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1324
SAHRDAYĀLOKA Now, a big number of individual rasas prop up and they being “kāvya-śobhā-kara" are also termed as 'alamkāra' in the end. It may be noted that thus rasa-experience in its wider sense is art-experience in general for Bhoja and it is not restricted to mere emotive experience only. This is the case with A. and Abhinavagupta also. Thus 'rasa' is not just the experience of śộngāra and the like alone, but is total artexperience and the result is 'Camatkāra' or say 'divine surprise'.
Whatever art-expression may be, if it leads to this final stage it is 'rasā'nubhūti' for Bhoja.
So, ultimately Bhoja seems to favour one rasa. Innumerable rasas are perhaps only bhāvas, or just aspects of a rasa-sāmānya, and when portrayed in poetry or drama, only one rasa-śțngāra - which is of the form of bliss - ānanda-results. This only is 'rasa'. It results from the tasting of words and meanings portrayed in poetry and drama (or any art). For Bhoja the highest stage or limit of rasa-experience is only one and identical and is termed 'śộngāra' by him. In S.K... (V. i) Bhoja observes :
“rasóbhimānóhamkāraḥ śộngāra iti gīyate, yórthas tasyā’nvayāt
kāvyam kamanīyatvam aśnute." Thus the blissful state that results as an ultimate outcome of any number of rasas experienced, is termed 'śộngāra' by Bhoja. This final stage of bliss - "ānandarūpatā” - is Bhoja's śộngāra' - "eka eva śộngārah”. This bliss is experienced by the soul adorned by I-ness i.e. ahamkāra and therefore is not equal to the paramaānanda i.e. spiritual bliss of the highest rank. It is slightly lesser and hence 'rasa' is placed along with "ahamkāra-abhimāna-śộngāra." In his Śr. Pra. (I. 3, pp. 1, Vol. I. Śr. Pra. ibid) - Bhoja observes -
"ātmasthitam guņa-viśeșam ahamkstasya, śộngāram āhur iha jīvitam ātmayoneh, tasyā”tma-śakti-rasanīyatayā rasatvam,
yuktasya yena rasiko'yam iti pravādah.” Dr. Raghavan (pp. 452) observes : "It is called śộngāra not only as one that takes man to the acme of perfection, but also because it is Love, it is the very life of Ātma-yoni or Kāma. Kāma is not meant here as sexual love, even as śrngāra is
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