English
" Even in the absence of external instruction, even in the absence of prior disposition, by constantly applying effort here, it is said that one achieves such proficiency. For it has been said: "Though there exists not a wondrous talent, Attendant on the qualities of prior disposition; Yet speech, cultivated with study and zeal, Surely bestows some favor." Its meaning is: even if there does not exist such a wondrous talent that is attendant on the qualities of prior disposition, that is, whose connection is by way of bestowing support on the quality of the disposition of familiarity from a past life, nevertheless, speech, cultivated by study, by hearing, or by zeal, by the effort of making it skillful, or by service to teachers, surely, certainly, bestows some favor, some sharpness of intellect. Here, a poem is complete in the form of a major statement, whether in the form of isolated verses, or in the nature of parts, or in the groups of internal verse-parts of those same, differentiated by specific expressions; it stands as either purely metrical, or purely prose, or a mixture of metrical and prose known as "campū." A drama is of the nature of various kinds of displays found in treatises on dramaturgy by Bharata and others. A poem, and here, from the characteristics shown, minor dramas and other plays with one act, etc., and a short drama, these are all kinds of poems. But the characteristics of a poem should be seen thus: "A great poem is called a composition in cantos; Its characteristics are: salutation, statement of the subject, and also benediction at its beginning. Originating from historical narrative, or based on the peaceful, Dependent on achieving the four aims of life, with four noble heroes. Description of cities, oceans, mountains, moon, sun, and sunrise, Parks, water sports, drinking, lovemaking, and festivals. Adorned with separation and marriages, The birth and growth of a prince, Counsel, envoys, journeys, battles, And the rise of the hero. Unabridged, uninterrupted by sentiments and emotions, With cantos not too extensive, with pleasant words and good connections. Everywhere at the end of different cantos, endowed with what delights the world." A poem well-adorned endures for an age. Its meaning: a composition bound by divisions called cantos is called a "great poem." Its characteristics, it is said, are connected by the crow's-eye view. The beginning of that poem is reverence, homage to deities, or a statement of the subject matter: "In the northern direction is the god-souled Himalaya, king of mountains, Plunging into the eastern and western oceans, Standing like a measuring rod of the earth." Thus, the presentation of some subject matter related to such a composition, or a blessing such as "May it please my mind," or another desired blessing, is fitting. Based on historical narratives or ancient stories, or even based on tranquility, or based on the virtues of kings, aiming for the four goals, causing worldly and supramundane happiness, namely, virtue, a collection of knowledge, land, etc., and the protection of what is collected, wealth, desire, consisting of the five sensual pleasures that lead to misfortune, and liberation, the cause of cessation of all suffering, dependent on the four goals, having four noble heroes, endowed with energy, strength, and power, skilled in four ways, noble through generosity, etc., a hero who is generous, excellent, on the side of the protagonist or the antagonist, where there is a description of what has been said, old and new, seasons, the moon, the rising of the sun, a city, the ocean, a season like winter or spring, a mountain, the rising of the moon and sun, where there is a description of these. "Savita" here has the suffix "tu." Where there is a festival consisting of garden sports, water sports, drinking, and lovemaking, separation from a spouse and marriage, the birth and growth of a prince, counsel, an envoy, marching, victory, and the rise of the hero, counsel being the wisdom of knowing policy, an envoy who makes alliances, marching to war, war, the rise of the hero on the side of the protagonist. Adorned and prepared with prosperity, known as increase, Unabridged… Uninterrupted, extensive sentiments, Eight emotions, like love and enthusiasm, Continuously spread with pleasing expressions, And beautiful connections, With verses like Indavajira, Whose divisions are beautiful due to the connection of prior and subsequent parts, With different sections ending in different cantos, Endowed with sections that are not too extensive, United with divisions known as not too extensive cantos, A poem with beautiful ornaments, delighting the world, Remains for an aeon, Or stands continuously for an aeon, Or remains in another aeon. Here, if descriptions of cities, excluding drinking, etc., please the minds of the knowledgeable, That too is faultless. For it was said: "A poem is not flawed by missing parts, Even if some are