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Dixit had propounded certain views contrary to those
held by Seşasrikrsna who was the Guru of Bhattoji Dixit.
The चित्रमीमांसाखण्डनम् is a wOrk on Raetoric &nd is
composed in order to point out the faults in fan a a
composition by Appayya Dixit. But by far better known
and looked upon as a standard work on Rhetoric is the
रसगङ्गाधर.
TATan kak In this work Jagannātha examines and refutes
the views of his illustrious predecessors and expounds his
own. While this work shows the masterly knowledge of
Jagannātha of the science of Poetics, it shows him at the
same time as an able writer both in prose and verse.
His prose is characterized, as Prof. Kane has well observed,
by a lucid and vigorous style and displays great critical
acumen.
In his exposition of a t pic, Jagannātha had
to cite examples. But, conscious as he was of his own
poetic powers, he disdained to draw upon others and
composed his own verses suitable to the topic under
trestment. With great elation he says in the beginning
of the रसगङ्गाधर :- निर्माय नृतनमुद्दाहरणानुरूपं काव्यं मयात्र निहितं न
परस्य किञ्चित् । किं सेव्यते समनसां मनसापि गन्धः कस्तूरिकाजननशक्तिभृता
gn His stanzas bear testimony to the poetical ability
of the Pandit. "They are composed in an easy, flowing
and graceful style and exhibit great poetic talent". The
HITaaaa is a poetical composition which is also
well-known.
Jagannātha
himself enumerates
the
qualities of his poetry in ৪ stenza in the करुणाविलासः निर्दूषणा
युणवती रसभावपूर्णा सालङ्कतिः श्रवणकोमलवर्णराजिः 1 सा मामकीन कवितेव
मनोऽभिरामा रामा कदापि हृदयान्मम नापयाति ॥ (6) It bas to
be admitted that this evaluation of his own poetry by
Jagannātha is, to a great extent, correct. There is a
special quality of his poems which Jagannātha refers to
now and then in the concluding stanzas of the Sāntavılasa,
and on which he prides himself. It is Argi. In his
opinion (cf. Santaviläsa, 42), a poetical composition is