A History Of Indian Literature, Volume Iii: Classical Sanskrit Literature, Fasc. 1: A History Of Classical Poetry, Sanskrit - Pāli - Prakrit

A HISTORY OF INDIAN LITERATURE SIEGFRIED LIENHARD A HISTORY OF CLASSICAL POETRY SANSKRIT - PALI - PRAKRIT OTTO HARRASSOWITZ • WIESBADEN A HISTORY OF INDIAN LITERATURE EDITED BY JAN GONDA VOLUME III Fasc. 1 1984 OTTO HARRASSOWITZ • WIESBADEN SIEGFRIED LIENHARD A HISTORY OF CLASSICAL POETRY SANSKRIT - PALI - PRAKRIT 1984 OTTO HARRASSOWITZ • WIESBADEN A fflSTORY OF INDIAN LITERATURE Contents of Vol. Ill Vol. Ill: Classical Sanskrit Literature Fasc. 1: S. Lienhard A History of Classical Poetry CIP-Kurztitelaufnahme der Deutschen Bibliothek A history of Indian literature / ed. by Jan Gonda. - Wiesbaden : Harrassowitz NE: Gonda, Jan [Hrsg.] Vol. 3. Classical Sanskrit literature. Fasc. 1. -» Lienhard, Siegfried: A history of classical poetry Lienhard, Siegfried: A history of classical poetry : Sanskrit - Pali - Prakrit / Siegfried Lienhard. • Wiesbaden : Harrassowitz, 1984. (A history of Indian literature ; Vol. 3, fasc. 1) ISBN 3-447-02425-9 © Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1984. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Photographische und photomechanische Wiedergabe nur mit ausdriicklicher Genehmigung des Verlages. Satz: vpa, Landshut. Druck: Allgauer Zeitungsverlag GmbH, Kempten. Printed in Germany. Sigel: HIL PREFACE As recommended by the general editor, this History of Classical Poetry has been written so as to make it accessible to both layman and scholar alike. Although in scope it far exceeds the description of kdvya in most extant histories of Sanskrit or ancient Indian literature, the corpus of this book is nevertheless arbitrarily chosen. In spite of the fact that the space allotted to me was generous, it proved necessary to restrict this history mainly to those poetic works that have already been edited in print, whereas poems that at present are available only in manuscript are not discussed other than in exceptional cases. As the criteria used to determine whether a given text is kdvya or not were strict, a large number of works were rejected without difficulty. My selective principles, which to some extent are naturally also subjective, are most clearly perceptible in the treatment of minor poems and in footnotes containing bibliographical data; here readers well-versed in Indian literature will sometimes wish to include some works I have omitted and vice versa. Texts published in India have frequently been reprinted. In order to save space, however, not all the reprints have been included in my bibliographical notes. A bibliography of kdvya is still one of the most urgently felt desiderata. Four of the chapters in this book have, with some alterations, already been published: Chapter I, 2 (The Poetic Process) appeared as an article entitled On the Textual Structure of kdvya in the Adyar Library Bulletin, Vol. 44/45 (1980/81), pp. 161-178, while Chapters I, 4 and I, 5 (The Training of a Poet and The Creative Process) were published as one article under the title The Making of a Poet in Indologica Taurinensia, Vol. VII (1979), pp. 309-321. Chapter III, 6 (Other Species of Short Poetry - Riddles and Carmina Figurata) appeared in a much altered and enlarged Swedish version entitled Enigmatisk vers och carmina figurata i sanskritdiktningen in Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademiens Arsbok 1983, pp. 79-88. It is my pleasant duty to record here my gratitude to all those colleagues, in Sweden and abroad, who have given me valuable advice and assistance. My thanks are also due to the Swedish Council for Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences for the generous grant they have put at my disposal. Siegfried Lienhard CONTENTS Preface V CHAPTER I CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER II III IV 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.