The Vyaktiviveka is an essential text in the field of Sanskrit Poetics (alaṃkāraśāstra) written by the 11th-century critic Rājānaka Mahimabhaṭṭa. This work is acclaimed primarily for its refutation of the so-called “Dhvani theory” propounded by the influential 9th-century critic Ānandavardhana. More specifically, Mahimabhaṭṭa proposed that the process of poetic suggestion (dhvani) be included in the larger process of inference (anumāna). This discourse constitutes the main topic of the text’s first (among the three) chapters or vimarśas. In my talk, I will discuss and share my understanding of the core concepts and arguments that Mahimabhaṭṭa presents in this first vimarśa and eventually speak about the results of a text-critical enquiry into the history of the Vyaktiviveka, which formed the basis of my doctoral research.
