upameya

Upameya is a term used in Sanskrit poetics and linguistic analysis to denote the thing that is described in a simile or metaphor. In the classic upamā (simile) figure, an attribute of a subject is explained by comparing it with another object or quality. The upameya is the element being described, while the object of comparison is usually termed the upamāna or source of comparison.

Etymology and scope: The word upameya comes from Sanskrit and appears in several alankara treatises and commentaries. The precise labeling of upameya and upamāna varies by school (Nyaya, Vedanta, Kathā), but the basic distinction—target of comparison versus source of comparison—is widely recognized.

Example: In the sentence "The hero is brave as a lion," the hero is the upameya (the thing described), and the lion provides the upamāna (the basis for the comparison). The upameya derives its conveyed meaning through the metaphor, aided by the suggested resemblance to the upamāna.

In modern usage, scholars discuss upameya in studies of poetic devices, translation, and rhetoric; it remains a fundamental concept in analyses of simile and allegory in Sanskrit and Indian literary criticism. See also alankara; upamāna; simile.