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SAHRDAYĀLOKA “rasā"di-alamkāra”. The earlier writers such as Bhāmaha, Dandin etc. could not distinguish between the two but Anandavardhana accepted either and distinguished clearly between their areas of operation. When rasa is central how can it be termed an alamkāra ? This was his main argument. But when rasa performs the act of an alamkāra, i.e. when it serves to decorate some other central idea, it is to be taken as an 'alamkāra'. Thus 'alamkāras' are beautifying agents and add to the beauty of the central idea i.e. rasadhvani in poetry. This act of rendering beauty or enhancing the beauty of a central idea makes for the very life breath of an alamkāra. Says he (vrtti, Dhv. II.. 5, pp. 44, ibid) :- tathā ca ayam atra samkṣepah
“rasa-bhāvādi-tātparyam asritya viniveśanam, alamkstīnām sarvāsām
alamkāratva-sādhanam.". i.e. “It is only the employment of figures, one and all, in view of the main purport of sentiment. emotion, etc., that really justifies their being regar sources of charm.” (Trans. K. Kris..., pp. 45, ibid).
With 'Dhvani' or, say, rasa-dhvani as the soul of poetry, i.e. it being in the centre, all other concepts become suggestors or vyañjakas of rasa-dhvani, thus creating a harmonious design where everything falls in its place so rightly. True, it required the genius of Ānandavardhana to evolve such an all-embracing scheme and of course, those who did not fall in line with him by rejecting vyañjanā, i.e. the ālamkārikas such as Mahimā, Dhananjaya and Dhanika, or others such as Kuntaka, Bhoja, or even Mukula or Pritehārendurāja, fell in line in accepting 'rasa' as the central idea in poetry, with everything rotating around that.
So, for gunas or excellences and alamkāras or beautiful turns of expression or figures of speech. Anandavardhana observes : (DHV. II. 6., pp. 48, ibid)
"tam artham avalambante ye'nginam te guņāḥ smộtāḥ, angā”śritās tv alamkārāḥ
mantavyāḥ kațakādivat." ye tam artham rasā”dilaksanam anginam santam avalambante te gunāh, śauryā"divat. vācya-vācaka-laksanāny angāni ye punarāśritās te'lamkārāh mantavyāh katakā"divat.
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