13 Kuntaka: Vakrokti-jivita

Dr. Mrinmoy Pramanick

About the Chapter:

This modules is about famous Sanskrit rhetorician, literary theorist Kuntaka and his theory of poetry. He belongs to Vakrokti school of Sanskrit or ancient Indian poetics. This module briefly talks about Kuntaka, his contemporary theorists, his role in poetics and linguistics. This module also discusses about famous book, Vakrokti-Jivitam by Kuntaka. In conclusion, this module talks about Kuntaka’s position in Indian literary theory.

Introduction

Kuntaka is the originator of the Vakrokti school of Sanskrit literary theory. He came after Anandvardhan of 9th century and before Abhinavagupta of 10th century. His time was the time of high merit of Indian poetics. Dhananjaya and Rajashekhara were his contemporary theorists. The theorists appeared in the time of Kuntaka contributed a lot what is in different shape is considered as modern theories of literature and language. In this context, Ganesh Devy says that Vakrorkti and the Alamkara are two Indian schools which are very close to two Western schools of thought formalism and new criticism.

Ganesh Devy commented, “Vakrokti is a theory of poetry which perceives poetry essentially as terms of the language of its expression. It sees the poetic language as language of metaphor and suggestive communication”. Hence, Kuntaka’s contribution in poetic thought is not only the matter of poetry or literature but it is about understanding the language, language of poetry and its difference with the language of the common. Kuntaka’s opinions on language of poetry and overall his study on language makes his position many steps further to the future. He is considered as one of the early language theorists in India.

Kuntaka and Vakrokti-Jivitam

Anjalika Mukhopadhyay informs in her Bangla translation of Kuntaka’s Vakrokti-Jivitam that, the manuscript of Kuntaka’s Vakrokti-Jivitam was appeared as final version with the initiative and immense work done by Sushil Kumar Dey in 1922. This manuscript was found as incomplete in four chapters. Some scholars assume this book has its fifth chapter also but it is not proved yet. Scholars assume that Kuntak was a Kashmiri, because some hints were found in this regard. It is also assumed that Kunataka was alive in the time between Anandavardhana and Abhinavagupta. He appeared before Mahimbhatta, as Mahimbhatta mentioned about him in different Slokas. If Mahimbhatta came in between 1020-1060 then Kuntaka was there in between 1000-1030. Kuntaka never mentioned about Abhinavagupta and Abhinavagupta also never mentioned about Kuntaka; though he talked about Vakrokti. It means either they were contemporary to each other or Kuntaka came after Abhinavagupta. Mahimbhatta, Hemachandra and Bhoja told that Kuntaka was the author of the Karika and Britti of his Vakrokti-Jivitam, though some scholars have doubt on this because the style of language found in the Karika and the Britti is completely different.

History of Vakrokti

The theory of Vakrokti is found even before Kuntaka had made it sophisticated and scientific with his rare talent. Bhamaha among the theorists who talked about Vakrokti is most ancient. Kuntaka primarily adopted Bhamaha’s idea of Vakrokti. Rudrat in his Kavyalankara (9th century) also talked about Vakrokti. Vakrokti was generally perceived as a Shabdalankar only. But it did not have much significance beyond its significance as Shabdlankar in Bhamaha, Dandin and Bamana understands.

As an alamkara Vakrokti was very inclusive to Bhamaha. He included all types of alamkara under the term of Vakrokti. According to Bhamaha Vakrokti is the soul of poetry. The way words are become different than the daily conversation and gives pleasure to the mind of the rasika or one who accomplishes poetry is vakrokti. Bhamaha did not accept Swabhabokti as a type of alamkara. But Dandin accepted both Swabhabokti and Bakrokti as alamkara. He believed poetry means alamkara. If the daily use of language is reformulated with alamkara it becomes vakrokti and that vakrokti is led by Slesha. And this is how vakrokti creates beauty in poetry.

