Agni Purana

अदारुणेन शब्देन प्राशसत्यमुपवर्णनं । उच्चैः परिणतिः कापि पाक इत्यभिधीयते ।। ३४६.

Describing something unpleasant with gentle words, yet truthfully, is called pāka, a certain refinement.

मृद्वीकानारिकेलाम्बुपाकभेदाच्चतुव्विधः । आदावन्ते च सौरस्यं मृद्वीकापाक एव सः ।। ३४६.

Because of the different ways of cooking grapes, coconut water, and so on, there are four types. At the beginning and end, the sweetness is that of the grape-cooked preparation.

काव्येच्छया विशेषो यः स राग इति गीयते । अब्यासोपहितः कान्तिं सहजामपि वर्त्तते ।। ३४६.

The special quality that arises from poetic intention is called rāga. When joined with practice, it enhances even natural beauty.

हारिद्रश्चैव कौसुम्भो नीली रागश्च स त्रिधा । वैशेषिकः परिज्ञेयो यः स्वलक्षणगोचरः ।। ३४६.

Haridra (yellow), Kausumbha (saffron), and Nīlī (blue) are the three kinds of rāga. The particular one is to be known as that which is marked by its own distinctive features.

अग्निरुवाच उद्वेगजनको दोषः सभ्यानां स च सप्तधा । वक्तृवाचकवाच्यानामेकद्वित्रिनियोगतः ।। ३४७.

Agni said: The fault that causes distress among the learned is sevenfold, according to the assignment to speaker, expression, and meaning—one, two, or three at a time.

तत्र वक्ता कविर्नाम प्रथते स च भेदतः । सन्दिहानोऽविनीतः सन्नज्ञो ज्ञाता चतुर्व्विंधः ।। ३४७.

Here, the speaker is called the poet, and is of four kinds: doubtful, undisciplined, ignorant, and knowledgeable.

निमित्तपरिभाषाभ्यामर्थसंस्पर्शिवाचकम् । तद्‌भेदो पदवाक्ये द्वे कथितं लक्षणं द्व्योः ।। ३४७.

By reason or definition, the expression that touches the meaning is of two kinds: word and sentence; this is the characteristic of both.

असाधुत्वाप्रयुक्तत्वे द्वावेव पदनिग्रहौ । शब्दशास्त्रविरुद्धत्वमसाधुत्वं विदुर्बुधाः ।। ३४७.

Of incorrectness and uncommon usage, only two are faults of words. The learned know incorrectness as that which is contrary to the science of grammar.

व्युत्पन्नैरनिबद्धत्वमप्रयुक्तत्वमुच्यते । छान्दसत्वमविस्पष्टत्वञ्च कष्टत्वमेव च ।। ३४७.

Unestablished by those who know, that is called uncommon usage. Poetic diction, obscurity, and difficulty are also included.

तदसामयिकत्वञ्च ग्राम्यत्वञ्चेति पञ्चधा । छान्दसत्वं न भाषायामविस्पष्टमबोधतः ।। ३४७.

Thus, there are five: non-conventionality and vulgarity as well. Poetic diction is not used in common speech; obscurity is due to lack of understanding.

गूढ़ार्थता विपर्य्यस्तार्थता संशयितार्थता । अविस्पष्टार्थता भेदास्तत्र गूढ़ार्थतेति सा ।। ३४७.

Hidden meaning, reversed meaning, doubtful meaning, and unclear meaning—these are the divisions, with hidden meaning being the first.

यत्रार्थो दुःखसंवेद्यो विपर्य्यस्तार्थ्ता पुनः । विवक्षितान्यशब्दार्थप्रतिपत्तिर्मलीमसा ।। ३४७.

Where the meaning is painfully experienced, that is hidden meaning; reversed meaning is when the intended meaning is wrongly understood by the words, and thus is impure.

अन्यार्थत्वासमर्थत्वे एतामेवोपसर्पतः । सन्दिह्यमानवाच्यत्वमाहुः संशयितार्थतां ।। ३४७.

When the meaning is other than intended or not possible, and this is approached, it is called doubtful meaning, or ambiguity.

दोषत्वमनुबध्नाति सज्जनोद्वेजनादृते । असुखोच्चार्य्यमाणत्वं कष्टत्वं समयाच्युतिः ।। ३४७.

A fault is established except when it causes distress to good people. When something is hard to pronounce or deviates from convention, it is called difficulty.

असामयितता नेयामेताञ्च मुनयो जगुः । ग्राम्यता तु जघन्यार्थप्रतिपत्तिः शलीकृता ।। ३४७.

