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1328
SAHRDAYĀLOKA As observed by us earlier there are three kotis or stages of Bhoja's śộngāra. The taste in form of I-ness or ahamkāra is the pūrvā-koti, and the ratyādi-bhāvaprakarsa is the madhyamā koți of rasa. In the final stage Bhoja incorporates all rasas and all bhāvas that give rise to different rasas. This is the stage of “rasa" i.e. "prema-rasa”. This is the highest stage, termed "Uttarā koti”. Bhoja says that this 'rasa' is itself termed 'prema' and the ratyā"di bhāvas are imagined to terminate in such expressions as rati-priya, rana-priya, etc. Bhoja (pp. 429 Pra., ibid) observes : “rasam tv iha premānam eva amananti. sarveşām api hi ratyādi-prakarsānām rati-priyah, amarsa-priyah, parihāsa-priyah, iti premani eva paryavasānāt.” Abhinavagupta also has a similar observation when he says : “Sarva-rasānām śānta-prāya eva āsvādaḥ.”, suggesting thereby a 'mahā-rasa'.
The 'bhūmā' i.e. the highest peak of 'rati', 'hāsa', etc. is not rasa for Bhoja, but it is only his 'śộngāra' that is 'rasa' For Bhoja 'rasa' is not just a kávya-rasa but it is an experience which terminates into 'prema' and 'self-realisation'. In short it is divine bliss.' Thus only one rasa, the śrngāra that Bhoja accepts ultimately becomes 'prema-rasa', which can be bracketted with Abhinavagupta's 'mahārasa'. Even Bhoja could have named it as 'mahārasa'. But the difficulty is that while Abhinavagupta has equated his 'mahārasa' with 'sat-cit-ananda' of Paramātman, and while Jagannātha has called this ānanda to be one with the cid-ananda of Paramātman, Bhoja begs to disagree on this count. Bhoja's śrngāra is of course of the form of, 'paramānanda', but it is not exactly the 'sac-cid-ananda' form of paramātman, but it is of the form of paramānanda which is born of the sattvaguna of the rasika who is blessed with 'ahamkara-abhimana'. Precisely for this, he terms it as, "sarvātma-sampad-udayā'ti-śayaika-hetuh.", i.e. his śrngāra drives the rasika to achieve the highest peak of ātma-gunas or qualities of soul.
Bhoja thus takes his 'eka eva śrngāra' as a synonym for 'ahamkārā"nanda'. We can read Bhattanāyaka's influence here, for he also called 'rasa' to be, "brahmā"svāda sahodara" and not identical with the same. Bhoja also like Bhattahāyaka accepts rasa-carvaņā as taking shape with the help of bhogavyāpāra.
Bhoja's rasa-vicāra thus is a new “prasthāna", so to say. Though of course, his presentation is not very neat and tidy in the sense that he gives a number of similes, i.e. resorts to metaphorical language to bring home his points. The basic fact about rasa-experience is, as the Kashmir school of thought underlines, "lokóttara" phenomenon and therefore no worldly illustrations can explain the same. Even Bharata, when he quotes the illustration of 'sādavā"dirasa' is careful in bringing home this point when he insists that rasa-experience is not a physical taste but a ‘mānasa-bodha'.
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