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"Concept of Rasa" as seen in Anandavardhana and......
1359 "abhidhā”di-vilaksaņa-vyāpāra-mātra-prasādhana - grahilair asmābhī rasā"dīnām vyangyatvam uktam bhavatīti." (pp. 75, ibid)
Viśvanātha observes that rasa is not vācya' i.e. directly stated, not is arrived at by purport i.e. 'tātparya'. He has discussed this while treating vyañjan, and we have examined it in our chapter on vyañjanā. He also, following Abhinavagupta holds rasa to be of the nature of pure bliss i.e. "ananda' and rejects the talk of unhappiness following “karuna' etc. In short, he does not believe in the 'duḥkhamayatva' of Karuna. As for the substratum of rasa also, he follows Abhinavagupta and holds that only the sāmājika i.e. a cultured critic or man of taste is the substratum of rasa. The sthāyin in a sahrdaya attains to the position of rasa with the help of vibhāvā"dis. Rasa is not acceptable to him with reference to 'anukārya' or 'anukartā' i.e. the original character or the actor. If for the sake of argument, it is said that the actor enjoys rasa, then for that moment the actor is to be deemed as the sāmājika or enjoyer, observes Viśvanātha. The Sāmājika i.e. the man of taste, while enjoying art, has no consciousness of the difference between ‘anukārya' and 'anukartā', and for this reason also rasa cannot be said to be enjoyed by either the anukārya or the anu-kārtā. Viśvanātha explains that the rasaexperience derived by the 'sāmājika' is due to the process of 'sādhāranīkarna' i.e. generalisation' or better say, 'de-individualisation'. He observes (S.D. III. 9-10, pp. 79, ibid):
"vyāpāro'sti vibhāvā"der nāmnā sādhārani-krtiḥ, tat-prabhāveņa yasyā"san pāthodhi-plavanādayaḥ. (S.D. III. 9) pramātā tad abhedena
svātmānam pratipadyate, nanu katham manusya-mātřasya samudra-langhanā”dau utsāhódbodha, ity ucyate -
utsäha"di samudbodhah sādhāranyā'bhimānataḥ, nặnām api samudrā"dilanghanā”dau na dusyati. (S.D. III. 10)
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