Puru Mehra
Painting
2nd year
Section B
Roll No. 34
DHVANI THEORY
by ANANDVARDHAN
As we know Indian Poetics evolved out of dramaturgy, which invokes
emotional response; and that is followed by the understanding of its
emotive language and the appreciation by the reader of the true import
of the poet.
The success of a good Kavya involves three aspects, which are Pratibha
(the poet’s creative inspiration), Body of the Kavya (its form by way of
word and meaning) and Rasa (the aesthetic effect)
Bharat’s Natyasastra is the earliest known treatise on Poetics and
dramaturgy. His Natyasastra mentions four alankaars( Poetic figure),
ten गु ण (excellences), ten दोष (defects) and thirty six Laksanas
(characteristics) of poetic composition.
In Indian poetics, scholars had different viewpoints, so they formed
different sampradayas (school of thought). The chief schools are: -
1. Alankara (poetic figure)
2. Rasa (aesthetic pleasure)
3. Riti (style)
4. Guna (attribute)
5. Dhvani (suggestion)
6. Vakrokti (obliquity)
7. Aucitya (propriety)
DHVANI
It is regarded as a “meaning school” which gives suggestion. That
suggested sense is not apprehended by mere knowledge of grammar and
dictionary. It is only apprehended by the knower of the poetic meaning,
who knows how to recognize the essence of poetic meaning.
The suggestive word, the suggested meaning, the power of suggestion;
and their mutual relationship are virtually the lifeblood of Indian
poetics. The word dhvani is used for the power of word to convey the
suggestive meaning
Dhvani school of poetry was formulated by Anandavardhana who
wrote “Dhvanyaloka” in the middle of the 9th century. It brought focus on
the potential power of the word in a kavya. Here, the word together with
its literal sense forms the body of Kavya.
Anandavardhana in Dhvanyalokam takes up three main types of implicit
sense:-
Vastu dhvani
Alakaara dhvani
Rasa dhvani
In Vastu dhvani some rare fact or idea is implied. In Alankaara dhvani
some alankaara or figure of speech is suggested. In Rasa dhvani rasa is
evoked. Both Vastu dhvani and Alankaara dhvani can be expressed by
direct meaning or vacyaartha, by suggestion or vyangyaartha. But the
third variety of implicit sense of rasa dhvani can never be expressed in
the direct meaning of words.
In other words: it is not the direct literal and obvious meaning that is
explicit in poetry, but it is the suggested, indirect and emotive meaning
that matters. The primary meaning can be understood by all. But the
suggested meaning is understood only by those who are gifted with some
imagination and a sort of intuition. The mere knowledge of word is not
enough to understand and enjoy the poetic import or the essence of the
kavya. It needs intuition or Pratibha.
Mammatacharya calls Pratibha as:-
“nava-navaanvesha-shalini prajna”, Means the ever inventive and
resourceful intellect.
Mammata seems to suggest that Anandavardhana graded the entire body
of kavya into three classes:-
Dhvani kavya- The poetry that suggest as the true kavya, the best (uttam),
where dhvani the unspoken suggestive element is dominant
Gunibhuta-vamgmaya-kavya- well endowed descriptive poetry, as the
middle where dhvani is secondary to Alamkara, and serves as a
decoration for the spoken or expressed meaning.
Chitrakavya- poetry that structured into various patterns or drawings.
The Dhvanyaloka is divided into four chapters called Uddyotas. In the
beginning of the first Uddyota Anandavardhana summarizes the purpose
of writing his book:
“Kavyastama dhvanir iti budhair yah samamnata- purvah.”
It means the soul of poetry has already been recognized, the theory of
dhvani is the essence of poetry. Anandavardhana has borrowed the term
“dhvani” from the field of grammar. Anandavardhana discusses all the
factors connected to dhvani doctrine such as Alankara, Guna, Riti, etc.
He assignes their true place in relation to rasa and dhvani.
The technical term Sphota pertaining to dhvani of the grammarians has
been employed by the Rhetorecians in a slightly different sense.
The supporters of Dhvani theory maintain that the situation, the context,
the speaker, the words and their meanings all conjointly produce the
suggestion.
There are three powers of words or three aspects of Dhvani
Abhidha (denotation)
Laksana ( implication)
Vyanjana ( suggestion)
According to Anandavardhana a word is not only endowed with the two
powers of denotation and implication but also that of suggestion.
Abhidha is basic and other two saktis rest upon it. Abhidha may be
defined as that power of words which conveys the conventional meaning
or the literal meaning of the expression.
Laksana is the second power of the word is, it is indication power. It
consists in the external characteristics of the expression which are
indicative of something deeper.
Vyanjana is the third power which means what is suggestive.
We arrive at the suggested sense either through ‘Abhidha’ or ‘Laksana’.
According to vaiyaakaranaas sphota is vyangya or what is suggested. In
verbal expression ‘abhidha’ and ‘laksana’ form the nature of the
condition and ‘Vyanjana’ or ‘dhvani’ is of nature of contents.
Abhidha and Laksana are ways and Vyanjana is the end.
The Dhvani theory, in all its minute details has five thousand, three
hundred and fifty-five subdividions of suggestive poetry. Dhvani is what
one overhears in good poetry, the meaning that echo after a statement
has been made. It is basically a semantic theory.
Sphota
The basic principle of dhvani is innate in Sphota vada: strictly speaking it
is not admissible to take words separately by splitting a sentence. The
concept of dhvani was inspired by the ancient doctrine of Sphota, that
which flashes or bursts forth the meaning. The term sphota signifies:
bursting; opening; expansion’ disclosure; the eternal and imperceptible
element of sound and words. To those who advocated the divisibility of
both pada and vakya, it is the last sentence in a structure that indicates
sphota. Sphota is practically manifest from the last sound. It is from the
last sound that the cognition of the entire word-structure is derived,
together with the impression produced by proceeding sound.
Sphota in this context is “antima buddhi graahya” or what is known by
the last word. Sphota is also “antim varna graahya”, or what is known by
the last syllable as even the last alphabet.
Indian rhetoricians have made a meticulous study of both the meaning
and emotive context of words. Words have at least two meanings, one
literal meaning, the other suggested meaning which is described as
dhvani or the meaning that echoes.
Sphota is a distinct entity, by itself. It is a gradual process, the mind
acquires progressively greater and greater aptitude for receiving further
glimpses; with the utterance of the last sound unit the process comes to a
close. Dhvani is so termed because it sounds, rings, or reverberates
because it is sphota. The idea of one thing indicating something else
which it is not is the distinguishing character of dhvani.
