________________
1558
SAHRDAYĀLOKA Abhinavagupta here explains how a sa-hrdaya enjoys rasa. True, the sahrdaya has the expertise at ordinary worldly level to infer ordinary mental feelings of others. In practical life he is an expert to infer someone else's feelings. This means that when the relevant causes appear, the relevant feelings will be flashed in his mind. So, when he observes a beautiful lady as described in poetry or as presented on the stage in a drama, he will not look at her as a third party (tatastha). On account of his sensitiveness-sahrdayatva-born of consent of heart-hỉdaya-samvādathe sāmājika aquires a capacity to grow over the 'tāțasthya'. Without stepping on the ladder of anumāna, smrti, etc., this experience becomes personal to himātmasāt, as this experience is of the nature of aesthetic chewing (carvanā) which causes for him an identification with whatever he observes. This aesthetic chewing is of the nature of consciousness (samvedana) and hence Abhinavagupta distinguishes this special cousciousness from other local mental attitudes.
This brings us to Abhinavagupta's discussion on the epistemological aspect of rasa-consciousness. He observes :
(A.bh., Gnoli- pp. 21, 22, ibid) :
"na ca să carvanā prān mānāntarād, yena adhunā smrtih syāt. na cátra laukika-pratyaksā"di-pramāņa-vyāpāraḥ. kim tv alaukika-vibhāvā"di-samyoga balapónataiv eyam carvanā. sā ca, pratyaksanumāna-āgama-upamānā"di-laukikapramāņa-janita-ratyādy avabodhatas tathā yogipratyakşa-tațastha-para-samvittijñānāt sakala-vaisayika-uparāga-śūnya-śuddha-parayogi-gatasvā”nandaikaghananubhavāc ca višisyate, eteşām yathāyoham arjanā”di-vighnántaródaya-tāțsthyaasphuţatva-visayā”veśa-vaivaśya-krta-saundarya-virahāt.
atra tu svātmaika-gatatva-niyamásambhavāt svánupraveśāt, paragataniyamábhāvāt tad-vibhāvā"di-sadhāranyavasa-samprabuddhócita-nija-ratyā"divāsanā”veśa-vaśāc ca, na vighnántarā"dīnām sambhava ity avocāma bahuśah.”
Gnoli translates (pp. 82, 83, 84, iid) :
"This gustation, again, is not already born in the past, from some other means of knowledge, so that it is, now, a form of memory; nor is it the fruit of the operation of ordinary means of cognition (direct perception, etc.); but it is aroused solely by the combination (samyoga) of the determinants, etc., which, as we have said, are of a non-ordinary nature.
This gustation is distinguished (a) from perception of the ordinary sentiments (delight, etc.) aroused by the ordinary means of cognition (direct perception, inference, the revealed word, analogy, etc., (b) from cognition without active
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
