Some Aspects of Rasa Theory

Author(s): V M Kulkarni
Publisher: B L Institute of Indology

Page 58

SOME ASPECTS OF THE RASA THEORY
feelings cause pleasure or pain, and concludes (p. 44, A. bh.): Nåțya is that complex of feelings which resembles the entire gamut of pleasurable and painful worldly emotions and which contains the traces of the latter. 14
It is only a necessary logical step further, to say that the nature of artexperience, the rasa is identical everywhere, i. e. of the nature of both happiness and unhappiness, resulting into the laukikatva' of this experience. This perhaps is undeniable so far as Bharata is concerned. The samavakāra type as illustrated by Amrta-manthana (iv. 2, 3, 4 p. 85), or the dima. called Tripuradāha (iv. 10, p. 86), also represents the same admixture, the same reflection of activity and feelings of a similar (karma-bhāvānukirtana) nature (iv. 11, p. 87).
In chapter VI. vv. 15, 16, 17 etc. Bharata enumerates the rasas and bhāvas, and gives his famous rasa-sútra viz., Vibhāvānubhava-vyabhicări-samyogadrasanispattih, at VI. 31, p. 272. Lollața, whose views are quoted in the A. bh. (p. 272) seems to hold that the rasa is located both in the 'anukārya' i. e. original character, historical or otherwise as the case may be, and the anukartā, i. e. the actor- (p. 272, A. bh.) : Rasa is present in both-primarily in Rāma, the object of imitation, and secondarily also) in the actor, through the continuous awareness (present in both, the actor and the spectator of the fact of representation).15
This perhaps implies that for Lollața emotion in art-experience is on the same footing as that in normal life. To put it more clearly, rasa is sukhaduḥkhātmaka i. e. of the nature of pleasure and pain as in the case of laukika Rāmādi i. e. worldly Rāma etc. and is therefore of a worldly nature. Perhaps Lollata is close to Bharata, who, we will go to see, further explains in ch. VII, the nature of various sthāyibhāvas and vyabhicări-bhāvas in a similar vein. For Lollaţa then,sthāyi eva rasah'i. e. rasa is sthayibhäva itself seems to be the guiding principle.
For Sankuka also, rasa is an imitation of feelings and moods realised through inference with the help of unfailing marks in the actor.
The sthāyī (which originally belongs to chief characters like Rāma and) which is perceived, on the strength of the tokens, as being present in the actor is of the nature of imitation; and because it is of the nature of imitation it is called by a different name rasa.16
It should be specially noted that in the A. bh. there is no mention of 'vastu-saundaryabalat rasaniyatvena...etc. thereby giving not even the
14. लौकिका ये सुखदुःखात्मानो भावाः तत्सदृशस्तत्संस्कारानुविद्धो नाटयलक्षणोऽर्थः समुदायरूपस्तस्यैव भागानुसमयः ।
(81. 9. 9. xv) 15. स चोभयोरपि । [मुख्यया वृत्त्या रामादौ] अनुकार्येऽनुकर्तर्यपि चानुसन्धानबलात् ।
(39. HI. 9. 248) 16. अनुकस्थत्वेन लिङ्गबलतः प्रतीयमानः स्थायी अनुकरणरूपः । अनुकरणरूपत्वादेव च नामान्तरेण व्यपदिष्टो रसः ।
(ST. 91. 9. 202)