The ripeness of poetry—innovation in the concept of kāvyapāka as introduced by Bhoja

Abstract

The paper examines the contribution of Bhoja, an 11th-century theoretician of Sanskrit literature, to the theory of kāvyapāka—the maturity or ripeness of poetry. The concept relies on comparison between a poem and a fruit as they likewise must come to fruition to reach perfection—the state when they are most pleasing to their recipients. The theory is mentioned in numerous important Sanskrit works on poetics. However, different theoreticians perceive the state of perfection in poetry somewhat differently. Bhoja provides yet one more view on this matter. Although he relies on his predecessors, and in some points agrees with them, he also offers fresh perspectives on the subject. The paper focuses on the analyses of relevant passages from Bhoja’s works, Sarasvatīkaṇṭhābharaṇa and Śṛṅgāraprakāśa, concerning the subject of kāvyapāka, and compares them with the views of other theoreticians as summarized in the first part of the study.