Riti and Guna in the Agni Purana
By V. Raghavan
Summary
The article critiques H.C. Lahiri’s statements on poetics in the Agni Purana and offers a re-evaluation of the Purana’s treatment of rhetorical concepts. Lahiri had claimed that the Agni Purana’s Alankara section was a hodgepodge lacking systematic classification and that it showed little awareness of notions like riti (style), vrtti (mode), pravrtti (tendency) and guna (quality). The author counters this by demonstrating that the section is more coherent than Lahiri suggests. It identifies four kinds of style (riti) and explains their relation to vrtti and pravrtti. The article notes that the Purana defines guna as inherent qualities that enhance poetic expression; it discusses ten gunas and their association with poetic rasa (flavour). The author further argues that the Agni Purana gives substantial space to the concept of rasa, devoting fourteen chapters to it and distinguishing between sringara (erotic), vira (heroic), karuna (pathetic) and other rasas. This contradicts Lahiri’s assertion that the text lacks a systematic account of rasa. The article also points out that the Purana covers figures of speech, metres and other poetic devices, suggesting that it served as a manual for poets. The author contends that the Alankara section may be later than the main Purana, written after Bhoja’s Sarasvatikanthabharana, but it still reflects well-developed poetics. The piece concludes that Lahiri’s critique stems from misinterpreting the text and underestimating its value for the study of Sanskrit poetics.
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Conclusion
By analysing the Agni Purana’s Alankara section, the article shows that it presents a coherent theory of style and qualities in poetry. Contrary to Lahiri’s view, the text defines riti, vrtti and pravrtti, lists ten poetic gunas and discusses various rasas in detail. While the section may be a later addition, it reflects a sophisticated understanding of Sanskrit poetics and deserves recognition. The article thus rehabilitates the Agni Purana as a valuable source for literary criticism.