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SAHRDAYĀLOKA evoked or suggested by impersonalised vibhāvā”dis is termed “rasa”. The acting in case of drama, or description of acting in case of poetry helps the cause of the vibhāvā”dis. These abhinayas are four-fold such as acting connected with speech, body, mind and external apparatus, such as stage-decoration, costumes, makeup, etc. This generalised suggested or evoked emotion is enjoyed by the samājika, who himself is also placed beyond personal relationship. The sāmājika has attained a status wherein he acquires aesthetic sympathy - "sahşdayahrdayasamvāda”, and thus is beyond personal hates and likes, preferences and prejudices. The emotion thus evoked actually stays in the heart of the sāmājika as a result of impressions of past births, observes H. But these generalised emotions when suggested by generalised vibhāvā"dis are free from personal bindings. They are therefore relished, become the object of aesthetic delight. “Relishing' is its life-breath. This relishing lasts till the presentation of vibhāvā”dis lasts. This relish is of the nature of a-laukika i.e. extra-worldly bliss or camatkāra. This enjoyment of suggested basic emotion through means of art i.e. vibhāvā"dis, is termed "rasa" which is 'sva-samvedana-siddha' i.e. object of extraordinary self-experience. It is located in art only, i.e. it is “sui generis” or exclusive to art. H. observes that the enjoyment called 'rasa'-experience is similar to the taste of ultimate reality - i.e. “para-brahmā"svāda-sahodara".
H. as noted earlier, accepts 'śānta' as the ninth rasa without any reservation as seen even in M. we will discuss the problem of śānta-rasa, the number of rasas etc. in the next chapter.
We will discuss the concept of rasa as seen in the Nātyadarpana (= ND.) of Rāmacandra and Gunacandra later when we pick up works on dramaturgy. Though of course chronologically the N.D. should follow the Kā. Šā.. but we will pick up this work along with other works on dramaturgy. We could have taken even the DR. of Dhananjaya separately. But on account of the antivyañjanā stance, and on account of its earlier date we considered that work earlier. The other works on dramaturgy more or less follow the lead of vyañjanā-dhvani-vădins. Even Sāradātanaya is not anti-vyañjanā-theorist. So, we will now move on to Vāgbhața (I), the author of Vāgbhatálamkāra or kāryā'lamkāra.
Vāgbhata (V. i) is of the opinion that, even if it is perfectly cooked, food is not palatable without salt, in the same way poetry without rasa is not enjoyable.
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