Course: M.A
English
Sem: 2
Batch:
2016-2018
Enrolment
No: 2069108420170027
Submitted
to: Smt. S.B Gardi Dept. of English MKBU
Paper No: 7
Literary Theory and Criticism – Western-2
Topic: Dhvani (sound), Structure of Poetic meaning
Indian Poetics
What is Indian Criticism? Ask yourself what is that, meet with
yourself. Sometimes We know the text but don’t know context of particular
thing. What we would read from a book is only story. When we encounter
with literature it give us pleasure, so what are ingredients or components of
literature? that is a question, how elements are connected that we should
think as we are the students of literature, its our responsibility, we are
answerable and can understand the process of literature to provide pleasure. We
have to go deep into the mystery of that. When we hear a story we visualize it
because we have seen many things and its change from person to person. Can we
see what Sculpture see in the stone?
The major difference between Western and
Indian Criticism is that Western criticism talks about the effect of literature
while Indian criticism talks about the process that how literature effect us
and provide pleasure. Intelligent men get pleasure from poetics while fool
waste their time in sleeping and leisure. Can we see the difference among Bharat,
Anandvardhana, Kuntak, Mammat, Vaman etc.
Classification of Literary theories
1. Language, Alankara (principle of
figurativeness) and Vakrokti (principle of deviation)
2.
Style and compositional value,
Guna/Dosa (excellence and faults) ,Riti (mode of expression) and Auchitya
(propriety)
3.
Verbal Symbolism, Dhvani
4.
Aesthetic experience, Rasa
5.
Narrative, Mahavakya
6.
Discourse analysis, Yuktis
7.
Comprehensive analysis
‘Dhvani’, Structure of poetic meaning
Where is speed ,there is Dhvani, and Speed
is a reason of Dhvani. It is not speed of breathing. Language is the medium of
literature, but without the science of language, how the criticism is possible?
There is no any meaning of word, meaning is implied to it.(imposed meaning) We
imposed meaning to language like if someone is late we say , why today you are so early? its a dhvani. Always we are
in search of getting Dhvani but everybody can’t understand same thing. For
Example, in Abhigyanshakuntala,
Dushyanta left Shakuntala , Sarvadaman, son of Dushyanta and Shakuntala was
playing with lion. At that time, Shakuntala came out of Ashram and ask to one
Tapsi to bring ‘Shankut’ (peacock) and said
‘ See the elegance of Shakunt’, (शंकुत: लावन्यम प्रेक्षस्व:।) it’s a strength of a word ,from which we get
pleasure of literature through the Dhvani of it.
In Todorov’s view, Anandvardhana “was
perhaps a greatest of all theorists of textual symbolism” (1982-12). If we are
able to explain how indirect meaning arise systematically, we are able to claim
that all potential meanings are inherent in the text. No doubt the text
constitutes itself in each instance of reading but this constitution based in a
finite system. Anandvarghana uses the term dhvani to designate the universe of
suggestion- Dhvani is a soul of poetry. (Kavyasya atma dhvani). The Indian grammarian used the term, dhvani
in connection with his theory of sphota, the concept of sphota arose out of the need to
explain how individual letters form a
meaningful world. 
In Anandvarghan’s view, it is this
structure, which is the total effect of the suggestive quality of language,
that distinguishes poetry from the
ordinary usage of language. It is not understand by a mere learning in grammar
and in dictionary. It is understood only by those whohave an insight into the
true significance of poetry. He chosen the term dhvani following the definite
use of that term by the grammarians to define 1) The sound structure of words
(sabda), 2) the semantic aspect of sabda 3) the suggested meaning as such and
the process of suggestion involved. Dhvani is a theory of meaning ,of symbolism
and this principle leads to the poetry of suggestion being accepted as the
highest king of poetry.
A kind of poetry, wherein the meaning
renders itself secondary or the word renders its meaning secondary and suggests
the implied meaning ,is designated by the learned as dhvani or ‘Suggestive
Poetry’. Suggestion does not bear identity with indication because there is
difference between the two. ‘Merged in
the other meaning’ and ‘ Completely lost’ – these are the two
kings of the expressed in ‘ ‘Suggestion with intended literal meaning.’
