International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences

Vol-7, Issue-3; May-Jun, 2022

Journal Home Page Available: https://ijels.com/

Journal DOI: 10.22161/ijels

Dhvani Theory in Indian Aesthetics

Ajay Singh

Ph.D. Scholar, Department of English, Gurukul Kangri (Deemed to be University), Haridwar, India
Email: [email protected]

Received: 30 May 2022; Received in revised form: 18 Jun 2022; Accepted: 23 Jun 2022; Available online: 28 Jun 2022
©2022 The Author(s). Published by Infogain Publication. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Abstract— Two texts have made significant contributions to Indian Aesthetics throughout the history of
Indian literary criticism: Dhvanyāloka by Ānandavardhana and Locana, a commentary on the first text by
Abhinavagupta. Both works have had a direct or indirect influence on all Indian Sanskrit critics. One of
Ānandavardhana’s significant contributions is that he incorporates emotions and other association
meanings into language meaning. As a result, the poetics expanded on conceptions of primary and
secondary meaning. Given that Ānandavardhana was influenced by Bharathari, the proponent of the
sphota theory, he highlighted the need of considering the entire utterance as an important unitary linguistic
symbol. He had also demonstrated that the meaning of an utterance is influenced by context, and that the
logical interpretation of meaning of a sentence based on individual word meanings is often fallacious. He
also asserted that the overall meaning of an utterance may differ from the meaning of the individual words.
Bharathari influenced Ānandavardhana to build his theory of language, but his attempt was limited to
poetic meaning. In this research article, we shall make an attempt to comprehend the suggestive sense,
also known as dhvani, along with its various forms, as described by Ānandavardhana.
Keywords— Suggested Sense, Dhvani Theory, Indian Literary Theories, Indian Aesthetics, Meaning of
Literary Works.

Dhvani is a suggested sense; the most significant part of but much more than that it has the power to reach beyond
the poetry. To know what is this dhvani? One should the obvious, like a statement made by the head of the
understand the function of the word and go through family as: ‘Sun has set’, but it gives different sense or
Dhvanyāloka. One should get familiarized with this meaning to each one of the family member like wife, son,
terminology, poetry; the Kāvya is a combination of word daughter and father and even to the neighbors etc. So
and its meaning, what is giving the aesthetic effect upon finally we can summarize it like this; Abhidhā is a function
the reader is the most important thing to be discussed, which gives a direct meaning, the word is called vācaka
hence knowing the function of the word is necessary. and the meaning is vācyārtha. And Laksanā is the
Grammarians and Alankarikas, they mentioned there are function, it gives the secondary sense, lakchaka is the word
three such functions of the word. The first one is Abhidhā, and lakchyārtha is the meaning, and vyanjanā is a
there is a function of the word which signifies or denotes, suggestion and vyanjaka is a word and vyangārtha is the
it is a primary sense like this is Mukesh, this is red color, meaning. There was much debate under suggestive
it's a direct meaning etc. The second one is Laksanā, the meaning, though not explicit, far more beautiful and
function of the Laksanā is to indicate, and when the sensitive becomes the object of awareness is regarded as
primary sense is obstructed the word conveys a sense other the essence of poetry. The dhvani theory of
than the primary sense; but related to it. Third is Vyanjanā; Ānandavardhana focused on the potential of suggestive
the meaning of the word is not limited to its primary sense sense in poetry. Sabda with its vācyārtha forms the body

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Singh Dhvani Theory in Indian Aesthetics

