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"Concept of Rasa" as seen in Anandavardhana and......
1371 is not of the type of other enjoyment felt at ordinary parlance, because this ananda
ot of the type of feeling of happiness of the mind, but it is of the form of the self i.e. ātman itself.
Thus, according to Abhinavagupta or Mammata, rasa is that sthāyin which is fully manifested by self-consciousness after the removal of any covering whatsoever.
But J. finds difficulty in the above explanation also because he feels that even the above explanation is not in total harmony of the śruti text-viz., "raso vai sah." J. further observes : (pp. 65, ibid) :
"vastutas tu vaksya-māna-śruti-svārasyena ratyā”dy avacchinnā bhagnā"varanā cid eva rasah" - In fact, taking into account the śruti text (viz. raso rai sah) to be quoted later, the consciousness itself manifested in a form qualified by ratyā"di sthāyin, is itself rasa. And this rasa is of a special type. The idea is that in the earlier explanation it was stated that ratyādi sthāyin qualified by 'cit' or consciousness is rasa. Here it is stated that 'cit' qualified by 'ratyādi' is rasa. Thus this rasa has for its form a sort of speciality in form of a visesya' qualified by a 'višesana'. In normal language this can be explained as follows. There are two elements in the substance called rasa, and they are, (i) ratyādi sthāyin and (ii) "cit." The difference in these. two explanations concerns as to which of these two portions forms either the višesya i.e. qualified and the viśesana or qualification.
So, J. holds that either the 'caitanya' is taken as višesana or višesya, it is clear that taking into account this caitanya-amśa rasa becomes self-manifest or svayamprakāśa. But if the ratyā"di-amśa is taken into account, rasa will be 'anitya' and
ara-prakāśa': (pp. 65, ibid) : sarvathaiva câ'syā viếistā"tmano višesanam višesyam vā cid amśam ādāya nityarvam sva-prakāśatvam ca siddham. ratyādyamsam ādāya nityatvam sva-prakāśarvam ca siddham. ratyädyamsam ādāya tv anityatvam itarabhāsyarvam ca."
The enjoyment-carvanā - of this rasa (= asvāda) means the removal of the lid that covers the caitanya or consciousness : "carvaņā cā'sya cid-gata-āvaranabhanga-eva, prāg uktā; tad ākārā antahkarana-vrttir vā.” (pp. 65, ibid) - i.e. or, it is already stated that the mental state taking the shape of ratyā"di sthāyin is itself 'carvaņā' i.e. 'rasa-carvaņā”. This is different from the samādhi i.e. concentration or meditation of mind in which there is enjoyment of para-brahma after getting merged with it. This is so (= i.e. different), because the bliss of consciousnesscaitanya"nanda-associated with object such as vibhāvā”di-s, is the ālambana or
T
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