Literary Criticism and Appreciation (Samiksha)
What the criticism question tests
Criticism tests your ability to apply rasa, alankara and poetic theory to a short passage. You must define the concept, locate it in the text and explain its effect. The exam favours controlled application over name-dropping theorists.
Core concepts
- Rasa: the emotional flavour produced when vibhava (cause), anubhava (response) and vyabhichari bhavas (transient feelings) combine. The classical list includes shringara, hasya, karuna, raudra, veera, bhayanaka, bibhatsa, adbhuta and shanta.
- Alankara: upama, rupaka, utpreksha, atishayokti, anuprasa, yamaka and shlesha. Alankara is a device of expression; rasa is an emotional result.
- Poetic theory: dhvani values suggested meaning; vakrokti values oblique expression; guna and dosha assess qualities and faults.
- Gujarati criticism: modern critics combined Sanskrit categories with historical and social analysis.
Worked example
In a separation poem, the absent beloved is vibhava; tears and sighing are anubhava; longing and jealousy are vyabhichari bhavas. Together they sustain karuna rasa. Reasoning: do not name karuna from sad words alone; show the cause, the outward response and the transient feelings.
Traps
Naming a rasa without components is empty; confusing alankara with rasa is common; identifying shlesha without double meaning is unsafe; overreading dhvani where the literal sense is sufficient loses marks. Define, locate, explain.