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SOME ASPECTS OF THE RASA THEORY
of mental impression is discernible even there. But there are percipients who are capable of transcending the impeding aspect of even that mental impression; and they indeed experience supreme delight by acute alertness in overcoming the subtlest impediments (in the way of rasa) 37
In this self documented summary of his idea of rasa, Abhinava explains how a glutton's eating of food differs from that of a gourmet - taster. The glutton is attentive to the food object outside; but the taster is inattentive, to it, though it is present (this is technically called vyavadhānā); but the latter is most attentive to its taste within himself. In poetry and drama too the feeling of separate identity (anyathābhāva) is overshadowed and only the taste of joy remains. In empirical life there is the inevitable pull of activities for securing desired ends. This obstacle is transcended by becoming a spectator, and hence the joy in seeing a drama is different from sensual joy. Here again, the joy is nothing but self-repose. The word sa-hrdaya means etymologically one who can find joy within himself. The seen objective entity is ignored by him; he is concentrated in attending only to spiritual joy.
In relishing the flavour of sweetness, the sense of touch is a marginal intruder (vyavadhina), which is superceded to reach the relishing self within. This gross intrusion of sense-object is absent in poetry and drama: yet the mental impressions of these may remain as marginal intruders there also. Only those who can ignore them and turn their full attention to the relishing self within, do indeed attain supreme delight:
While in Advaita Vedānta the self within is just passive though svaprakāśa in śivādvaita of Kashmir, vimarsa or paramarsa is real as Siva's inseparable sakti. So in Sankara's thought bhoga-virága is a pre-condition for self-realisation. But in Abhinava bhoga itself in its intensity can be enjoyed in the spirit of a released soul, i. e, transmuted into mokşa.
The words Anyathābhāva, Vyavadhāna, their transcendence or neglect (anādara) and inward directed attention (avadhāna) are, all technical terms and nowhere is the implication of "universality” in the modern sense present in all this, as it can be easily seen.
True, sädhäranya is mentioned in connection with the vyavadhana
37. Cf. madhurādau rase audarikābhyavahāra-vailaksanyena pravștta idam itthamiti
pramātari viśrāmayan pramāts-bhāgameva prādhānyatayā vimrśan bhuñjāna iti ucyate. Yatrāpi atyantam anyathābhāvam atikramya sukham āsvādyate, arjanādi-sambhāvyamānavighnāntara-nirāsat vaişayikānanda-vilaksane śrngārādau nāțya-kāvyādi-visaye, tatra vitavighnatyādeva asau rasanā-carvaņā-nirvştiḥ pratitih pramātstā-viśrāntireva. Tata eva hțdayena parāmarśa-lakşanena prādhānyāt vyapadeśya-vyavasthithsyäpi prakāśabhāgasya vedya -visräntataya anādaranāt sahşdayatā ucyate iti nirvighnāḥ svāda-rūpāśca rasanā-tadgocarikäryäścitta-vșttayo rasā nava ityayam-artho 'bhinava-bhāratyāṁ nātyaveda-vivrtau vitatya vyutpădito'smābhiriti tat-kutūhali tām eva avalokayet.
madhurādi-rasāsvāde tu vişaya-sparsa-vyavadhānam; tato'pi kävyanāțyādau tasvyavadhāna-sūnyatā. Tad-vyavadhāna-samskārānuvedhastu tatrāpi; te tathodita-vyavadhänāṁsa-tiraskriyā-sāvadhāna-hsdayāḥ labhanta eva paramanandam.
iśvara-pratyabhijña-vivrti-vimarsini. Vol. II, pp. 180-181.