of kāvya, but the essence of rasa can be perceived only words of the Mahākavis, which is
through suggestion (vyanjanā). Thus the suggestive word, referred to as the pratiyamāna or
the suggested meaning, the power of suggestion with their suggestive meaning that which flashes
appropriate relation makes a good poem and delights the that is known as Dhvani. In vācya,
people of literary taste (Sahrdaya). (Sharma and Shrawan) vācaka and sabdas; there will be a
There were lot of discussions on the poetry, and pratiyamānartha that which beautifies
what forms the beauty of the poetry; even before the whole poem like the beautiful ladies
Ānandavardhana. Ānandavardhana belongs to the ninth limbs other than the limbs how her
century, before that there were many Alankārikas who wholesome beauties gives a pleasure to
focused on sabda and artha, and lingered around the word the eyes, in the same way
and its meaning. Because a poetry is defined as: “Sabda- pratiyamānartha also gives pleasure to
Artha sahitau Kavyam” (Bhamaha), poem is the the reader.
combination of sabda and artha. Earlier poetics; like He defines Dhvani like this: that kind of poetry is called as
Bhamaha, Dandin and Vāmana, all these people dhvani kāvya; in which the conventional meaning or the
concentrated on the sabda and artha, which is the body of conventional word rendered its meanings subordinate and
the poem and that is causing beauty to the poem. suggests the intended are implied meaning, is termed as
Ānandavardhana, he developed a new theory and pointed “dhvani” or “suggested poetry” by the learned people.
out that words of great poets continue to resonant in our Vyanjanā is the term for the suggestive power of
hearts and give numerous meanings as one reflects on it. language. Ānandavardhana’s major argument is that
Though he does not say it specific explicitly, hence the utterances have literal meaning and can also communicate
poet does not say anything explicitly but it resonates and a 'socio-cultural meaning,' which comprises everything
pleases the heart. There has a responsive reader Sahrdaya, other than the literal meaning. And the term 'meaning'
it should go beyond the meaning to capture the suggested includes not only the information given, but also the
or hinted meaning and enjoy the poetry, that is dhvani. feeling elicited; this, of course, implies the concept of
Sabda and artha, the word and the meaning; they suggestive power of meaning. It comprises all contextual
are the body of the kāvya, like how the human beings have aspects, including intonation, emphasis, gestures, and even
the body and the inner soul is there. That inner soul, he the pure sounds involved in the utterance, as well as the
considered it as Dhvani. Dhvanyāloka is divided into four literal sense, as indicators of the whole meaning of an
chapters they are called udyota (flash), and that way the utterance. Because Ānandavardhana is mainly interested in
whole text is written in three parts kārikā, vrtti and poetic language, he ignores many of these aspects of
examples. In the first chapter of Dhvanyāloka, he speech in his observations. His main interest is the
establishes dhvani by refuting all the objections by suggestion of components that are pleasing to the eye.
answering all the questions and doubts of the anti dhvani Though Vyanjanā comprises all of these components in its
scholars. The second chapter deals with the varieties of broadest definition, Ānandavardhana only analyzes this
dhvani from the standpoint of this suggested – vyangya. problem in its narrower form as applied to poetry.
The third chapter deals with the varieties of Dhvani from The end of the previous period, which had
the standpoint of the suggestion – vyanjaka. Fourth chapter witnessed the discovery and enunciation of the principles
deals with the endlessness of the creative imagination of of poetic forms like Alankāra, Guna, Riti and Vritti, which
the poet and main Rasa in Rāmāyana and Mahābhārata. come up due to the inadequacy of the principle of Anukriti
Now coming to what is this suggestive meaning, of Bharata Muni, marks the beginning of the most creative
what Ānandavardhana meant by such a suggestive age in the history of literary criticism. This age was
meaning is: characterized by the development of a number of
innovative approaches to analyzing works of literature.
प्रतीयमानं पुनरन्यदे व वस्त्वस्ति वाणीषु
Ānandavardhana is credited with formulating the notion of
महाकवीनाम् ।
Dhvani, which is regarded as the ultimate source of poetic
यत्तत्प्रसिद्धावयवासतररक्तं सवभासत appeal. According to Ānandavardhana, the Dhvani theory
लावण्यसमवाङ्गनािु ॥ (Dhvanyāloka.1.4) went through an extensive amount of revisions throughout
the course of its long history, and there was a significant
Like the distinct charm of a fair woman
amount of debate around it. Speculation about
other than have beautiful limbs, which
"Kāvyasyātma dhvaniriti" (Dhvanyāloka.1.1) remained for
pleases the eyes of the beholder, in the
a considerable amount of time in learned societies;
same way there will be a meaning in the

