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SAHRDAYĀLOKA accept 'rasa' at both the levels i.e. at the "laukika" or worldly context, and also at the "a-laukika" or extra-ordinary i.e. art.context. We know that the Kashmir tradition accepts rasa only at the art context : "rasas tu nātya eva, na loke" . observes Abhinavagupta, ruling out any possibility of rasa experience at the gross i.e. worldly lovel. For Bhānudatta, rasa born of worldly context or "laukikasannikarsa” is 'laukika' i.e. worldly. Rasa born of 'alaukika-sannikarsa' is a-laukika. This latter is of the form of knowledge - jñāna-only and the former i.e. laukika is six-fold. But for us all this suggests a basic ignorance of the essential nature of 'rasa' which is beyond any physicality. 'Saksāt jñāna' or direct knowledge', for Bhānudatta follows from the experience of vibhāvā"dis and the apprehension of knowledge - "jñānabodha" - is accepted to result from the samskāras i.e. impressions left behind by past births. The a-laukika-rasa is again said to be threefold such as, “svāpnika", "mānorathika" and "aupanāyika”. Now this third variety is experienced in the camatkāra brought about by word and sense in poetry, and also is visualised in drama. However, for him, both laukika and a-laukika rasa are blissful or "ānand-rūpa" for him. This involves contradiction. For, those who accept rasa at laukika level, have got to take it as 'sukha-duhkhā"tmaka'. Of course, the N.D. of Rāmacandra and Gunacandra attempt an equillibrium between the two ends by saying on one hand rasa to be 'sukha-duhkhā"tmaka', but taking it to be "blissful" on the other, taking into account the effect resulting from the expertise of the poet and the actor - "kavi-nata-gata-kausala." But all this, to us involves clean contradiction and an unsuccessful attempt to patch up two ends which are opposite to each other in nature as light and darkness - "tamah-prakāśavadviruddha-svabhāva."
Thus Bhānudatta's attempt, like that of Rāma-candra and Gunacandra to attempt a fusion of two approaches to the nature of rasa, finds no takers after him, doomed as it was in its very birth, being logically and aesthetically unacceptable. He has also talked of eight rasa-drstis with reference to eight rasas, but this point gains importance only from the point of view of acting i.e. abhinaya. In his other work viz. "rasa-mañjari”, we get only the analysis of the vibhāvā”dis of the eight śộngārā”di rasas that he accepts.
Keśava Miśra in his Alamkāra-sekhara (A-se) while giving the definition of poetry observes that poetry is vākya or sentence, having rasa and it has to be 'śrta' and such which causes special happiness. - "kāvyām rasa"dimad-vakyam, śrutam, sukha-višesa-krt." - (pp. 2, 2nd NS. edn. Bombey, 1926, A.D.) By 'adi' in 'rasā"di' he suggests the presence of 'alamkāra'. In the second marīci, (pp. 6, Edn. ibid) he calls
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