327. EARLY POETIC EFFORTS 329

EARLY POETIC EFFORTS 329

mouth of Väk herself) wherein the power of speech is most effectively and picturesquely described. One half verse may be quoted here 'यं कामये तं तमुग्रं कृणोमि तं ब्रह्मायं तमृषि तं सुमेधाम् ॥' Rg. X. 71. 4 (उत त्वः पश्यन्न ददर्श वाचमुत त्वः शृरवन्न शृणोत्येनाम्। उतो त्वसम तन्वं विसस्रे जायेव पत्य उशती सुवासा: ।।) is another verse which is explained both in the Nir. I. 19 and in the माभाष्य (vol. I. p. 4) and which marks the difference between the man who does not understand the greatness of speech and him who looks more to the inner meaning of speech than to the nice words in which it may be clothed. The word 'kāvya' (poem) occurs several times in the Rgveda; e. g. III. I. 17 is भ देवानामभवः केतुरअे मन्द्रो विश्वानि काव्यानि विद्ान् । 'Agni ! thou art the banner of the gods and knowest all poems); vide also III. 1. 18 for 'अग्निर्विश्वानि काव्यानि विद्वान्; IV. 3.16 (nivacana kavaye kavyanya- samsisam); in Rg. VI. 11. 3 'मधु च्छन्दो भनति रेभ इष्टौ (the singer utters in the sacrifice a sweet verse); VIII. 3. 15 'उदुत्ये मधुमत्तमा गिर: स्तोमास ईरते' (those men send forth songs of praise, that are most sweet words); the word TTUT (a verse that is sung) also often occurs in the Rgveda; e. g. VIII. 6. 43 'तं गाथया पुराएया पुनानमभ्यनूषत' (with an ancient gatha they send forth a laud to- wards Soma that is being washed); vide also X. 85. 6. These passages show that poems with sweet words were highly valued in those very ancient times and, though no theory of Poetics could be stated to have been evolved, the germs of it were there. The ₹TaY4T. I. 2. 5. 16 emphasizes the same points of female be: uty as later classical Sinskrit poets do (एवमेव हि योषां प्रशंसन्ति पृथुश्रोणीर्विमृष्टान्तरांसा मध्ये संग्राह्ति). This much will suffice for the different aspects of Poetry in general. As regards dramas and dramatic representation the following points have to be noted. A dramatic representation has generally four aspects viz. the dialogue, songs, music and dance. All these elements were developed in Ved'c Literature. Dialogues have been already referred to. Then there were the serres (ques- tions and answers) as in वाज. सं. 23.9-12 and 45-62 explained in शतपथबराह्मय XIII. 2.6.9-17 and XIII .. 5.2.12-21(S.B.E. vol. 44 pp. 314-316 and pp. 388-90). Vide also a. #. VII 4. 18 and a. #T. III. 9. 5. In Vedic ritual there were several inci- dentes that partook of the nature of the drama. First, there is a dialogue between the Adhvaryu and the vendor of Soma (vide H. of Dh. vol. II. p. 1143 and notes). Then in the