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R. V. TRIPATHI
SAMBODHI
not come to Kālidāsa's knowledge. May be that he was aware of a discussion and controversy between the supporters and opponents of śānta and he rather appears to be repudiating the theory of śänta as a rasa in Vik. itself where he suggests that beauty cannot be created through detachment from worldly objects:
वेदाभ्यासजडः कथं नु विषयव्यावृत्तकौतूहलो ।
निर्मातुं प्रभवेन्मनोहरमिदं रूपं पुराणो मुनिः ॥ Abhinavagupta has taken up this view as pūrvapakṣa in establishing his theory of Sāntarasa or Šānta as the mahārasa. Kālidās is very well aware of the whole ganiut of technical terms and various concepts and systems propounded in the Nś. In Kumara. S'iva and Parvati witness a performance by the apsaras, which is said to be having sandhis and vittis, rasas and rāgas as well as graceful angahāras also :
तौ सन्धिषु व्यञ्जितवृत्तिभेदं रसान्तरेषु प्रतिबद्धरागम् । अपश्यतामप्सरसा मुहूर्तं प्रयोगमाद्यं ललिताङ्गहारम् ॥
(Kumāra. VII. 91) Kālidās has not only picked up terms and phrases from the Nś, but has also captured the very spirit of Nś in the praise of Nätya :
देवानामिदमामनन्ति मुनयः कान्तं क्रतुं चाक्षुषं रुद्रेणेदमुमाकृतव्यतिकरे स्वाङ्गे विभक्तं द्विधा । त्रैगुण्योद्भवमत्र लोकचरितं नानारसं दृश्यते नाट्यं भिन्नरुचेर्जनस्य बहुधाप्येकं समाराधनम् ॥
(Mālavikā. I. 4) Nātya as a cākşusa yajña, its bifurcation into two forms of taandava and lāsya, representation of lokacarita (deeds of the people) in it, and its capability of pleasing people of different tastes - all these ideas as expressed by Kālidās through Nātyācārya Ganadāsa here remind us of the treatment of Nātya in the I Chap. of the Nś, which Kālidās appears to have thoroughly studied. This apart, even the themetic contents of Vik. and their treatment seem to have been inspired by Nś, which speaks of descent of Nātya from heaven with Urvasi's downfall to join the harem of Pūruravas. Afterwards, because of the disappearance of Urvaśī the theatric activities of the royal harem came to a stand-still. Therefore, Nahusa, the grandson of Pūruravas rightly requested Bharata to arrange for a revival of Nātya in his territory on earth :
