्पतिराजः p. 62.
4 "तस्य च त्रिधाऽभिधाव्यापारः" इत्यौद्भटः pp. 22 and 44.
5 "प्रतिभाम्युत्पत्त्योः प्रतिभा श्रेयसी" इत्यानन्दः p. 16.

Rājaśekhara a Kavirāja. Rājaśekhara calls himself not a
Mahākavi, but a Kavirāja.¹ According to the Kāvyamīmāṁsā
there are ten² stages of poetical skill. The sixth is that of a
Mahākavi³ and the seventh that of a Kavirāja. Kavirāja is defined⁴
as one who is unrestrained in various languages, various sorts of
poetical compositions and various sentiments. Thus a Kavirāja is
one stage further than a Mahākavi and Kavirājas are rare.⁵
The sequence of Rājaśekhara's known works and his
undiscovered works. From the Karpūramañjarī 1-9, it is
understood that Rājaśekhara began his literary career as a Bāla-
kavi, so called from his Bālarāmāyaṇa and Bālabhārata. It is
thus evident that these two dramas are his early productions; so
also Viddhaśālabhañjikā. The Karpūramañjarī and the Kāvya-
mīmāṁsā are his later productions, as by this time he had achieved
fame as a Kavirāja. Verses from his three Saṁskṛita dramas are
found quoted in the Kāvyamīmāṁsā.
Hemachandra in his ⁶Kāvyānuśāsanaviveka (page 335) gives
the example of Rājaśekhara's Haravilāsa as a poem bearing the
name of its author. The same author quotes two verses from
Haravilāsa both evidently from the first canto. The first⁷ is the
benedictory verse of the poem, while the second⁸ pertains to the
description of the bad and the good. ⁹Ujjvaladatta also quotes
one half of a verse from the Haravilāsa.
This Haravilāsa, a Mahāprabandha, must have been his
1 बालकई कइराओ ( Karpūramañjarī I. 9 ).
2 दश च कवेरवस्था भवन्ति ( p. 19 ).
3 योऽन्यतमप्रवीणः स महाकविः ( p. 19 ).
4 यस्तु तत्र तत्र भाषाविशेषेषु, तेषु तेषु प्रबन्धेषु, तस्मिंस्तस्मिंश्च रसे स्वतन्त्रः स कविराजः
( p. 19 ).
5 ते यदि जगत्यपि कतिपये ( p. 19 ).
6 स्वनामाङ्किता यथा राजशेखरस्य हरविलासे
7 आशीर्यथा हरविलासे—
ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म श्रुतीनां मुखमक्षरम् ।
प्रसीदतु सतां स्वान्तेष्वेकं त्रिपुरुषीमयम् ॥
8 सुजनदुर्जनस्वरूपं यथा हरविलासे—
इतस्ततो भषन्भूरि न पतेत्पिशुनः शुनः ।
अवदाततया किञ्च न भेदो हंसतः सतः ॥
9 दशाननक्षिप्तखुरप्रखण्डितः कचिद्गतार्धो हरदीधितिर्यथा । इति हरविलासे. ii-28.