Sreenivas Rao in his work on Kuntaka and Indian poetics says that “later, Rudrata treats Vakrokti as a mere play of words or pretended speech”, which means that the word is meant for one thing and it is understood by the readers as other thing. It happens because of the voice and modulation of the reader of that particular poem. This difference in voice is known as Kaku, which according to Rao is ‘peculiar intonation’ (Rao, Sreenivas;). And this changes the meaning of the word. It also happens for the word having multiple meaning or at least two meanings and the each meaning has its logical implications which is known as Slesha. Rao added that Vamana observes Vakrokti as an Artha-Alamkara where the hinted meaning of the word or lakshana is replaced by the similarity or Sadrishya and therefore, to Vamana Vakrokti is nothing but a metaphor. Hence the Vakrokti as an extended poetic term proposed by Bhamaha and Dandin appeared as a limited term and a figure of speech only to Rudrata and Vamana. It is Kuntaka who did the historical study of the theory of Vakrokti and placed it in a very significant theory of poetry. He made differences between the language of poetry and the language of everyday life with the reference of Vakrokti. According to hims Vakrokti is a distinguishing factor of poetry and it is one of the basic quality of poetic language, it makes composition of words a poem. He is the true successor of Bhamaha and established Vakrokti as distinctive characteristics of all alamkaras. His concept of Vakrokti also guides the poet to select the words while composing a piece of poem. This idea is peculiar to poetry.

What is Vakrokti ?

Sreenivas Rao, a renowned scholar of Sanskrit poetics put his most of the works on poetics in his personal website. In his work on Kuntaka he explains the definition of the term Vakrokti and its genealogical meaning. He mentions that, “the term Vakrokti is composed of Vakra + Ukti, where the latter (Ukti) derived from Vac-paribhashane can easily be taken to mean a poetic expression, a clever speech or a pithy statement. It is however the former component (Vakra) of the term Vakrokti, evoking diverse shades of meanings and suggestions, that is widely discussed and interpreted in various manners” (Rao, Sreenivas;) .

Kuntaka like many other theorists also accepted the traditional definition of poetry. And this definition says that the great juxtaposition and interwovenness of the sabda and artha makes a piece poetry. But Kuntaka claimed that this interwoven relation of sabda and artha should have a quality of Vakrata or Vaichitra. According to him the vakrota or vakrotva is the very quality of poetry and it brings pleasure in the mind of the reader after or while one is reading the poem. Vakrota is the very essence of the poetic speech or what is known as Kavyokti and it makes the life of a poetry what is known as Jivita. And that is why the title of his book is Vakrokti-Jivita, it is a biography of poetry, the title shows it talks everything of a poetry. It speaks about the being and becoming and after life of a poem.

According to him Vakrokti is a matter of Vaidagdhya or intelligence, but not only that, it depends of the style or how the intelligence will create this matter, therefore he says that the Vakrokti is Vaidagdhya-bhangi-bhanita (Rao, Sreenivas;). Therefore, the successful creation of Vakrokti in poetry depends on the talent and skill or craftsmanship of a poet, what is known as Kavi-Koushala (poetic art). This is how, Kuntaka relates the talent, skill or craftsmanship of the poet to create a successful poem which will be very unique in creating meaning and expression.

Kuntaka’s Vakrokti

According to Kuntaka Vakrokti is created by “Baidagdhabhangibhanitiruchyate”, which means a poetic talent with his own creative power creates such attractive subject which being earthly, sounds heavenly to the rasika or to the readers who has authority to accomplish. Swabhabokti defines or represents things or objects as it is there in the world of reality. Kuntaka argues there is no credit of creating Swabhabokti because it does not bring any uniqueness in the poetic thought and alamkara also cannot perform its role here in the Swabhabokti. Alamkara makes the object beautiful by putting the elements which are not there in the object.

Shabda and the Artha make the body of poetry. It can be beautiful with the vakrokti. The cleverness of words should not cover the beauty of the poem. Tadwidgana, means the group of scholars who understand poetry will evaluate this highest art of creation of poetry in a poet.

Kuntaka defines poetry by saying that it is “word and sense together enshrined in a style revealing the artistic creativity of the poet on the one hand and giving delight to the man of taste on the other” (Devy, Ganesh;). This definition of poetry shows that Kuntaka carried the lineage of knowledge on Indian poetics. The previous thoughts propagated by different schools are adapted in Kuntaka’s theory on poetry.

He mentions that the meaning is signified and word signifies the meaning. He elaborated his idea on word, meaning, style, metaphor and poetic language. And later he describes of the good qualities of a true poetry. A good poetry is what which has unique expression, meaning which delights the readers. Poet can make a mere word unique with his creative talent. Word and meaning are adorned in poetry and they appeared as ‘artistic turn of speech’.