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Singh Dhvani Theory in Indian Aesthetics

however, it was only defined for the first time by We can take another example. There is a verse in the
Ānandavardhana. Kāavyadarsa of Dandin:
The doctrine of sphota, which was held by the गच्छ गच्छसि चेत्कन्ता पन्थान स्सन्तु तेसिवााः
Grammarians, served as the foundation for and the ।
inspiration for the development of this Dhvani school of
thought. The sphota of a word is said to be revealed by the ममासप जन्म तत्रैव भूयाद्यत्र गतो भवान् ॥
experience of the last sound of the word in combination (Kavyadarsa - II, 1)
with the imprints left by the experiences of the sounds that (My dear, if thou has to go away, do so.
came before it. This is according to the Grammarians. This Then thy paths may have to be safe.
idea of sabda, which is actualized through sounds, is put to
But let me also be born again in that
use by the proponents of Dhvani. They maintain that
place, where thou wouldst be gone”).
poetry is appealing to the man of taste (Sahrdaya) due to
the fact that it conveys a proposed meaning that is carried Her beloved is about to depart on a long journey, and she
through by a number of words or sentences. The usual is suffering a tremendous deal because of his leaving. It
significant capacity of words, the denotative sense, and the would seem that she gives her lover permission to leave
metaphorical meaning are not similar to the suggestiveness and wishes him well on his voyage. However, she also
that is peculiarly innate to the language of poetry. This prays to be reborn in the same place as her lover, so that
capacity is distinct from the metaphorical meaning and the they can be together again in the hereafter. In this way, she
denotative sense. The process that is known as suggestion, is implying that in his absence, she will have to pass away
or Vyanjanā, is the action that is engaged in acquiring the from the anguish of being parted from him, and as a result,
sense that is being proposed. he should not begin his voyage. However, being the
respectful and obedient wife that she was, she would not
Take this as an example: if someone states that say anything that would be considered unlucky at the time
there is a hamlet in the Ganges that goes by the name
of her husband's departure. If she did convey the concepts
"gangayamghosah," what exactly do they mean by that? It
openly, they are probably crude and would be considered
is illogical to suppose that a hamlet might be found in the
self evident. However, when they are suggested, they
Ganges, considering that the river takes the form of a transform into poetry and become delightful. This verse
current. It's possible that this is meant to be interpreted seems to be implying a couple of different things. To
figuratively, as the hamlet being on the bank of the river.
begin, would there be a thought or the form of a request
It's possible that the person mentioned this. What does he
that her partner not continue on the long journey? Second,
hope to accomplish by omitting to mention this fact and
there is the powerful feeling, also known as Rasa, which is
instead asserting that the hamlet is located in the river? If it characterized by an overwhelming sense of love as well as
is accepted that the speaker is able to appropriately the agonizing awareness that a parting is near. In certain
articulate himself, then it is plausible to think that he is
poems an Alankāra is suggested. Vāstu, Alankāra, and
trying to convey some sort of meaning when he says that
Rasa are the three forms of Dhvani, and they are
the hamlet is "in the Ganga" rather than "on the banks of
responsible for the vitality of poetry.
the Ganga." The third function of language is known as
Vyanjanā, and it refers to making suggestions. This There are many illustrations of the power of
function comes into play when the speaker's intention is suggestion to be found in western literature as well. The
revealed. It is clear that the speaker intends to imply, scene with Brutus and Portia, which takes place just before
through the use of such a phrase, that the hamlet, due to its Julius Caesar is murdered, is a fantastic illustration of the
close proximity to the Ganges, is as calm, pleasant, and evocative power that Shakespeare has in conveying the
holy as if it were located in the current itself. This is shown nobility of the marriage as well as the purity of their
by the fact that the usage reveals that the speaker intends to married life. When Brutus goes to the Senate hall, Portia
suggest that. These concepts of coldness, holiness, and becomes concerned for his safety and becomes agitated.
pleasantness become sources of delight when they are She urges the kid Lucius to rush to the Senate house
offered to the reader or the hearer in this way. When without telling him anything, and she cries out about how
looking to obtain this kind of suggested meaning, there is a weak she is. "I have a man's intelligence, but a woman's
special exercise for the mind that a person who has a high might," is how I like to think of myself (Act II Scene III).
degree of internal appreciation can take part in, and it gives Her agitation is suggestive of pity for her helplessness. In
him a significant amount of pleasure. the battlefield when Brutus says calmly that she drank fire
because she could not bear his separation, his words

