Jain Journal 1990 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 22

JANUARY, 1990
description or represented on the stage through four-fold abhinaya (acting) cause indescribable pain to the sahrdayas-sensitive and responsive readers or spectators, not to talk of the emotions of fear (bhaya) etc., in actuality! That is why people simply shudder when they witness plays depicting sentiments like the terrifying. Shuddering and relish of pleasure ill go together. The camatkāra (peculiar delight) experienced by the spectators at the end of the performance of tragic scenes is, however, simply due to the genius or creative imagination of the poet and the high skill of the actors in presenting things faithfully. The proud are wonderstruck at the sight of an enemy who cuts off the head at one stroke. The wise (Alamkarikas like Abhinavagupta), deceived or misled by this all-delightful camatkāra caused by the display of the poet's genius and the extra-ordinary skill of the actors, regard even these unpleasurable or painful karuna and other rasas as highly pleasurable.' Spectators too, eager to taste this camatkāra, turn up to witness plays depicting karuna and other painful rasa. Poets portraying the life of Rama, etc., depict it as intermingled with joy and sorrow in accordance with the actual human life which is a mixture of both. Again, pleasures become all the more enjoyable when accompanied by sorrow like the sweetness of a beverage with a hot ingredient like chilly added to it. Tragic events such as the abduction of Sita, Duhsasana dragging Draupadi by her hair and attempting to disrobe her, Hariscandra's serving a Candala as a slave, the death of Rohitasva, Laksmana's being hit by a śaktia kind of missle-Aghoraghanta's attempt to kill Malati (in the play Mālati-Madhava) when represented on the stage can never cause delight in the hearts of the sensitive and sympathetic spectators (sahṛdayas). Again, the emotions of sorrow and other (painful) feelings in the original character cause lamentation, shedding of tears, etc., and are therefore undoubtedly painful. If through imitation by actors these painful feelings are said to become pleasurable, it is obvious that the actor's art is very deficient as it represents things falsely-in their perverted form.8 The apparent relish of pleasure by one when a tragic event is being described or staged is really speaking the relish of pain. An unhappy
Incidentally, it may be noted that Anuyogadvarasutra, a sacred work of the Svetambara Jains, which claims to be old (before third century A.D.), contains a Prakrit passage on nine kavya-rasas. The list of rasas omits 'bhayanaka' and substitutes in its place 'vridanaka'. Further, it gives the pride of place to vira and not to srngara. It is surprising, if not shocking that all Jain writers on poetics and aesthetics completely ignore this passage giving an additional proof that aesthetics is not necessarily related to any religion or system of philosophy.
• Natyadarpana III, p. 141. "Ibid., p. 141.
Natyadarpana, p. 142.
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