Dhvani

Dhvani (meaning- sound) Theory is the most important poetic theory of ancient India. Dhvani Theory is basically a semantic theory. The term dhvani (sound) is derived from the root 'dhvan' to make sound. If we go back to Atharva Veda, it was the older term used in the sense of sound, tune, noise etc. In the Veda, there are many magical speculations regarding speech and sound. The Braahmana texts analyze the words into their elements in the context of meaning. The problem of the relation between sound and meaning is fully discussed by the ancient Indian thinkers. AudumbaraayaNa and VaarttaakSa, the thinkers, were the first to explore in this field. Regarding the eternal character of the sound, even Yaaska, in his Nirukta, records the view of AudumbaraayaNa.

Dhvani is a divisible and has independent existence.  It is produced and in a particular sequence and the same qualities of sound is superimposed on sphoTa.

Dhvani is the term of an earlier origin. Though, its nature is already met with in the works of scholars like AudumbaraayaNa and many others. Its relation with the abstract level of sphoTa, was defined only at the time of PataNjali.