Anandvardhana proposed three levels of meaning.
મીઠા મધુને મીઠા મેહુલા રે લોલ
મીઠા મેહુલા # લાક્ષણા
એ થી મીઠીરે મારી માત રે # વ્યંજીત છે. વ્યંજના.
મીઠા મેહુલા # લાક્ષણા
એ થી મીઠીરે મારી માત રે # વ્યંજીત છે. વ્યંજના.
In this example we can find the these all the three levels of meaning. Another example is
બારી ઉઘાડી છે # મગજ ઉઘાડું છે.
ઘઉં દળાવ્યા # લોટ દળાવ્યો.
ઘઉં દળાવ્યા # લોટ દળાવ્યો.
As mention that a word has three functions: it
signifies or denotes(abhidh), it indicates(laksana) and it suggest (vyanjana).
The meaning that is comprehended immediately after the word is utter is its primary meaning (mukhya-arth). The meaning
thus conveyed and its relation to the next word and its own meaning is a mutual
relation of the signifier and the signified (vachya- vachaka). The power that
creates the relation among words is Abhidha –vyapara, the power of dnotation or
sense. The suggestive power of the word is through Vyanjana artha. Of this
Vyanjana-artha which is the suggested sense or the essence of the word is most
interesting and is much debated. This is based in the principle that the meaning of word is not limited to
its literal sense, the word has the power to reach beyond the obvious.
This is Anandvarghana’s contribution, to
add third level- rather to split the indirectly expressed meaning into two. For
the Rgveda also makes a distinction
between the literal meaning and the insignificance – “ He sees but sees not … one hears but hears not”. Besides the
literal meaning, there is socio-cultural meaning depends on the contexts and
emotions. The words, expressive as well as indicatory signs respectively.
Types of Dhvani
Varieties of Dhvani
As suggested sense, or what is
suggested (vyangya) : When what is suggested is a fact (vastu), whether of
nature or of human affairs, it may be a thing occurrence is implied. it is
called Vastu Dhvani. When a fact,
which has been idealized and transformed into an image (alankaras) is
suggested, it is called Alankara Dhvani.
The third type of dhvani is the most important. An
emotion (bhava) can only be suggested and not described. When a permanent
emotion is suggested , the suggested sense is called Bhava- dhvani, is given
the name Rasa dhvani because the sthyibhav culminates in Rasa.
Dhvani denotes
1. The sound structure of words (sabda)
2. The semantic aspects of sanda, the
vyanjakas or suggesters
3. ‘the revealed or suggested meaning as
such and the process of suggestion involved’
The Dhvani theory of meaning came in for
criticism at the hands of nyaya and mimansa thinkers. The opponents said that
1. Dhvani is nonexixtent
2. Dhvani is a product of inference and
is to be included under the Laksana
3. Dhvani is something beyond the realm
of words
Mahimabhatta is the most well-known critic of this
theory. But dhvani is not laksana, it
can evoked by an idea, a figure of speech or even emotion. Even in the absence
of laksana, the word Ganga can suggest purity and sanctity. The goal is development of
rasa- mere suggestion does not make poetry, for example, the use of “He is a
Villager” to suggest his nonurban manners.
Thus, this focus on meaning and the
type of meaning in the poetry must be considered as a major contribution of Anandvardhana to Indian
theory. Further, the dhvani theory has both clucidated and strengthened the Rasa
theory and the two together constitute a powerful explanatory framework.
Finaly, this theory of verbal symbolism enriched the system of interpretation
of texts by making possible a method of symbol exegesis.
References
Blog on
Indian Poetics by Parth Bhatt
Ppt of
Kinjal Patel
A book,
Indian Literary Criticism by G. N Devy
englishliteratureforcollagestudentsblogspot.com
Study material
No comments:
Post a Comment