LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 10 : 1 January 2010
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         K. Karunakaran, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.

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Similes in Meghduta The Absolute Craftsmanship in Language

Amrita Sharma, Ph.D.

Meghduta and the Study of Similes

For more than fifteen centuries, Kalidasa has been unanimously acclaimed as the greatest Sanskrit poet. Banerji says, "No study of the cultural material, contained in the works of a writer, can be complete without an index verborum to his works" (Kalidasa-Kosha, ix).

Kalidasa is certainly also known to be the master in creating nonpareil similes. Linguistic investigations into similes not only yield exciting results but also broaden one's understanding in decoding metaphoric structures.

One of the most celebrated works of Kalidasa is Meghduta. It has inspired many great commentators, scholars and critics, poetry-lovers to appreciate the genius of the poet, his poetry and style.

To substantiate this claim, I have culled a simile from the text for linguistic analysis.

What is a Simile?

Before I take this discussion further, an overview of what a simile is - seems obligatory.

Simile, a trope, is a figure of speech which involves comparison between two unlike entities. A simile unlike the metaphor compares two things through the use of words such as 'like', 'as', 'as though' to draw attention to similarities about things that are seemingly dissimilar. At times, similes may have about the same effect as a metaphor but similes often focus on a single characteristic of comparison, while metaphors imply a broader scope of equation between the two objects being compared. A simile in literature may be specific and direct or more lengthy and complex.

An Important Aspect of Sanskrit Poetry

In Sanskrit poetry, for the production of any imagery, there must be Bimba Pratibimba bhaava or also called Bimbaanubimbabhaava i.e. the relation of the reflected (bimba) and the reflecting element (pritabimba) between the thing compared and the standard of comparison. In the thing compared (upameya) the standard of similitude (upamaana) is mirrored or focused and an image is produced. In technical language, this might be called tingeing (rañjana) of the former by the latter.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Linguistic Purism and Language Planning in a Multilingual Context | The Problems of Teaching/Learning Tenses | Language and Literature: An Exposition - Papers Presented in Karunya University International Seminar | Similes in Meghduta - The Absolute Craftsmanship in Language | Culture of the Tamil Society as Portrayed in Ponniyin Selvan | Deconstructing Human Society: An Appreciation of Amitav Ghosh's Sea Of Poppies | Enabling Students to Interpret Literary Texts Independently by Enhancing their Vocabulary | Coping with the Problems of Mixed Ability Students | Displaced Diasporic Identities - A Case Study of Mordecai Richler's The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz | English Language Teaching in Developing Countries Error Analysis and Remedial Teaching Methods - An Overview | Diaspora Literature - A Hybrid or a Hybridized Product? | Anita Desai's Journey To Ithaca - A Manifestation of Vedantic Knowledge | A Study on the Physiological, Psychological and Spiritual Perspectives of Different Selves in a Self with Special Reference to Yann Martel's SELF | Conveniences and Complexities of Computer-Aided Language Learning | The Danger Lurking Within: The African American Woman in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye | Practices and Paradigms of Using Multimedia and Language Laboratory for Teaching Communication Skills to Technical Students | English: A Blessing in Disguise - A Study of Chinua Achebe's Technique of Hybridization | Language Teaching - The Present Day Challenges | Is Literature a Viable Medium for ESL Acquisition? | The Lord of The Rings : Galadriel, The Light Of Middle-Earth | Teaching Reading - A Challenge in Itself | The Silent Way | Translator as Reader: Phenomenology and Text Reception - An Investigation of Indulekha | The Dysfunctional Women in Mary Gordon'sThe Other Side | Utopia and Dystopia, Conflict Between Two Extremes - An Appraisal of Anita Desai's Cry, The Peacock | Reading 'god' Backwards | The Comic Vision in the Stories and Sketches of R.K.Narayan | My Responses to The English Teacher | 'Fall from Grace into Grief': Putting into Perspective the Outrages of Terrorism in Salman Rushdie's Shalimar the Clown | Style and Language in M. G. Vassanji's The Assassin's Song | Affirmation of Life in Lloyd C. Douglas' Magnificent Obsession | Effectiveness of Group Investigation Model and Simulation Model in Teaching English | A Mathematical Treatment of Feministic Literature for the Prediction of Social Trends | Multiple Intelligences and Second Language Learning | Amitav Ghosh's The Circle Of Reason - A Study of Diaspora | The Role of Multimedia in Teaching Writing in English | A PRINT VERSION OF ALL THE PAPERS OF JANUARY 2010 ISSUE IN BOOK FORMAT | HOME PAGE of January 2010 Issue | HOME PAGE | CONTACT EDITOR

Amrita Sharma, Ph.D.
Department of English
BPS Women's University
Khanpur Kalan -131305
Dist. Sonipat, Haryana, India
spectrum_1111@yahoo.com

 
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