301. 302 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

302 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

(h) Govinda Țhakkura in his Kāvyaprakāśa-pradīpa quotes the criticism of Viśvanātha on Mammata's definition of kāvya and Viśvanātha's definition of kāvya without actually naming him.1 Govinda is earlier than 1600 A. D., as he is mentioned by Kamalākarabhatta, who wrote a commentary on the Kävyaprakasa and finished the Nirņayasindhu in 1612 A. D.2 From the foregoing, we see that Viśvanātha refers to a number of writers who flourished in the 12th century A. D. and is in his turn referred to by writers belonging to the 15th and 16th centuries. The date above assigned to Visvanatha, viz. between 1300-1380 A. D., is thus confirmed by unimpea- chable and independent testimony. In the first pari. after the customary mangala, the author speaks of the fruits of poetry, discusses the definitions of kāvya proposed by different writers and at last gives his own defini- tion and illustrates it. In the second pari. after defining a sentence and a word, the author deals at great length with three powers of a word. In the third pari. a full disquisition on rasas, bhävas and other cognate topics is given. The fourth pari. exhaustively deals with the two divisions of kāvya, viz. eafa and gurrasara and their sub-divisions. In the fifth, the author establishes the existence of the vyañjanārrtti and refutes the arguments of those who deny its existence. In the sixth a full and complete treatment of the science of dramaturgy is given. The 7th deals with the dosas of kavya. The 8th speaks of the three gunas of kavya and shows that the gunas spoken of by others are either included in the three mentioned by Viśvanātha or are no gunas at all. In the 9th, the author dilates upon the styles of composition, which are four aqut, गौठी, पाशाली and लाटी. In the 10th, both शब्दालक्कारs and भर्थालक्कारS are dealt with. In the galaxy of Sanskrit rhetoricians Viśvanātha is a 1. भर्वाचीनास्तु "यथोक्तरय काव्यलक्षत्वे काव्यपदं निर्विषयं प्रविरलविषयं वा स्यात्। दोषाणां दुर्वारत्वात्। तस्माव 'वाक्यं रसात्मकं काव्यम्' इति तल्लचरम्। तथा च दुष्टेऽपि रसान्वये काव्यत्वमस्त्येव। परं त्वपकर्षमात्रम्। तदुक्तम् 'कीटानुविद्धर- ल्नादि' इत्यादि। एवं चालक्वारादिसत्वे उत्कर्षमात्रम्। नीरसे तु चित्रादौ काव्यव्यवहारो गौपः" इत्याङु:। प्रदीप p. 13 (Nir.) 2. वसुभ्छतुभतुभूमिते गतेब्दे नरपतिबिक्रमतोऽय याति रौद्र। तपसि शिवतिथौ समापितोडयं रक्षुपतिपादसरोरहेडर्पितम् I1.