Visvanātha’s Kavyaprakāśadarpana and Sahityadarpaṇa

Visvanātha Kavirāja, author of the celebrated Sahityadarpaṇa, also produced a commentary on Mammata’s Kāvyaprakāśa known as the Kavyaprakāśadarpana. This article compares passages from the commentary with Visvanātha’s own treatise to show how he often paraphrased or cited his earlier work when elucidating Mammata’s verses. Many glosses in the commentary borrow wording from Sahityadarpaṇa and refer to its definitions of dhvani (suggestion), rasa, alaṃkāra and poetic faults. The author notes that the printed edition of Kavyaprakāśadarpana contains numerous misprints and misreadings; by collating the commentary with the corresponding passages in Sahityadarpaṇa the paper proposes emendations and clarifies obscure phrases. It highlights instances where Visvanātha modifies his earlier positions, for example, by expanding the number of rasas or re‑classifying figures of speech. The comparison reveals how commentators engage in subtle self‑dialogue: Visvanātha uses his commentary to reinforce the theoretical edifice of Sahityadarpaṇa while accommodating Mammata’s terminology. The study thus illuminates both the intertextuality of Sanskrit poetics and the editorial challenges inherent in working with old printed editions.

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