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delight and Pratibhā are undoubtedly intimately connected as his quotation from Bhatta Tauta (1.3 ff) establishes. He makes Pratibha the sole cause of poetry (I. 4) and admits the ultimate supremacy of the poet's imagination. Tauta's celebrated definition of Pratibhā, relied on by Hemachandra, admirably sums up "the creative aspect of Imagination - its power to conceive ever-new thoughts and images and to express them in living word":247 While Mammaţa employes the word Śakti and toes the line of Vāmana almost verbatim, 24 8 Hemachandra takes the word Pratibhā directly from Abhinavagupta but explains Pratibhā in terms of the Jain Philosophy so far as the antenatal capacity (vide Vamana 1-3-16 ff) of Pratibhā is concerned.
Pratibhā Explained in terms of Jain Philosophy
Discussing Prajižā and Pratibhā, Prof. Gopinath Kaviraj observes that in Jain philosophy, Kevalajñāna and Darśana are the synonyms of Pratibhā, Prajñā, etc. of the other systems and adds that "according to Jain Philosophy Omniscience or the possession of the factulty of Absolute Knowledge and Supreme vision is an eternal property (being also the Essence) of the Soul, which it has apparently lost or allowed to be obscured under the influence of a beginningless series of Karmas, hence known as a veil of knowledge or vision. By means of spiritual culture, this veil may be withdrawn - and the soul will regain its lost knowledge until at last - it will become once more Omniscient - being established in its Pure and Eternal Essence". 249
Hemachandra's explanation of the concept of Pratibha in terms of Jain philosophy constitutes his contribution to Indian poetics. Not only this. His purpose here seems to stress the necessity of poetic culture also. This is clear from the fact that it is with the aid of spiritual culture that the veil clouding our innate vision can be withdrawn and this implies that though Pratibhā is the sole cause of poetry, a modicum of poetic
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