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brilliantly suggest the faithfulness and the nobility of empathize with them to the same profound degree; and we
Portia. love and despise them just as if they were real people
The tragic conclusion of Desdemona is really living in the world of flesh and blood. All of this is only
upsetting. It is a literal deluge of Karuna Rasa that is possible because of the power that Dhvani possesses. The
pouring forth. When she is speaking to Emilia, Iago's wife, ability of a skilled artist to pick and accumulate significant
she recalls a song about willow that was sung by Barbara, details, as well as the ability to stimulate the imagination
her mother's maid. Barbara sang the song to her mother. It of the reader through the use of subtle infrequent touches
was Barbara's swan song before she passed away. that transmit many suggestions, is one of the artist's most
Desdemona starts to sing it at this point. The fact that recognizable traits. In most cases, the author takes a back
Othello is about to show there only serves to heighten the seat and allows his characters to bring attention to
tragic nature of the situation. As soon as Emilia leaves, themselves by their words and deeds. He then bolsters
Desdemona goes to sleep in the bed. . Othello comes and their self-definition by having other characters in the novel
kisses her. She wakes up. After a brief conversation with make observations and evaluations about them. The way in
her, Othello smothers her and thinks she is dead. While which a character should be made to unveil them is an
everything is going on, Emilia arrives, witnesses the awful approach that is completely valid. This technique is
murder of Desdemona, and asks Othello, "O who hath referred to as Vāstu dhvani.
done the deed?" Desdemona, who is on her deathbed, It is a well-known fact that any great book, be it a
responds, "Nobody I myself. O, farewell, please convey novel or a play, or any other notable piece of literature, is
my gratitude to my kind Lord, farewell, "and dies. (Act V based on a particular view of the world, and this view
Scene II) typically conveys some sort of philosophy about how one
Even as she was drifting away, she pleaded with should live their life. This is in stark contrast to the ethical
Emilia to commend her to her loving Lord. Along with this lessons that these authors convey through the exchanges of
heartbreakingly pitiful scenario, the writer alludes to the characters like Bhishma, Vidura, and Shrikrishna. They are
noble qualities of Desdemona and her selfless devotion to the direct teachings passed down from great souls. In
Othello, even after he has killed her. This facet of addition to these fundamental tenets, the authors present a
Desdemana's nature cannot be conveyed in any statement variety of ethical principles and philosophical ideas during
of fact due to the nature of the facts themselves. It is only the course of the story's recounting of events and
the strength of the "Vāstu dhvani'' that is enriched by the descriptions of its settings. All of these are often suggested
potent suggestion of tragic sentiment, which is referred to through the use of either Vāstu dhvani or Rasa dhvani.
as the "Karunarasa dhvani." (Sarma)

