Dhwani Theory by Anandvardhana: an introduction

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Anandvardhana was a Kashmiri court poet and literary critic, honored with the title of Rajanak during King Avantivarman's reign.

 Anandavardhana authored the Dhvanyฤloka, or A Light on Suggestion (dhwani), a work articulating the philosophy of "aesthetic suggestion" (dhwani, vyaรฑjanฤ).

Anandavardhana is credited with creating the dhwani theory. He wrote that dhwani (meaning sound, or evocation) is the "soul" or "essence" (ฤtman) of poetry (kavya).

 Anandavardhana said, "When the poet writes, he creates a eloquent field of emotions." To understand the poetry, the reader or hearer must be on the same wavelength.

Important points~

•Dhvani theory is a theory of suggestion that is considered to be the soul of poetry. 
•The theory of Dhvani is a major contribution to Sanskrit literary theory. 
•The theory of Dhvani suggests that the main goal of good poetry is to evoke a mood or "flavor" (rasa). 
•The theory of Dhvani suggests that this process can be explained by recognizing a semantic power beyond denotation and metaphor. 
•The theory of Dhvani suggests that the purpose of poetry is to evoke the universalized emotions that are present in humans.


Types of Dhwani

~Abhidha, which gives primary denotative meaning
~Laksana, which gives secondary derivative or indicated meaning
~Vyanjana, from which the meaning obtained is vyangyartha, the tertiary or the suggested meaning

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