There are different types of Vakrokti suggested by Kuntaka in his Vakrokti-Jivitam Those are, Phonetic figurativeness (Varnavinyasa Vakrata), Lexical figurativeness (padapurvardha Vakrata), Grammatical figurativeness (pratyaya vakrata), Sentential Figurativeness (Vakyavakrata), Contextual figurativeness (Prakarana vakrata), and Compositional figurativeness (Prabandha vakrata).

Kuntaka’s Idea of Sahitya

Kuntaka explains the idea of Sahitya in his Vakrokti-Jivitam. He said,

Sahityamanayo Shobhashalitang Prati kapyasou

Anyunyatiriktatwamanoharinyabasthiti

Kuntaka’s above said statement means that the mode of union is literature. When the word and the meaning exists together and united with each other but do not lose their own identity, characteristics but their union is so heavenly, so spiritual that do not cross the limits of each other’s boundary then they together create the beauty and that beauty is Sahitya (literature). As word and meaning meets with each other in a heavenly mode, there is no need of additional claim of Alamkara or ornament in literature. Hence, Kuntaka did not feel there is any need of Alamkara as a necessary component of literature.

Marga or Riti or Style and Guna

According to Kuntaka ‘Sukumara Marga’ is essential condition of Kavya. Beside Sukumara Marga, he talks about Bichitra Marga and he explains the characteristics in ten Karikas. There are another Marga which is created by the characteristics of both the above said Margas, and that is Ubhayatmak Marga.

Kuntaka talks about four kinds of Guna. Those are, Madhurya, Prasada, Lavanya and Abhijatya. For example he took references from Kalidasa. Later he mentioned about two more Guna, Auchitya and Soubhagya and these Gunas are common to all the above three margas.

Conclusion

Kuntaka after Bhatrihari, is most brilliant and rare talent who contributed enormously on the discourse of language study and also on the discourse of poetic language or literary language. In his understanding vakrokti is the vaidagdhyam bhangi or it is deviated or alternative to the speech act of the common people. With his study of poetic language he suggested the how of the birth of beauty. He is that genius in Indian poetics who extends himself from language study to aesthetics to adaptation theory, to translation theory what we deal with now can be rooted in Kuntaka’s work also. The different types of Vakrokti what he classified is method of criticism of literature also. It is actually literary discourse proposed by him. He suggested a complete structure of literary study. But not only limited into that he was concered about the reader’s response, though it is the major concern of all the Sanskrit rhetoricians. Vakrokti is Kavi-Kushalata, art and talent of the poet and poet’s creativity is termed as “Kavi-vyapara-vakrata, or art in the poetic process and this is the primary condition of a successful poetry” and therefore rasanubhuti comes into the mind of Sahridaya or the readers (Rao, Sreenivas;). Kuntaka has balanced between the poet’s role and reader’s role in appreciation of poetry. The pint of view of the poet and the reader’s accomplishment both are necessary for emergence of rasanubhuti, according to Kuntaka.

Summary

In this module we have learnt about Kuntaka and his contribution to Indian poetics. We have discussed a historical study on the term of Vakrokti and how Kuntak has successfully theorised the term and made it a primary condition of a successful poem. Kuntak’s theory is not only a theory of cherishing poetry but he contributed his thoughts to guide the future poets with his understanding of how write a poem. We have discussed the differences of thoughts on the term Vakrokti with the reference of Kuntaka and his predecessors. We have also discussed about Kuntaka’s concept of different styles or riti of poetry and his conception about Sahitya in this module.

References

• Devy, Ganesh;. “Language of Poetry and Metaphor.” Indian Literary Criticism: Theory and
• Interpretation. Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan, 2010. Print.
• Mukhopadhyay, Anjalika;. Vakroktijivitam. Kolkata: Sadesh, 2010. Print.
• Rao, Sreenivas;. Kavya and Indian Poetics, Part 9. 31 August 2015. Web.<https://sreenivasaraos.com/tag/vakrokti-jivita/>.
• Sreekumar, Dr.;. Vakrokti of Kuntaka: Criticism and Theory. n.d. web.<http://sreekumarenglishliterature.blogspot.in/2016/10/vakrokti-of-kuntaka.html>.