lacking here; If the perfection of composition pleases The knowledgeable, as they wish." Its meaning: Here, among these parts of the poem, Even if some parts, some elements, are lacking, Even if there is a lack of sound and rhythm, The poem is not flawed, But that faultlessness, The perfection of compositional elements, Like descriptions of cities, If it pleases the knowledgeable, Those who know poetry, as they wish, Thus it is. Furthermore, in descriptions of heroes, One may describe the hero with his allies, And also the state of his being rejected. Or else, one may describe the enemy, And also the hero's overcoming of him. For it was said: "Having first spoken of the qualities, Of the hero, then of the enemy, The rejection of him, This path is naturally beautiful. Having described lineage, valor, sons, etc., Even of the enemy, And the hero's triumph over him, The narration of his excellence delights us." 8. Composition is called the union Of sound and meaning, free from faults; Divided into verse, prose, and mixed, This becomes threefold. 8. Having shown the encouragement of the audience, Now, "composition desired by the author," The characteristic of composition is stated. begins to do, "bond and..." etc. Free from faults, free from contradictions due to sound and meaning, or abandoned by them, or those by whom sound and meaning are united, unified. Those who have the characteristics mentioned are said to be united with the ancient teachers. The state of being united, the cause of delight and pleasure, the thing to be accomplished, is unity. Thus, having translated the sound and meaning, which are free from faults and united, in a well-known manner, the body of the bond, which is threefold as expression of nature, expression of crookedness, and expression of embellishment, is established, just as "who is wearing earrings, that is Devadatta." The word "ca" is a collection of what is to be said, meaning "something." There, the meaning of words, characterized by genus, quality, action, and substance, is primarily fourfold. Because the primary meaning is fourfold, the word that expresses it is fourfold: genus word, quality word, action word, and substance word. Indeed, a word is threefold: expressive, indicative, and suggestive, by difference of function. And function is simply the causing of the understanding of the meaning of the word. Indeed, it is threefold: primary, indicative, and suggestive nature. There, the word function that has the uninterrupted object of genus, etc., is primary. That itself is called denotation. Because of that function, that which speaks of that object in a primary way with immediate genus, etc., such as "cow," is expressive. The word function that is not specified as having the object of another word is indicative. That is twofold: pure and mixed with metaphor. There, pure is like "let the cow be released, the platforms are shouting, a hamlet on the Ganges." Here, by the word "cow," the universal of the genus is meant, not the individual cow. For it has been said – "Denotation does not go to the specified, its power is exhausted in the specification" [this is a principle that appears in the second chapter of the Kāvyaprakāśa]. Because the universal is pervasive and incorporeal. There, releasing from bondage is not possible, so the individual cow, which is the basis of its dependence, is drawn in, likewise, shouting is not possible for platforms, so for the sake of accomplishing the action of shouting, those associated with the platforms... Men are dragged along. Just as the sound of the Ganges cannot echo back the rush of its waters, the sound of the Ganges signifies the river's edge, the bank near the flowing water, its object of designation. Since figurative usage is of many kinds, metonymy mixed with indication can also be of many sorts. For example, sometimes the effect is figuratively applied to the cause, as in "life is a pot." Sometimes there is no distinction between cause and effect, as in "life is the Veda." Sometimes the object of comparison is figuratively applied to the thing compared, as in "he is a cow, Bāhika." Sometimes there is no difference between them, as in "he is indeed a cow." Sometimes there is designation by that which is its basis, as in "the lampstand is a potsherd, a lamp." Sometimes there is designation by that which is related to its action, as in "even a non-carpenter is a carpenter." Sometimes there is a relationship of association, as in "a man related to the king is a king." Sometimes there is designation of the whole by a part, as in "the word 'paṭa' in one part," and so on. The word that relies on indication is indicative. But the quality of suggestion, another term for the word, is the third function. The word that relies on that is suggestive. Thus, based on these three words, the meaning is also threefold: literal, indicative, and suggestive. Therein, the suggestive meaning itself is called the essence of poetry.