The ''Alankara Shastra'' is the traditional Indian science of

aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...

that deals with the principles and techniques of literary composition and ornamentation. It is an important aspect of Indian

literary criticism A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature's ...

and aims to enhance the beauty and expressiveness of literary works. It is based on the concept that literary works should be pleasing and enjoyable to the reader, and it provides guidelines for the use of literary devices such as metaphor, simile and imagery, as well as rules for the arrangement of words and phrases to create pleasing and harmonious compositions. It also covers the use of various poetic meters and structural rules for different types of literature, such as epic poetry, drama, and

lyrical poetry Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person. The term for both modern lyric poetry and modern song lyrics derives from a form of Ancient Greek literature, ...

. The Shastra is considered an important part of Indian literary tradition and is still studied and applied in contemporary Indian literature and poetry. The

Sanskrit language Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and its corresponding literature have become an integral component of

Indian religion Indian religions, sometimes also termed Dharmic religions or Indic religions, are the religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent. These religions, which include Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism,Adams, C. J."Classification o ...

and

Indian Culture Indian culture is the heritage of social norms and technologies that originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse nation of India, pertaining to the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and the Republic of India post-1947. ...

. From the earliest recorded specimens of

Sanskrit literature Sanskrit literature is a broad term for all literature composed in Sanskrit. This includes texts composed in the earliest attested descendant of the Proto-Indo-Aryan language known as Vedic Sanskrit, texts in Classical Sanskrit as well as some ...

, it is evident that the art of elegant speech was highly valued. Many hymns from the Rgveda are regarded as exemplary examples of superior poetry. The utilization of various

rhetorical device In rhetoric, a rhetorical device, persuasive device, or stylistic device is a technique that an author or speaker uses to convey to the listener or reader a meaning with the goal of persuading them towards considering a topic from a perspective, ...

s, which are employed in a natural and fluid manner, are highlighted as follows; * Upamā - simile * Rupaka - metaphor * Atiśayokti - hyperbole The

Rāmāyana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics of Hinduism known as the ''Itihasas'', ...

and the

Mahābhārata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succe ...

are not only monumental works of combining wisdom and imagination with history, but they also demonstrate exceptional poetic skill. The formal study of Alankara Sastra as a distinct and independent subject did not exist in ancient times. The earliest systematization of this field is believed to have begun with the '' Nātya śāstra'' of Bharata, which was written between 200 B.C. and 400 A.D. Although it primarily focused on drama, it laid the foundation for the study of poetry as a science. Many poets have contributed to the literary tradition by producing high-quality works, enriching the field of poetry. These poets include, *

Bhāmaha Bhamaha (, ) () was a Sanskrit language, Sanskrit poetics, poetician believed to be contemporaneous with Daṇḍin. He is noted for writing a work called the ''Kavyalankara'' (, ) ("The ornaments of poetry"). For centuries, he was known only by r ...

and Daṇḍin (6th century AD) * Vāmana and Udbhaṭa (8th century AD) * Rudraṭa and Anandavardhana (9th century AD) *

Abhinavagupta Abhinavagupta (Devanāgarī अभिनवगुप्तः; c. 950 – 1016 CE) was a philosopher, mystic and aesthetician from Kashmir. He was also considered an influential musician, poet, dramatist, exegete, theologian, and logicianR ...

, Kṣemendra and Mammata (11th century AD)

Notable works

Some of the standard works of Alankara Sastra are Bharata's '' Nātyaśāstra'',

's ''Kāvyālañkāra'',

Daṇḍin Daṇḍi or Daṇḍin (Sanskrit: दण्डिन्) () was an Indian Sanskrit grammarian and author of prose romances. He is one of the best-known writers in Indian history. Life Daṇḍin's account of his life in ''Avantisundari-ka ...

's ''

Kāvyādarśa The Kavyadarsha (, ) by Dandin is the earliest surviving systematic treatment of poetics in Sanskrit. Contents This work is divided into 3 ''pariccheda''s (chapters) in most of the printed editions, except one, where the third chapter of the oth ...

'', Udbhaṭa's ''Kāvyālañkāra-sañgraha'', Rudraṭa's ''Kāvyālañkāra'', Anandavardhana's ''Dhvanyāloka'', and Mammata's ''Kāvya-prakāśa''. These texts provide a comprehensive understanding of the principles and techniques of literary composition and ornamentation and are considered important references for anyone studying

Indian aesthetics Indian art evolved with an emphasis on inducing special spiritual or philosophical states in the audience, or with representing them symbolically. Rasas in the performing arts The theory of rasa (aesthetics), rasas still forms the aesthetic ...

and literary criticism. They offer insight into various literary devices, structural rules and guidelines for the use of literary devices such as metaphor, simile, and imagery. These works are considered to be some of the most important contributions to the field of Alankara.

References

External links

Alaṅkāra-śāstra
on Hindupedia {{Authority control Hindu texts Sanskrit texts Cultural history of India Literary theory Sanskrit literature Hindu philosophical concepts Sanskrit aesthetics

Notable works

See also

References

External links