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REVIEW "OUTLINE OF ABHINAVAGUPTA'S AESTHETICS" V. M. Kulkarni, Pub : Saraswati Pustak Bhandar, Ahmedabad - 380 001 First Edn., May 1998 pp. 1-105 + 5 (Appendix) = 110/Rs. Dr V M Kulkarni's book viz Outline of Abhinavagupta's Aesthetics consists of ten valued articles on topics connected with Indian Aesthetics in general and Abhinavagupta's (=A's) approach to the same in particular Before taking a detailed review of Dr Kulkarni's present work, I will hazard to suggest a new title for it such as "An indepth study of Abhinavagupta's Aesthetics", for that exactly it is I know prof Dr V M Kulkarni as a great scholar, so thorough, hard-working and meticulous in his approach to any problem that falls within the scope of Sanskrit Alamkāras'āstra in general He exhibits an unbiased and balanced application and dedication to whatever he picks up for a close study, be it in Sanskrit or Prakrt His expressions in keeping with his conclusions are clear and unbiased like his thinking as also seen in his Studies in Sanskrit Sahityas'āstra I count him as one of the greatest modern alamkārikas in company with Dr Rewaprasad Dwivedi, Prof KD Tripathi, the late Dr Ram Chandra Dwivedi, the late Dr K. Krishnamoorthy and Dr Raghavan, Pundit Vis'ves'vara, Dr Bishwanath Bhattacharya, Prof R C Parikh, Prof RB Athavale, Dr Hiriyanna, and also Profs Gnoli, Masson, Patwardhan, K. Kunjunni Raja, M M Sharma and the rest The chief merit of his approach is that he goes to the root of a given problem from many angles, tries to interpret the given authour quoting all relevant passages from his writing and then takes a critical, unbiased view, that can be acceptable to all In this respect I would place him with the great Pundit Jagannātha of the Rasa-gangādhara fame For sure, this study is meant only for those who justifiably claim to have a closer acquaintance with Ā. The present work consists of ten articles engaged in a thread-bare analysis of the problem concerned, highlighting Abhinavagupta's approach in a clear and critical way However, small minds have some small problems and we will atempt to throw light on these points In the first article on "Sanskrit theory of Beauty" (pp 1-17) the author suggests at the outset that "in India, however, the study of Aesthetics does not form a branch of Philosophy" (pp 1) as in the West Dr V M Kulkarnı brings out the
