Studies in Jain Literature

SR No.: 001868
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: V M Kulkarni
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre
Publication Year: 2001
Total Pages: 114
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Literature, & Story
File Size: 14 MB

Page 245

HEMACANDRA : AN ASSESSMENT 227 works of his renowned predecessors helps us in another direction. These passages and sections serve as transcriptions of old manuscripts that were available to Hemacandra and enable us to restore corrupt passages from the works he has drawn upon.The text of Abhinavabharati (Natyasastra Ch. VI) bristles with corrupt readings. Hemacandra, who has freely drawn upon Abhinavabharati, especially on the four key chapters of the Natyasastra (Chs. VI, VII, XVIII and XIX dealing with rasa, bhava, dasarupaka and sandhisandhyangavikalpa respectively) is of immense help in restoring many passages. The editors of the Natyasastra, published in GOS, Baroda, have made use of, partially though, in restoring the text of Abhinavabharati, I too have corrected passages, small and big, by scores, and published them in a series of articles in the Journal, Oriental Institute, Baroda (and now included in my book : Studies in Sankrit Sahityasastra). By way of illustration here I restore two corrupt passages not covered in the series of papers referred to above. (i) The printed text of A.bh. (Vol. I, p. 344) reads : चित्तवृत्तय एवालौकिकाः वाचिकाद्यभिनयप्रक्रियारूढतया / स्वात्मानं लौकिकदशायामनास्वाद्यं कुर्वन्तीत्यतस्ता एव भावाः / This sentence as it stands, does not give any consistent meaning; in fact it is self-contradictory. For Abhinavagupta in his exposition of Santarasa remarks : यथा च कामादिषु समुचिताश्रितवृत्तयो इत्यादिशब्दवाच्याः कविनटव्यापारेणास्वाद्ययोग्यताप्रापणद्वारेण quifaecypalgaa: FTIGT ufa pra y tuicarea funt. - A.Bh. Vol. I. p. 333) The permanent emotions (of every day life) like love, etc. are rendered relishable through the activities of the poet and the actor (i.e. the drama created by the poet's creative imagination and its presention on the stage by the actors endowed with marvellous skills in the art of representation) and are transformed into the erotic sentiment, etc., with reference to the sensitive spectators. Now, how could Abhinavagupta contradict himself, and further, make such an absurd statement ? The whole controversy is not about the four permanent emotions of love, laughter, dynamic energy and wonder (of our everyday life) and the corresponding rasas (sentiments) of srngara, hasya, vira and adbhuta, which are admittedly pleasurable (anandarupa, sukhatmaka) but about how the permanent emotions of sorrow, anger, fear and disgust (of our everyday life) which are patently painful, when transformed into their corresponding rasas (sentiments) of karuna, raudra, bhayanaka and bibhatsa become pleasurable or enjoyable--become full of all pleasure ? Abhinavagupta's reply is that these wordly painful emotions become pleasurable or enjoyable