Indian Aesthetics

&
Poetics

Dr. Onkar Nath Upadhyay

Professor & Head
Department of English and Modern
European Languages
University of Lucknow, Lucknow
 Indian Aesthetics & Poetics
• Rooted in philosophy and • Kavyaśāstra is the study,
spirituality. discussion, and inquiry into the
technique and philosophy of
• Encompasses literature, poetics, arts.
drama, fine arts, sculpture, and • Nātyaśāstra and Tolkappiyam are
other art forms. often referred to as basic texts.
• The foundation lies • Bhamaha regards alaṃkāra as
essential for poetic composition,
in satyam (truth), shivam (goodn stemming from vakrokti (oblique
ess/ auspiciousness), expression)and atiśayokti (hyper
and sundaram (beauty). bole).
• Rasaswadna, or flavor, and • Suggestion (vyaṅjanā) is
emotional expression are key to considered the soul of poetry.
appreciating beauty in art. • Auchitya synthesizes all parts of
a poem to generate rasa
 INDIAN Poetic THEORY
MAJOR CRITICAL TEXTS
•Bharata’s Natyasastra (second century C.E.) - alamkara
•Anandavardhana’s Dhvanyaloka (800 C.E.) - dhvani
•Bhartrhari’s Satakas (800 C.E.) - rasa

VYAKARANA (GRAMMAR) AS THE BASIS OF ALL SCIENCE

Application of grammatical categories of Panini’s
- Sabdanusasana [Science of sabda, or “words”] and the
- Astadhyayi [Eight chapters of grammatical rules]
- Origin of Devanagari is found in “Maheshwar Sutra” in Panini’s
Ashtadhyayi:
"नृत्तावसाने नटराजराजो ननाद ढक्ाां नवपञ्चवारम्।
उद्धर्तुकामः सनकादददसद्धान् एर्दिमर्शे दर्शवसूत्रजा्म् "
RULE-GOVERNED DISCIPLINES:
• arthasastra, a grammar of government or political science
• rasa-sastra, the science of meaning or interpretation specifically for poetry.
• natyasastra, the science of drama or dramaturgy
• sangitasastra, the science of music or musicology
 INDIAN SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
•Alamkara – associated with poetic figures

•Rasa – associated with aesthetic pleasure

•Riti – associated with literary style

•Guna – associated with attributes

•Dhvani – associated with interpretations

•Vakrokti – associated with obliquity

•Anumana – associated with inference

•Aucitya – associated with propriety

 RASA
Bharata’s Natyasastra
• Lay down rules governing the creation of drama
• Developed the theories of rasa (meaning or essence)
• Explains the basic emotion in a literary or artistic work dealing with
- secondary emotions
- rhetorical details
- verbal and tropological elements, yielding a sentiment which the connoisseur
can appreciate in enjoyment.

• Formula to produce homeostasis or balance in an audience by having them

identify with certain rasas.

• Emphasis on liberation and freedom from bad karma – close resemblance to

Aristotle’s concept of catharsis.

• Cause the purgation of the emotions of satva (happiness), rajas (anger),

and tamas (ignorance or laziness) so as to generate the feeling
of moksha (liberation).
 NAVARASA
RASA EMOTION PRESIDING DEITY PRESIDING
COLOUR
Shringara Love and Beauty Vishnu Green
Hasya Joy and Mirth Pramata White
Raudra Anger Rudra Red
Bibhatsa Disgust Shiva Blue
Karuna Despair Yama Grey
Bhayanaka Horror Kala Black
Veera Courage and Indra Yellowish
Heroism
Adbhut Amazement Brahma Yellow
Shant Serenity and Vishnu White
Peace
 DHVANI
• The suggested sense of poetry.

• Propounded by Anandvardhana in Dhvyanyaloka.

• It suggests there are three functions of a word:

1. Abhidha – signifies or denotes directly.
2. Lakshana – indicates a sense that is different from the primary sense but relates to it.
3. Vyanjana – the meaning of the word has the power to reach beyond the obvious.

• Suggests two types of meanings in literature:

1. Vachya – explicit or surface meaning
2. Dhvani – implied or suggested meaning

• Three types of suggested meanings:

1. Vyangya (Allusive Suggestion) – the readers is expected to understand and interpret.
2. Vastu ( Objective Suggestion) – emotions evoked by words or imagery in the text.
3. Alamkara (Ornamentation) – literary devices that add to the suggested meaning.
 VAKROKTI
• Origin in Bhamaha’s Kavyalamkara and Dandin’s Kavyadarshan.
• Kuntaka postulated the Vakrokti Siddhānta or theory of Oblique Expression in
Vakroktijīvitam.
• It is the source of beauty in kavya that is quite opposite to the description of a thing as it
is.
• A 'striking denotion' (vicitra/abhidha) and a striking mode of expression depending on
the peculiar turn given to it by the skill of the poet.
• Vakrokti can be seen in relation to:
- Saussurean langue/ parole dichotomy
- Noam Chomsky's distinction between 'competence' and performance'
- concepts like idiolect and deviance

Vakrokti is manifested at six levels in language:

 the phonetic level [varṇavinyāsa]
 the lexical level [padapūrvārddha]
 the grammatical level [padaparārddha]
 the sentential level [vākya]
 the contextual level [prakaraṇa]
 the compositional level [prabandha]
• Kuntaka, author of Vakrokti-jivita was the father of this school.
 AUCITYA
• Kshemendra, a Kashmirian poet wrote Aucityavicaracarca, where
he puts forward a novel theory that Aucitya or appropriateness is
the soul of poetry.

• Kshemendra considered aucitya to be the jivita (life) of poetry.

• Aucitya is the condition of being proper when one thing befit

another, or when things suit each other well and match perfectly.

• Proportion between the whole and the parts, between the chief
and the subsidiary.

• Appropriateness is the abiding life of poetry that is endowed with

rasa.

• It is the only element that includes Guna, Alamkara, Dhvani, Rasa

and Vakrokti including both Bhava and Rupa, independent of
reader’s interest.
 ALAMKARA
Eminent Texts:
- Bhamaha’s Kavyalamkara
- Dandi’s Kavyadarsha
-Bamana’s Kavyatairikara

• Dogmatic about figures of speech in poetry.

• Rules for figurative speech like rupaka (simile), utpreksa (metaphor), atisya (hyperbole),
and kavya (stanzaic forms).

•Form involved in creating a meaning (alamkara) and feeling evoked by a poem (sphota) are
interdependent on each other.

• Poetry having a body (kavyasarira) constituted of two basis elements –

(1)sound (sabda) and
(2) sense (artha) which required to be ornamented

• Kavyasarira of poetry never shines without proper ornaments in the form of poetic figures and
hence they are essential.

• Attention to the incorporation of poetic qualities (gunadhana) and the exclusion of flaws in poetry
(dosadana).
 LEGACY OF INDIAN AESTHETICS & POETICS
• The interplay of Rasa, Dhvani, and Alankara reveals a sophisticated
understanding of emotional and aesthetic impact in Indian arts.

• Indian aesthetics is a reflection of India's profound philosophical and

spiritual engagement with the world.

• Indian poetics continues to inspire contemporary artists seeking to evoke

deep emotional resonances.

• The integration of literature, performance, and visual arts creates a holistic

aesthetic experience that distinguishes Indian artistic traditions.

• The universal themes embedded within Indian aesthetics foster cross-

cultural dialogues, promoting a global appreciation of diverse artistic
expressions.

• Rabindranath Tagore said in “Return to Bengal”:

"The highest education is that which does not merely give us information
but makes our life in harmony with all existence."
THANK YOU