[INDOLOGY] training in poetic composition in traditional Sanskrit education?

[naresh keerthi]

There was a slip in my previous message. The note on Jaina rhetorcians that
I attributed to John Cort, is in a essay by Gary Tubb, in the volume edited
by the former.

I am sorry for the misattribution.

Best,
Naresh Keerthi



On 29 August 2015 at 22:31, naresh keerthi <nakeerthi at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> Ksemendra's text the Kavi-kanThA'bharaNa is an important manual of
> kavi-zikSA. He lays out rules about how the aspiring poet should read the
> compositions of past masters, cultivate an ear and a palate for good poetry
> - both in form and content; and prevent the malodour of sanctimony [and
> VedA'bhyAsa] from wilting the sprout that may have started sprouting in his
> heart. I am unable to recollect the verse.
>
> It is interesting how he recommends not just high Sanskrit poetry, but
> also poetry in Prakrt and the vernaculars [please note his use of the term
> deza-bhASA to refer to the latter] -
>
>  gIteSu gAthAsv'atha deza-bhASA- kavyeSu dadyAt  saraseSu karNam |
> vAcAm camatkAra-vidhayinInAm  navArtha-carcAsu rucim vyadadhyAT || 17 ||
>
> Rajashekhara too has a chapter on training in poetry. There is 13th
> century manual of poetry, Kavya-kalpa-latA by Arisimha, completed by
> Amaracandra yati.
>
> John Cortin his book  'Jain Communities in Indian History' says something
> to the effect that jaina writers dominate the scene in writing (systematic)
> texts on poetics and rhetoric, especially those that emphasise kavi-zikSA,
> or training in the art of poetry.
>
> In the modern context, as Prof Deshpande pointed out, students are
> encouraged to try their hand at versifying - not just to get a grip over
> metric templates but to develop a sense for idiomatic language, and to get
> a nuts-and-bolts picture of the various rhetoric and poetic elements of
> language.
>
> Colleges and schools conduct competitions for the composition of such
> poetry. A session of impromptu poetry recitation is often part of the
> vidvat-sadas - symposia hosted by Religious Mutts.
>
> The central Sahitya Academy has restarted the journal SamskRta Pratibha,
> which had a long run in the hands of Prof V.Raghavan. It is a bit
> disheartening to see some of the poetry that is featured in it  now - the
> verses are blank both in metric structure and poetic content.
>
> Radio and National TV [Doordarshan] sometimes host gathering of poets,
> where they are encouraged to compose and discuss verses on particular
> topics. I  too have had occasion to participate in such events, and share
> my  feeble attempts at Sanskrit poetry.
>
>
> Best Regards,
> Naresh Keerthi,
> National Institute of Advanced Studies,
> Bangalore - 12
>


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