This is to be understood as non-conventionality, as the sages have said. Vulgarity is the understanding of a low or base meaning, which is to be avoided.

वक्तव्यग्राम्यवाच्यस्य वचनात्स्मरणादपि । तद्वाचकपदेनाभिसाम्याद्भवति सा त्रिधा ।। ३४७.

By uttering, recalling, or using words for what should not be spoken in public, the fault arises in three ways: by speech, by recollection, and by similarity with the word expressing it.

दोषः साधारणः प्रातिस्विकोऽर्थस्य स तु द्विधा । अनेकभागुपालम्भः साधारण इति स्मृतः ।। ३४७.

A fault is said to be common or particular to the meaning; the common one is known as the reproach that applies to many parts.

क्रियाकारकयोर्भ्रंशो विसन्धिः पुनरुक्तता । व्यस्तसम्बन्धता चेति पञ्च साधारणा मताः ।। ३४७.

The five common faults are considered to be: omission of action or agent, faulty connection, repetition, and disjointed relation.

अक्रियत्वं त्रियाभ्रंशो भ्रष्टकारकता पुनः । सर्त्त्र्यादिकारकाभावो विसन्धिः सन्धिदूषणम् ।। ३४७.

Absence of action, omission of the triad, loss of the agent, absence of the agent such as the doer, faulty connection, and corruption of connection are described.

विगतो वा विरुद्धो वा सन्धिः स भवति द्विधा । सन्धेर्व्विरुद्धता कष्टपादादर्थान्तरागमात् ।। ३४७.

Connection, when lost or opposed, is of two kinds; opposition in connection arises from harsh reading or the intrusion of a different meaning.

पुनरुक्तत्वमाभीक्ष्ण्यादभिधानं द्विधैव तत् । अर्थावृत्तिः पदावृत्तिरर्थावृत्तिरपि द्विधा ।। ३४७.

Repetition is twofold, arising from frequent expression: it is either repetition of meaning or of word, and repetition of meaning is also twofold.

प्रयुक्त वरशब्देन तथा शब्दान्तरेण च । नावर्त्तते पदावृत्तौ वाच्यमावर्त्तते पदम् ।। ३४७.

When a word is used again with the same term or with another word, in the case of word-repetition, the word is repeated, but the meaning is not.

व्यस्तसम्बन्धता सुष्ठुसम्बन्धो व्यवधानतः । सम्बन्धान्तरनिर्भाषात् सम्बन्धान्तरजन्मनः ।। ३४७.

Disjointed relation is when a proper connection is interrupted, either by the introduction of another relation or by the generation of a different relation.

अभावेपि तयोरन्तर्व्यवधानात्त्त्रिधैव सा । अन्तरा पदवाक्याभ्यां पुनर्द्विधा ।। ३४७.

Even in the absence of those two, when there is interruption in between, it is threefold; and the interruption is again twofold, by word or by sentence.

वाच्यमर्थार्थ्यमानत्वात्तद्‌द्विधा पदवाक्ययोः । व्युत्पादितपूर्व्ववाच्यं व्युत्पाद्यञ्चेति भिद्यते ।। ३४७.

Because what is to be expressed is not properly conveyed, that is twofold, in word and in sentence: it is distinguished as what is previously explained and what is to be explained.

इष्टव्याघातकारित्वं हेतोः स्यादसमर्थता । असिद्धत्वं विरुद्धत्वमनैकान्तिकता तथा ।। ३४७.

The cause may be ineffective due to bringing about the opposite of what is intended; and also due to being unproven, contradictory, or inconclusive.

एवं सत्प्रतिपक्षत्वं कालातीतत्वसङ्करः । पक्षे सपक्षे नास्तित्वं विपक्षेऽस्तित्वमेव तत् ।। ३४७.

Likewise, the presence of a valid counter-example, confusion of past and present, non-existence in the subject and similar cases, and existence in the opposite case are described.

काव्येषु परिषद्यानां न भवेदप्यरुन्तुदम् । एकादशनिरर्थत्वं दुष्करादौ न दुष्यति ।। ३४७.

In poetry, for the assemblies of the learned, even a flaw may not be an obstacle; the absence of meaning in elevenfold ways is not faulty in difficult compositions.

दुःखीकरोति दोषज्ञान् गूढार्थत्वं न दुष्करे । न ग्राम्यतोद्वेगकारी प्रसिद्धेर्ल्लोकशास्त्रयोः ।। ३४७.

A fault that causes distress is recognized, but obscurity of meaning is not a fault in difficult works; nor is rusticity that causes agitation, if it is established in common usage or in the treatises.