In point of fact, the formidable power of dhvani is Dhvani is available in a wide variety of flavors.
the source of life for all of the vibrant characters in plays But the significance of the other two cannot be overstated.
and books, even those who owe their existence to the The first is Samlaksyakrama dhvani. A good illustration of
imaginative brilliance of literary artists like Shakespeare this can be found in the sixth canto of Kalidasa's
and Victor Hugo. The characteristics of the characters are Kumarasambhava. The envoys of Lord Siva approach
hinted at gradually from one scene to the next or from one Himavant, Parvati's father, with the intention of asking for
chapter to the next, and they don't fully materialize in the his daughter's hand in marriage to Lord Siva. Parvati and
thoughts of intelligent people until the very end. her father are there in the room at the time that Himavant
is having a conversation with the leader of the seers,
Therefore, it is not the typical connotative
Angiras. The idea that the Lord has presented her with
function of words—the primary and secondary meanings
gives her a great deal of joy. However, she is unable to
and ideas—that are responsible for depicting the
exhibit or express her delight at being in the presence of
characteristics of the characters; rather, it is a third activity
her father and the elderly seers because of her inherent
that is inherent in words and is referred to as dhvani. There
modesty. She acts as if she is absorbed in counting the
are many different types of dhvani, and one of those types
petals of the lotus with her face set down as a means of
is known as variants of dhvani. Varieties of dhvani include
concealing the natural shyness and happiness that she
provocative phrases and thoughts, as well as the lyrical
possesses.
passage that incorporates them.
There is a hint here of Parvati's bashfulness,
We find ourselves drawn to the works of our
which is a vyabhichāri bhāva that contributes to the
greatest novelists and playwrights because of the genuine
growth of love. After going through all of the steps
richness of life that they depict in their works. We are as
described above, we don't become aware of the lajjā, or
familiar with and convinced by them as possible; we

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Singh Dhvani Theory in Indian Aesthetics

shamefulness, of Parvati until some time has passed. which then lead to the suggestion of Sringāra rasa. This
Because the dhvani is accomplished in stages, this type of suggestion (Sringāra rasa) falls under the umbrella of
dhvani is referred to as Samlaksyakrama dhvani. Asamlaksyakrama dhvani.
एवं वासदसन दे वषौ पार्श्वे सपतुरथोमुखी । It is true that poets focus their attention first and
foremost on the explicit sense. However, this fact does not
लीला कमलपत्रासण गणयामाि पाववती ॥
imply that Dhvani is unimportant or undervalued. A man
(Kumarasambhava)
eager to view things (at night) is seen looking for a torch
The Asamlaksyakrama dhvani in which rasa first as a means of achieving his goal. The torch isn't an
dhvani is implied is the second one. In this case, the end in itself; it's only a tool for achieving another goal.
vācyārtha, or the meaning that is being represented, is the Poets, likewise, are interested in the explicit sense as a
representation of the vibhāvas (causes and determinants), means of communicating their other ideas in a suggestive
anubhāvas (consequent), and vyabhichāri bhāvas manner. The suggested concepts are the goals that the
(transient emotions). When we have an understanding of poets use to drive their selection of other objects. And, just
all of these three things at the same time, an emotional as comprehension of a phrase is dependent on
state known as sthāyibhāva (permanent emotions) is comprehension of its constituent words, comprehension of
instantaneously sparked within us. This emotional state the suggested sense is dependent on comprehension of the
continues to develop until it reaches its peak when we explicit sense. The proposed sense is provided solely
recognize that our own emotion is invariably accompanied through the primary sense. Suggestion cannot be carried
by a thrill. Another poem from Kumarasambhava is out without additionally taking into account the usual
available for our perusal: connotation. (Dhvanyāloka.1.13)
हरिु सकंसचत्पररलुप्त धैयवाः चंद्रोदयारं भ
इवां बुरासिाः । REFERENCES
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Manmatha, also known as Cupid, travels to the home of
Lord Siva in order to arouse the love that Lord Siva has for
Parvati. Manmatha makes an attempt to pierce Siva with
his arrow, which is called Sammohanam, when she bows
down herself before the Lord. By the power of the arrow,
which was still in the bow, Lord Siva, who was beginning
to lose some of his calmness, similar to the way the ocean
does at the beginning of the rising of the Moon, focuses his
looks towards the face of Parvati, who had a red lower lip,
similar to the bimbafruit. Immediately, Parvati responds by
lowering her face and seeming embarrassed. The Lord's
falling in love with Parvati causes him to lose his typically
strong will and serenity, and it also causes him to focus on
the lovely features of Parvati's face. The vyabhichāri
bhāvas of eagerness, agitation, and nervousness are
instantly suggested to us by these vibhāvas and anubhāvas

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