mature production as a Kavirāja. Here either in the first or the
last canto, but most probably in the first, may be found apprecia-
tory verses about poets (Viśeshakavipraśaṁsā) quoted in Jahlaṇa's
Sūktimuktāvalī. Generally the poet's family-history and praise of
old poets are given in Ākhyāyikās and Kathās such as the Harsha-
charitra, the Tilakamañjarī and the Udayasundarī; but references
to old poets are also made in the Mahākāvyas. Maṅkhaka in his
Śrīkaṇṭhacharita refers to old and contemporary poets and Some-
śvara in the first canto of his Kīrtikaumudī eulogizes old poets.
This practice of eulogizing the old poets in the beginning of a poem
is also found in Prākṛita poems of the 12th century e. g. in the
Śāntināthacharita of Devachandra, Guru of the great Hema-
chandra. Some say that Rājaśekhara wrote a work named Kavi-
vimarśa, wherein are to be found the appreciatory verses attributed
to him in the Sūktimuktāvalī; but it does not seem probable that
Rājaśekhara, should ever have written any such work when he had
composed such a large work as the Kāvyamīmāṁsā with 18 Adhi-
karaṇas. It was conjectured that the appreciatory verses may
occur in the Kāvyamīmāṁsā; but these verses do not occur in the
first Adhikaraṇa, nor is there possibility of their being found in
other Adhikaraṇas, as the first Adhikaraṇa alone, judging from the
contents of the whole work, seems to contain such matter. Besides
the Haravilāsa, Rājaśekhara composed a work, named Bhuvanakośa,
on the world's geography. At the end of the 17th chapter of the
Kāvyamīmāṁsā he refers the reader to this work¹ for detailed in-
formation about the world's geography. Ujjvaladatta quotes a
line from Rājaśekhara about synonyms² of Śiva. This may be
found either in the Haravilāsa or in some unknown lexicon of
Rājaśekhara. It will thus appear that Rājaśekhara was an
extensive writer and might have written more works than those
hitherto known.
The present work only the first part of the Kāvya-
mīmāṁsā. From the first chapter Śāstrasaṁgraha, we understand
1 इत्थं देशविभागो मुद्रामात्रेण सूत्रितः सुधियाम् ।
यस्तु जिगीषत्यधिकं पश्यतु मद्भूवनकोशमसौ । p. 98.
2 चण्डीकान्तो भगोली च लेलिहानो वृषध्वजः । ( ii-76 )
5

XXIV INTRODUCTOIN.
that the author planned a very large work; but unfortunately only
the first Adhikaraṇa is hitherto available. From remarks like
रीतयस्तु तिस्रस्तास्तु पुरस्तात् (p. 10, l. 5), तमौपनिषदिके वक्ष्यामः (p. 11, l. 10),
it is clear that he had in his mind the execution of the whole work
planned out in the first chapter. Whether he succeeded in this
and composed the whole work, we have no sufficient data to
determine. Alaṅkāraśekhara¹, however, has quoted 2 verses from
Rājaśekhara. The verses, if they really belong to our author, may
have been taken from the उभयालंकारिक Adhikaraṇa of the Kāvya-
mīmāṁsā. The same work also quotes another verse² which seems
to be in the वैनोदिक Adhikaraṇa.
The style of the Kāvyamīmāṁsā. As the work is some-
what on the lines of a Sūtra-work, like Kauṭilya's Arthaśāstra and
Vātsyāyana's Kāmasūtra, its style is also more or less aphorism-
like; and it is no wonder that it is terse and vigorous, charming
and pleasing to the ears. The passages and phrases borrowed from
the Arthaśāstra and the Kāmasūtra will be referred to in the notes.
The Kāvyamīmāṁsā and later writers on rhetorics.
It will be easily seen that Hemachandra has borrowed about one
fourth of the present work in his Kāvyānuśāsanaviveka. Chapter
17th and 18th are verbally copied with slight changes in the order.
Vāgbhaṭa, son of Nemikumāra, has also borrowed the same por-
tion in the 1st and 5th chapter of his Kāvyānuśāsana from
Hemachandra with some changes, substituting his own verses in
some places. Later writers of Kaviśikṣās, like Kshemendra,
Amara, Vinayachandra and Deveśvara, seem to have been indebt-
ed to the Kāvyamīmāṁsā for some of the topics treated in their
1 तदाह राजशेखरः—
समानमधिकं न्यूनं सजातीयं विरोधि च ।
सकुल्यं सोदरं कल्पमित्याद्याः साम्यवाचकाः ॥
अलङ्कारशिरोरत्नं सर्वस्वं काव्यसम्पदाम् ।
उपमा कविवंशस्य मातैवेति मतिर्मम ॥
अलङ्कारशेखरे—एकादशे मरीचौ.
2 उत्पाटितैर्नभोभीतैः शैलैरामूलबन्धनात् ।
तांस्तानर्थान् समालोक्य समस्यां पूरयेत्कविः ॥
अलङ्कारशेखरे—एकोनविंशे मरीचौ.

