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SAHRDAYĀLOKA experience is possible only in case of such sensitive aesthetes who are experts in worldly inference - "tatra loka-vyavahāre kārya-kārana-sahacārā"tmaka-lingadarśane sthāyyā”tmaka-cittavștty anumānábhyāsa-pāțavād..." - i.e. the aesthete or the man of taste has to be fully armed with expertise in inference at local level. In short he has to be an expert in the art of infering the feelings of others at the worldly level.
Mammata almost echoes these words when he says: (K.P. IV) : "loke pramadā”dibhiḥ kāraņā”dibhiḥ sthāyyanumāne abhyāsa-pāțava-vatām...” i.e. “In common life, the men of taste are possessed of proficiency, by repeated observation in inferring the basic emotion through women and the like, i.e: through causes, etc.” (Trans. R. C. Dwivedi, pp. 69, ibid). But beyond this the vyañjanāvādins cannot concede. Mahimā having seen this much comes up with a third type of anumiti over and above the 'tarkánumiti' and 'laukikánumāna', and it is what he terms kāvyánumiti. If laukikanumāna is having no 'rasatā', this poetic inference is all full of rasa.' Dr. Rewaprasad, the greatest modern exponent of kavyanumiti also says that when Mammata and his followers refute 'anumāna' in illustrations such as "bhrama dhārmika. ..." etc., they refute the process of inference, but not the fact of inference. Even Mahimā shielded his kāvyánumiti by saying that this, what he calls a poetic inference, is beyond the scrutiny of perfectionists - 'saryāsatyavicārana' or examination concerning its validity or otherwise is an object of laughter ! This effort is misdirected and therefore looks like a crude joke!
But our humble submission is that if you use the term 'anumiti' and remove all its basic qualities, then you may call it by any other name. Why insist on such ar inference which is beyond an examination of its validity or otherwise ? Actually inference is an intellectual process and art-experience or kalanubhūti or rasánubhūti transcends even intellect. It covers intellect, volition and also imagination and goes beyond all these - atytisthad dasángulam. Art experience is like the three and a half strides of Visnu in form of Vāmana-virāt. To label this rasa experience by names such as perception, or inference or presumption or any worldly or śāstrīya means of knowledge is to devalue it. It is precisely for this reason that Anandavardhana and Abhinavagupta and the thought-current represented by them choose to call it 'vyangya' or suggested and make it an object of the power of suggestion. Thus, vyañjana, dhvanana, prayāyana, avagamana are synonyms acceptable to the supporters of vyañjanā/dhvani/rasa. Thus perhaps the war is won by vyanjanāvādins though at times the anumitivādins stole some advantage in small battles.
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