234. 234 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

234 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

that the name should be कुन्तक 'वक्रानुरअनीमुर्कि चञ्चूमिव मुसे बहन्। कुन्तक: क्रोडति सुखं कीर्तिस्फटिकपअरे ।' (कुन्तक means a small spear and can be compared to the beak of a parrot, but FTer meaning hair cannot be so compared). The वक्रोकिजीवित is a work of great value and deserves to be rescued from the oblivion into which it has fallen. What- ever one may think of his central theory that aatfir is the soul of poetry and of the somewhat quaint nomenclature adopted by the author, the work shows originality, great literary acumen and is full of charming ideas. He is at one with भटृतोत in saying that it is the poet's own genius that is the source of good poetry. His choice of examples is very judicious and he casts his net over a wide area. In the analysis given above I have referred to well-known examples for saving space; but no reader should entertain the impression that he very largly quotes Kalidasa only. The work contains over five hundred examples. The kārikas are composed in a smooth, limpid style and the qfu generally shows very high qualities of a grand literary style, which is rhythmic and melodious. He very pro- fusely quotes भामह and दएडी and to a lesser extent उद्ट and tries to weld together the figures of speech with his own theory of वक्रोकि. He does not slavishly follow anyone of his prede- cessors and criticizes them all, though he admires भानन्दवर्धन, भामह and दएडी. For example, he finds fault with भामह's three kinds of दीपक and with his way of dealing with the figure ऊजस्वि 'कैशिदुदाहरणमेव व्यक्तत्वाल्लक्षयं मन्यमानैस्तदेव प्रदर्शितम्। यथा-ऊर्जस्वि कर्ेन यथा पार्थाय पुनरागतः।' etc. (भामह III. 7). He finds fault with those who regard आशीः as an अलक्कार (दएडी does so). About रुद्रट's well-known verses भय तरुषि रममन्दिर० and अनसुरयन्मशिमेखलं (रुद्रट II. 22-23) he remarks (p. 7 Dr. De's ed.) 'प्रतिभादारिद्रयदन्यादतिस्व- ल्पसुभाषितेन कविना वर्णसावएर्यरम्यतामात्रमत्रोदितं न पुनर्वाच्यवैचित्र्यकणिका काचि- दस्तीति' and says that the verses are आम्य. He quotes the first verse 'स्वेच्छाकेसरिण :... नखाः' of भानन्दवर्धन's वृत्ति as a fine example of क्रियावैचित्र्य. He names a very large number of works. Among the authors and works quoted are :- उत्तररामचरित, उदात्तराघव (in which लक्षमण is represented as pursuing मारीचमृग), उद्ट, कालिदास (as composing kauyas which possess सहजसौकुमार्य), किरातार्जुनीय, कुमारसम्भव, कृत्यारावण, छलितराम, तापसवत्सराज (a drama in which करया is more charming in each succeeding Act), दणडी, ध्वनिकार, नागानन्द, पाएडवाभ्युदय, पुष्पदूषितक, प्रतिमानिरुद्ध, वालरामायग, भहवाय, भरत,