INTRODUCTION, XXXV
works. The author of the Sarasvatī-kaṇṭhābharaṇa has quoted a
few verses, which are found only in the Kāvyamīmāṁsā, and the
commentator, Ratneśvara, refers one verse to the Kāvyamīmāṁsā.
By the bye, it may be mentioned that the name of the Kāvya-
mīmāṁsākāra occurs in Śaṅkara's commentary (Rasachandrikā)
on the Śākuntala.
The origin and the promulgation of poetics. Like other
Śāstrakārās our author attributes the origin of poetics to the
Supreme Being and the celestials. Śrīkaṇṭha taught this science
to Parameshṭhi, Vaikuṇṭha and others of his sixty-four pupils.
The self-born God imparted it to His will-born pupils. Among
these was Kāvyapurusha, born of Sarasvatī. Prajāpati set him to
promulgate this science in the three worlds. He taught this to
his divine pupils in 18 Adhikaraṇas. Of these, Sahasrāksha and
other 17 pupils composed separate treatises on the portions learnt
by them. On account of these separate treatises, the science was
to some extent lost. The whole, therefore, has been abridged by
our author and set forth in one book in 18 Adhikaraṇas.
The position of poetics in literature. Our author claims
a high position for poetical science both in sacred and in profane
literature. Rhetorics, says Rājaśekhara, is the seventh Aṅga, as
without it the meanings¹ of the Vedic texts cannot be grasped. In
another place he puts literature by the side of the four profane
sciences, saying that it is the fifth² lore, and makes it the fifteenth
division of learning embodying all others.
The Kāvyapurusha. The idea of the Kāvyapurusha and
his bride Sāhityavidyāvadhū is quite novel in Saṁskṛita literature.
It seems to have been suggested by the Vedapurusha in the Ṛig-
veda, and the Vedic text "चत्वारि शृङ्गाः—" has been made to praise the
Kāvyapurusha. The Goddess of Learning was practising penance
1 “उपकारकत्वादलङ्कारः सप्तममङ्गम्” इति यायावरीयः। ऋते च तत्स्वरूपपरिज्ञानाद्वेदार्थानव-
गतिः ॥ p. 3.
2 “पञ्चमी साहित्यविद्या” इति यायावरीयः । “सकलविद्यास्थानैकायतनं पञ्चदशं काव्यं विद्या-
स्थानम्” इति यायावरीयः । p. 4.

