काव्यमीमांसा (महाकवि राजशेखर - कवि-रहस्य एवं देश-विभाग सटीक)

INTRODUCTION. XLV that ¹women too may become poetesses like men. Accomplish- ment is intimately connected with the soul, but does not depend upon the distinction of the sex. In his time daughters of princes and prime ministers, courtezans and wives of jesters were found well-versed in sciences, and poetesses too. Foreign travel and the dress question. It appears from the Kāvyamīmāṁsā that ²ancient poets used to travel to foreign countries and islands, and utilized their experience in those coun- tries in their works. As regards the ³dress to be worn, it is said that divine and other beings should be represented as putting on the dress of the country where they live for the time being. In one’s own country, however, one may adopt any dress one likes. The Colour question of Indians. From the ⁴Kavisamaya, we get some idea of the colours of Indians. The colour of the easterners has been described as brown, that of southerners as dark, that of westerners as white, that of northerners as fair, while that of persons living in the Madhyadeśa as dark, brown and white.

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1 पुरुषवद् योषितोऽपि कवीभवेयुः। संस्कारो ह्यात्मनि समवैति। न स्त्रैणं पौरुषं वा विभागमपेक्षते। श्रूयन्ते दृश्यन्ते च राजपुत्र्यो महामात्रदुहितरो गणिकाः कौतुकिभार्याश्च शास्त्रप्रहतबुद्धयः कवयश्च ॥ p. 53. 2 किञ्चन महाकवयोऽपि देशद्वीपान्तरकथापुरुषादिदर्शनेन तत्रत्यां व्यवहृतिं निबध्नन्ति स्म। p. 12. पूर्वे हि विद्वांसः सहस्रशाखं साङ्गं च वेदमवगाह्य शास्त्राणि चावबुध्य देशान्तराणि द्वीपान्तराणि च परिभ्रम्य p. 78. 3 ततः परं दिव्याद्या अपि यं देशमधिवसेयुस्तद्देश्यं वेषमाश्रयन्तो निबन्धनीयाः। स्वभूमौ तु कामचारः। p. 10. 4 तत्र पौरस्त्यानां श्यामो वर्णः, दाक्षिणात्यानां कृष्णः, पाश्चात्यानां पाण्डुः, उदीच्यानां गौरः, मध्यदेश्यानां कृष्णः, श्यामो गौरश्च। p. 96.