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"Concept of Rasa" as seen in Anandavardhana and......
1355 nitya. Actually when vibhāvādi-s are not cognised, rasa is not experienced as such, i.e. it does not seem to exist in the absence of the cognition of vibhāvā"dis. If a thing is ‘nitya', it continues to exist even in the absence of our apprehending the same.
Again, rasa can not be said to be a future entity i.e. that which is to come into existence in future or that which is to be apprehended in times to come. This is not so because rasa is of the nature of an entity made of bliss and light to be experienced directly at a given moment. - "sākṣād ānanda-maya-prakāśa-rūpatvāt.”
Rasa, thus, being neither 'kārya' nor 'jñāpya' can not be said to be 'vartamāna' i.e. present at a given moment. Rasa can not be said to be existing at a given moment like a jar or a piece of cloch (ghaça or paca). The Laxmi çikā (pp. 88, ibid) explains this point as under : "nanu tarhi rasasya vartamānarvam eva angikriyatām ity āśankya samādhatte - "kārya-jñāpyety adi." raso nā'pi ghataparādivad vartamāno vidyamānarūpah siddha iti bhāvah. kāryam janyam, jñāpyam janyabodha-visayībhūtam, tayor vilaksana-bhāvād apūrvatvāt. vartamānasya vastunaḥ, kārya-jñāpyā'nyataratva-niyamād iti bhāvaḥ. itaḥ prāg eva kāryatvam jñāpyarvam ca rasasya na ity uktam. evañ ca, janyo ghatahjñāpyópī'ti vartamānatvam tatra, a-janyo'pyākāśo jñāpyaś ca iti vartamānatvam; tatrā'pi raso na janya uta na jñāpya iti no vartamāno'pi iti kārikā”sayaḥ." .
The apprehension of rasa, observes Viśvanātha, is neither ‘nir-vikalpa' nor 'savikalpa'; i.e. its apprehension is neither non-determinate nor determinate. In nirvikalpajñāna or non-determinate perception, there is no knowledge of any relation whatsoever. In Rasa-cognition, however, the collection of vibhāvā"dis or vibhāvā"diparāmarśa' is cognised. The viśista-vaiśistya-sambandha is cognised. Nirvikalpajñāna is said to be such where any relation is not noticed. In case of rasa-cognition, the apprehension of vibhāvā"dis and its relation with rasa-bodha are cognised. Lakshmi tikā observes (pp. 89, ibid) - "nirvikalpakam jñānam samsarga-anavagāhijñānam, tasya rasasya grāhakam visayatānirūpakam nesyate; raso nirvikalpajñāna-visayo na iti bhāvaḥ. tat sādhayati hetu-dvayena-vibhāvā”dīnām parāmarso visista-vaiśistyā'vagāhi-jñānam sambandha iti yāvat, visayo viśesya-rūpeṇa jñeyo yasya tasya bhāvas tasmāt.” The idea is that rasa which is ‘sva-prakāśa-rūpa' is the object of itself only - "sva-prakāśa-rūpasya svena eva visayîkaraṇād, iti bhāvah.”
Another point is that nirvikalpaka-jñāna is "nisprakāraka". No dharma' is cognised here in form of "prakāratā". But as rasa is of the nature of highest-bliss, - "paramānandmaya", 'ānanda-mayatva' is cognised in it as 'prakāratā'. So, rasabodha can not be held to be 'nir-vikalpaka', or non-determinate.
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