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to grasp it (Kasta gamya) (v) When there is a doubt with regard to the prominence of vyangya (Saṁdigdha Pradhanya) (vi) When both vyangya and vācya are equally prominent (Tulya Pradhanya) (vii) When the cognition of the vyangya takes place due to the modulation of voice (Kāku gamya) and lastly (viii) When the vyangya is not attractive and appearing (Amanojña)
The Vth Kirana of the Kaustubha is very important in as much as it deals with the problem of aesthetic relish, the nature and varieties of the Rasa. The author being a vaisnava of hard core establishes here the
supremacy of Bhakti Rasa. In addition to the already accepted eight Rasas he adds another Prema Rasa which is the outcome of the divine love of Lord Srikṛṣṇa and Rādhā. Prema Rasa is the most important of all for all the Rasas submerge in it प्रेमरसे सर्वे एव रसा अन्तर्भवन्तीत्यत्र : (P 148.) God is the source of all Rasas of which love is the most important. God incarnated Himself as Lord Sri Kṛṣṇa and relished the love of Rädhā. Lord Sri Kṛṣṇa represents the pleasure of love and Radha the eternal source of delight. Thus all Rasas are part of it and Prema Rasa is predominent and gives exquisite pleasure to the devotees. Regarding the general concept of Rasa, Kavi Karṇapūra says that the dominant emotion Sthayi Bhāva becomes a sentiment (Rasa) when it is brought into a relishable condition through the commingling of excitants (Vibhāvas) the ensuants(Anubhavas) and the accesseries (Samcāris). The enjoyer of Rasa is the audience on whose capacity of enjoyment the dominant feelings (Sthayi Bhāva) becomes Rasa when it is so enjoyed. The Rasa is a mental state, a subjective experience of the reader in which enjoyment is essential and in which the enjoyer and the object of enjoyment become identical. The locus of Rasa according to Kavi Karṇapūra as held by Abhinavagupta and his followers is not the represented hero nor the actor who acts the deeds of hero nor is the poem itself. It is Sāmājika who relishes it. What are cause effect and accessory in the empirical plane become technically Vibhāva, Anubhava and Samcārī in the realm of poetry. Kavi Karṇapūra being a Vaiṣṇava poet eulogises Rati Bhava which makes the mind melt and purges it off its impurities and hardness. It is that state of mind where pure consiousness becomes predominent and Raja and Tama qualities are relegated to the subordinate position. In the experience of Rati the mind is totally engrossed in supreme pleasure.
