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'Classification of Poetry' (Criticism Oriented)
stuff only but as the genuine aesthetic rapture which results from the enjoyment of any peace of art, here of course, literary art.
In reality this 'rasa-experience' or aesthetic rapture is the real 'soul' of poetry according to both A. and Abhinavagupta. A.'s preference in taking only 'rasadhvani' as the real soul of poetry is self-evident from his general treatment throughout the Dhv. Abhinavagupta does not invent it, nor does he superimpose his ideas on A.'s finding. No; he, i.e. the Locanakara is true to his words when he says in the beginning of his Locana that he is simply "echoing" and making clear the original ideas of A. as read in the "kāvyāloka" -
"yad kiñcid apy anuraṇan
sphuṭayāmi kāvyā"lokam..." -
A. himself has noted that eventhough the other varieties of pratīyamāna-artha or implicit sense are observed, the illustration cited is that of rasa"di-dhvani, for that alone is principal. He observes (vṛtti, on Dhv. I. 5): "pratīyamānasya ca anyabheda-darśanépi rasa-bhāva-mukhena eva upalakṣaṇam; prādhānyāt." Locana on this observes : “tena rasa eva vastutaḥ ātmā. vastv-alamkāra-dhvanī tu sarvathā rasam prati paryavasyete iti vācyād utkrstau tau ity abhiprāyena, "dhvanih kāvyasya ātmā” iti sāmānyena uktam."
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A. is of the opinion that in figures such as 'samāsokti' or 'condensed metaphor' etc. we do have an element of implicit or suggested sense. But as this implicit element is not marked as principal, such figures illustrate only the second variety of poetry such as the 'guṇībhūta-vyangya' or poetry with subordinated suggested sense. Of course Abhinavagupta accepts the position of 'rasa' even in such cases only at the ultimate level of consideration. Even the variety called vastu-dhvani also is categorised in form of 'vibhāvā"di's i.e. determinants etc. and ultimately merge in rasă"di-dhvani. This rasa-realisation through vibhāvā"di-sāmagrī was discussed by Bharata and explained later by ācāryas such as Lollata and the like in their own way. A. does not discuss here this process of rasa-niṣpatti i.e. the rasa-nispattiprakriyā in his Dhv. This of course speaks volumes of A.'s great self-control. He simply takes note of the fact that only rasā"di-dhvani is the principal fact in a dhvani-kavya. In fact this 'rasa' is the principal category lebelled as the 'soul' of poetry, but at times its ingredients such as bhāva, or different aesthetic categories of bhava or feelings, such as bhavodaya, bhāva-samdhi etc. also, when principally suggested in their states of exhuberance, result into bhava-dhvani etc. These possibilities are covered up by "adi" in "rasa"di"-dhvani.
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