Right from the oldest days, the काव्यकल्पलतावृत्ति or काव्यकल्पलता-कविशिक्षावृत्ति of Amara Candra Yati (V. S. 12th century) is known, both for its original subject-matter and for the deep scholarship of the author reflected in it. So many mss. of the work are listed to be found in different manuscript libraries, mainly in western India. The author has written another very elaborate and detailed Vrtti on his own work. This Vitti, परिमल by name, is unfortunately available only upto 2.1 and a part of 2.2, i. e., only on the first six stabakas and a part of the seventh, in a work of total 21 stabakas. He is also said to have written a third Vrtti, "Manjari by name on his work, thus betraying his constant, unending thinking on the training and equipment of a poet seeking literary perfection. It also seems that during the course of writing of the 'Parimala', the author has revised his 'Vrtti' at places. This is evidenced from the fact that he asks the reader atleast at three places in his 'Parimala' to refer to his Vrtti'. The reason of the non-completion of 'Parimala' is not known. Later writers also seem to know it upto a part of 2.2 at the most, as mentioned above. It is very much likely that this his work on 'training and equipment of a poet' is one of his later and mature works, and, in all probability, he could not complete his 'Parimala' before his death. This is, however, only a conjecture.
Another scholar of high order subhavijayagani (V. S. 17th century) has written a Vrtti, मकरन्द by name. He, however, makes a very humble claim in his Vrtti. He only supplements 'Parimala' in all respect, and refers to the 'Parimala' at several places in his Vetti for matters that he would not repeat. Even though claimed to be just a supplement, the Vrtti is scholarly and adds quite a few valuable points not to be found even in the very elaborate 'Parimala'.
काव्यकल्पलतावृत्ति is published twice and translated into Marathi once. The first edition was published about 95 years back and the second edition came out in 1931. The Marathi translation is also very old. The 'Parimala' and 'Makaranda' are available only in mss, and await publication. Again, the latest printed Vrtti edited by Pundit Jagannath Shastri Hoshing, is very much faulty, corrupt, hurried and full of misprints. It therefore needs a thorough revision with the help of several authentic and valuable mss. that were perhaps not available to Pundit Hoshing. Except for the Sutra or Karika part, it is likely more to misguide rather than guide its readers. It seems that the editor did not have access to so many mss. available to us to-day.
We have therefore undertaken this ambitious programme of preparing a thoroughly revised critical edition of काव्यकल्पलतावृत्ति together with the 'Parimala' as also the 'Makaranda', the latter two seeing the light of publication for the first time. This would be a fit tribute to the tireless scholarship and erudition of Amara Candra Yati, whose life-time work now fully appears in print. We have made use of so many very valuable and old mss. and referred to several others for revision of the printed text and a critical editing of the 'Parimala' and 'Makaranda'.
A word, to be elaborated later in its proper place, may be added about the value of the subject-matter of the work to justify this patient, hard and long-time effort and publication of the work. The work, as its name shows, is on the training and equipment of a poet, व्युत्पत्ति and अभ्यास of traditional writers. All topics therefore, associated with the two are discussed by the author. He expects the poet to be well equipped on the lines laid down by him and then to train himself in the composition of poetry so that he progresses step by step and constantly evolves into a greater poet by scaling higher and higher heights. The sum-total of all this discussion is that the poet should be a सर्वज्ञ. But important is the fact that he shows how he can become a सर्वज्ञ; this सर्वज्ञता that comes by stages is also expected to be well-planned systematic. This brings in the discussion of four main topics छन्दः सिद्धि, शब्दसिद्धि, श्लेषसिद्धि and अर्थसिद्धि in four प्रतान. Other important topics discussed and analysed are वर्णनं, अद्भुतविधि, चित्रप्रपञ्च, अलंकार and समस्याक्रम' etc. All these are of importance on the art-side (Kalapaksa) of Kavya and therefore the poet is expected to master these. We do not come across such detailed discussion on the topics and the problem posed in any work accepted by tradition. Thus, the work is original in its own way and so is the subject-matter that perhaps no other author could analyse and elaborate better, not even Vinaya Candra Suri, the writer of काव्यशिक्षा'. The work of Amara Candra Yati would therefore be a positive addition to knowledge in general and add substantially to the wealth of knowledge of poetics in particular.
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