A Critical Study of Vamana's Kavyalankarasutrani

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Prof. Lele was born in Mumbai (India) on 29 May, 1933. After completing the high school courses through the SSCE Board in 1950 in first division, he earned the B.A. of the University of Bombay with first class honours in 1954 and the M.A. with first class in 1956. He was the winner of the N.C. Kelkar Gold Medal for standing first in his subject of specialization at the M.A. exam. Later research earned him the Ph.D. from the University of Poona in 1970.

During his professional career which he began in 1957, Prof. Lele has written over 125 research papers and articles as well as 20 scholarly and 8 popular books, the most prominent being : Kavikanthabharana (1966), Aucityasiddanta ani Aucityavicaracarca (1966). Bharatiya Kavyasastraci Utkranti (1970), Kava, Astra va Samskrti (1976), The Doctrine of the Tantrayukti-s (1981), Kavyasutrasamhita (1981), Lalitalekhana va Saili (1984), Jnanesvarica Sastriya Abhyasa (1986), Bhasa, Sahitya va S'astra Kahi Vicara (1991), Sakuntala Sailisastriya Abhyasa (1997), Bhamaha's Kavyalankara a Stylistical and Methodological Study (1999), Vakyakosa Part I (2001), Reflections on Creative Writing (2003) and Vakyakosa Part II (2004).

His works have received 19 prizes and awards including the Government of Maharashtra Best Book on Criticism & Aesthetics Award in 1968, 1971 and 1987, the N.C. Kelkar Best Thesis Prize and the Y. V. Paranjape Best Thesis Prize of the University of Poona for 1969, the Dadoba Pandurang Tarkhadkar Prize of the Bombay ,University in 1970 & 1976, the Platinum Jubilee Special Prize of the Maharashtra Granthottejaka Samstha in 1971, the National Award for original standard work at the University level from the Government of India in 1981, the Saint Jnanadeva Award of the University of Poona in 1988, the Sauharda Sammana Of the Uttar Pradesh Hindi Samsthana in 1991, Prof. R.S. Joag Criticism Prize of the Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, Pune for 1995-96 and Pandit Rajaramashastri Natekar Gaurav Award from the Jnanaprabodhini, Pune in 1997. Banaras Hindu University presented a citation to him on 5th September, 2001.

I came across Vamana's Kavyalankarasutrani for the first time in 1963 when I was studying for my Ph.D. I had then read his work with immense interest and curiosity and was very much impressed by his systematic treatment of various topics and also by his numerous novel ideas and striking thoughts. I had then itself made up my mind to do a book sometime on Vamana's work.

During the last forty years I did write a few books on ancient Indian poetics in Marathi and also in English but an opportunity to write one on Vamana was not forthcoming. About a few months back, in March 2004 to be precise, the famous Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office of Varanasi expressed their desire that I should write a book for their publishing house. I sent them a proposal for a critical study of Vamana's Kavyalankarasutrani which they readily accepted. I took up writing immediately and am glad that the book is eventually now seeing the light of the day.

In the book now before the readers I have discussed almost all the major topics which Vamana has enumerated and dealt with in his work and in the same order in which he has treated them. This arrangement will hopefully help the readers follow his work with ease. I have examined Vamana's ideas, views and doctrines against the background of those of his predecessors. I have also quoted occasionally the views of modern writers on poetics either to substantiate my viewpoints or to contradict theirs. I have earnestly tried to review Vamana's work from as many angles as possible in the hope that this exercise will receive the attention it deserves from the scholars of ancient Indian poetics.

I sincerely thank the Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office for accepting this book for publication and for bringing it out meticulously.

**Contents and Sample Pages**