XXXIV INTRODUCTOIN.
that the author planned a very large work; but unfortunately only
the first Adhikaraṇa is hitherto available. From remarks like
रीतयस्तु तिस्रस्तास्तु पुरस्तात् (p. 10, l. 5), तमौपनिषदिके वक्ष्यामः (p. 11, l. 10),
it is clear that he had in his mind the execution of the whole work
planned out in the first chapter. Whether he succeeded in this
and composed the whole work, we have no sufficient data to
determine. Alaṅkāraśekhara¹, however, has quoted 2 verses from
Rājaśekhara. The verses, if they really belong to our author, may
have been taken from the उभयालंकारिक Adhikaraṇa of the Kāvya-
mīmāṁsā. The same work also quotes another verse² which seems
to be in the वैनोदिक Adhikaraṇa.
The style of the Kāvyamīmāṁsā. As the work is some-
what on the lines of a Sūtra-work, like Kautilya's Arthaśāstra and
Vātsyāyana's Kāmasūtra, its style is also more or less aphorism-
like; and it is no wonder that it is terse and vigorous, charming
and pleasing to the ears. The passages and phrases borrowed from
the Arthaśāstra and the Kāmasūtra will be referred to in the notes.
The Kāvyamīmāṁsā and later writers on rhetorics.
It will be easily seen that Hemachandra has borrowed about one
fourth of the present work in his Kāvyānuśāsanaviveka. Chapter
17th and 18th are verbally copied with slight changes in the order.
Vāgbhaṭa, son of Nemikumāra, has also borrowed the same por-
tion in the 1st and 5th chapter of his Kāvyānuśāsana from
Hemachandra with some changes, substituting his own verses in
some places. Later writers of Kaviśikshās, like Kshemendra,
Amara, Vinayachandra and Deveśvara, seem to have been indebt-
ed to the Kāvyamīmāṁsā for some of the topics treated in their
1 तदाह राजशेखरः—
समानमधिकं न्यूनं सजातीयं विरोधि च ।
सकुल्यं सोदरं कल्पमित्याद्याः साम्यवाचकाः ॥
अलङ्कारशिरोरत्नं सर्वस्वं काव्यसम्पदाम् ।
उपमा कविवंशस्य मातैवेति मतिर्मम ॥
अलङ्कारशेखरे—एकादशे मरीचौ.
2 उत्पादितैर्नभोभीतैः शैलैरामूलबन्धनात् ।
तांस्तानर्थान् समालोक्य समस्यां पूरयेत्कविः ॥
अलङ्कारशेखरे—एकोनविंशे मरीचौ.

INTRODUCTION. XXXV
works. The author of the Sarasvatī-kaṇṭhābharaṇa has quoted a
few verses, which are found only in the Kāvyamīmāṁsā, and the
commentator, Ratneśvara, refers one verse to the Kāvyamīmāṁsā.
By the bye, it may be mentioned that the name of the Kāvya-
mīmāṁsākāra occurs in Śaṅkara's commentary (Rasachandrikā)
on the Śākuntala.
The origin and the promulgation of poetics. Like other
Śāstrakārās our author attributes the origin of poetics to the
Supreme Being and the celestials. Śrīkaṇṭha taught this science
to Parameshṭhi, Vaikuṇṭha and others of his sixty-four pupils.
The self-born God imparted it to His will-born pupils. Among
these was Kāvyapurusha, born of Sarasvatī. Prajāpati set him to
promulgate this science in the three worlds. He taught this to
his divine pupils in 18 Adhikaraṇas. Of these, Sahasrāksha and
other 17 pupils composed separate treatises on the portions learnt
by them. On account of these separate treatises, the science was
to some extent lost. The whole, therefore, has been abridged by
our author and set forth in one book in 18 Adhikaraṇas.
The position of poetics in literature. Our author claims
a high position for poetical science both in sacred and in profane
literature. Rhetorics, says Rājaśekhara, is the seventh Aṅga, as
without it the meanings¹ of the Vedic texts cannot be grasped. In
another place he puts literature by the side of the four profane
sciences, saying that it is the fifth² lore, and makes it the fifteenth
division of learning embodying all others.
The Kāvyapurusha. The idea of the Kāvyapurusha and
his bride Sāhityavidyāvadhū is quite novel in Saṁskṛita literature.
It seems to have been suggested by the Vedapurusha in the Rig-
veda, and the Vedic text "चत्वारि शृङ्गाः—" has been made to praise the
Kāvyapurusha. The Goddess of Learning was practising penance
1 "उपकारकत्वादलङ्कारः सप्तममङ्गम्" इति यायावरीयः । ऋते च तत्स्वरूपपरिज्ञानाद्वेदार्थानव-
गतिः ॥ p. 3.
2 "पञ्चमी साहित्यविद्या" इति यायावरीयः । "सकलविद्यास्थानैकायतं पञ्चदशं काव्यं विद्या-
स्थानम्" इति यायावरीयः । p. 4.

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.