KAVYAVALOKANA
- Kavyavalokana (ಕಾವ್ಯಾವಲೋಕನ)
- kAvyAvalOkana
- Nagavarma-2
- 12th Century
- Poetics (Alamkara Shastra)
- ‘Kavyavalokana’ is a treatise on poetics even though it contains an
entire chapter on Kannada grammar called ‘Shabdasmriti’. This
‘Shabdasmriti’ is considered to be the first grammar of Kannada written in
Kannada apart from stray references found in ‘Kavirajamarga’. This work is
divided in to five parts: 1. Shabdasmriti (shabdasmriti) 2. Kavyamalavyavrutti
(kAvyamalavyAvrutti) 3. Gunaviveka (guNavivEka) 4. Reethikramarasanirupana
(rItikramarasanirUpaNa) 5. Kavisamaya. (kavisamaya) The first chapter on
grammar delineates sandhi, (sandhi) nama, (nAma)
samasa, (samaAsa) taddhita, (taddhita) and akhyata. (AkhyAta) These topics
relate to the essential grammatical elements of the language. Nagavarma
has illustrated his contentions by examples chosen from literary works and
texts that are knowledge based. The second chapters discuss the possible
mistakes that may creep during the construction of words and sentences in
two different sections. The third part deals with the figures of speech
both with respect to the form and meaning. (Shabdalamkara and
Arthalamkara) It makes a mention of ‘Marga’ concept also. The familiar
concepts of ‘Reethi’ and ‘Rasa’ are dealt with in the penultimate chapter.
The concluding chapter on ‘Kavisamaya’ talks of four different varieties
of that concept. (asadAkhyAti, sadakIrtana, niyamArtha and aikya) Nagavarma is
justified in calling his work ‘a hand mirror for the poets’ (‘kavigalgidu
kaigannadi’)
- Publishing History: 1. Kavyavalokana Ed. R. Narasimhachar 1903 2.
Kavyavalokana Ed. H.R. Rangaswamy Iyengar, 1939, Oriental Research
Institute, Mysore 3. Kavyavalokana Ed. S.S.Basavanal and Kepu
Shankaranarayana, 1939, Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Samsthe, Dharawada 4.
- References and Criticism: 1. Introduction by R. Narasimhachar to
his edition of ‘Kavyavalokana’. 2.
Home / Knowledge Bases