Bhamaha (, ) () was a Sanskrit poetician believed to be contemporaneous with Daá¹Âá¸Âin. He is noted for writing a work called the Kavyalankara (, ) ("The ornaments of poetry"). For centuries, he was known only by reputation, until manuscripts of the KÃÂvyÃÂlaá¹ÂkÃÂra came to the attention of scholars in the early 1900s.
Bhamaha was apparently from Kashmir.
Little is known of BhÃÂmaha's life: the last verse of the KÃÂvyÃÂlaá¹ÂkÃÂra says his father was called Rakrilagomin, but little more is known:
<blockquote>Later Kashmiri writers often treat BhÃÂmaha as the founding father of Sanskrit poetics and, by the same token, make him stand for everything that is old school, a trend that must have begun with Udbhaá¹Âa (c. 800) and his vast commentary on BhÃÂmahaâÂÂs work. This Kashmiri connection has led many to assume that BhÃÂmaha, too, hailed from the northern vale. But if this is the case, then, unlike many of his followers, whose patrons, positions, and, in some cases, salaries are referred to by Kalhaá¹Âa, BhÃÂmaha does not receive any mention in the famous chronicle of KashmirâÂÂs courts, the RÃÂjataraá¹ giá¹Âë (River of Kings).</blockquote>
BhÃÂmaha is rather seldom mentioned as a poet by later commentators, but seems to have had a significant reputation as a grammarian, being cited by the eighth-century à ÂÃÂntaraká¹£ita. The BhÃÂmaha who composed the KÃÂvyÃÂlaá¹ÂkÃÂra might also be the same person as the one who composed a commentary on Vararuchi's PrÃÂká¹ÂtaprakÃÂáa, a Prakrit grammar, and a few other works have also been tentatively attributed to him.
The KÃÂvyÃÂlaá¹ÂkÃÂra has, however, been widely recognised as similar to and in many ways in disagreement with the KÃÂvyÃÂdarà Âa by Daá¹Âá¸Âin. Although modern scholars have debated which scholar was borrowing from which, or who was responding to whom, recent work suggests that BhÃÂmaha was the earlier scholar, and that Daá¹Âá¸Âin was responding to him. This would place BhÃÂmaha no later than the early 600s.
Bhamaha's KÃÂvyÃÂlaá¹ÂkÃÂra is divided into six paricchedas (chapters). It comprises 398 verses, including two verses at the end of the sixth chapter, which briefly describe the number of verses on each of the five topics. In the first verse, Bhamaha calls his work the Kavyalankara.
The first chapter comprises 69 verses. After the invocation of Sarva, it defines kavya and describes the qualifications of a good poet. It also narrates various genres and styles of poems, which include Vaidarbhi (from Vidarbha) and Gaudi (from Gauda).
In the beginning of the second chapter, three gunas of poems, namely prasada, madhurya and ojah are discussed.
It is followed by the discussion about the alankaras (figures of speech), which continues till the end of the third chapter.
The fourth chapter discusses the eleven types of doshas (blemishes) of kavya and defines the first ten of these doshas with illustrations.
The fifth chapter discusses the eleventh dosha and its causes. It is based on the Nyaya-Vaisheshika epistemology. The sixth chapter emphasizes the necessity of grammatical accuracy and some practical hints to poets are also provided.
The only known pre-modern commentary on Kavyalankara is the 'learned and important' Bhamahavivarana or Bhamahavritti by Udbhaá¹Âa. However, only a few fragments of this survive.