Some Aspects of Rasa Theory

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

Page 61

WORLDLY NATURE OF RASA
49
A. bh.) : There is no reason to believe that Drama leads to sorrow; otherwise there would have arisen the need to disprove this view. Therefore some people accept the variant reading pleasures (harşamsca).23 Yogi as Abhinava was, he had no good reason to explain away the text in the mannar he does. His, and of course Ananda's eloquent advocacy of śānta as the only rasa and a mahārasa could also be viewed from this angle. But irrespective of what Abhinava says, we can clearly see that Bharata supports the view that Rasa is laukika in character. ...Bharata then explains individual rasas and says-We shall take the Permanent Emotions to the level of Rasa.24 Here also stray hints dropped by Bharata go to prove our thesis that for Bharata rasa was of a laukika nature. His treatment of vipralambha (p. 306), and karuna (p. 309) points in the same direction. Karuna is sokasthāyibhāvaprabhava (p. 317). But Bharata is silent about its aesthetic enjoyment. Raudra (p. 319), bhayānaka (p. 326) and bibhatsa (p. 328) are also delineated in keeping with their laukika nature.
But all the description of various rasas and sthāyıbhāvas, even in keeping with the laukika design, could not be taken as a pointer to Bharata's actual concept of the nature of tasting. No doubt Bharata holds that the vibhāvas and the anubhāvas need not be described by him because they are fairly known to us; tatra vibhāvānubhävau lokaprasiddhau (p. 348). Bharata perhaps cites somebody else's verse when he says : (p. 348, v. 6) --The stanza which is relevant in the context is as follows:· The wise may note that the determinants and the consequents in dramatic representatian correspond to their counterparts in everyday life in respect of their nature and their behaviour.25
He says that there are eight sthāyins, or the basic mental states, thirtythree vyabhicărins or accesssories and eight sättvika-bhāvas or involuntary physical reflexes. These forty-nine taken together make for 'Kavya-rasabhi. Oyakti.' Rasas are born of these, when they are presented in a universalized state. He says-It may be noted that these forty-nine emotions in their generalized form are the source of Rasa.26
It may be noted that Bharata here and also elsewhere mentions "kāvyarasa,' and if 'sāmānya-guna-yoga' is the same as interpreted by us above,
23. तथात्वे निमित्ताभावात्तत्परिहारप्रसङ्गाचेति मन्यमाना हर्षाश्चाधिगच्छन्तीति पठन्ति ।
. (27. 1. g. 2cs) 24. teftaraina taray44419:
(TTT. . q. 339) 25. a 217 #:लोकस्वभावसंसिद्धा लोकयात्रानुगामिनः । अनुभावा विभावाश्च ज्ञेयास्त्वभिनये बुधैः ॥
** (Tr. 27. 9. x6. 11.) 26. एवमेते काव्यरसाभिव्यक्तिहेतव एकोनपञ्चाशद्भावाः प्रत्यवगन्तव्याः । एभ्यश्च सामान्यगुणयोगेन रसा निष्पद्यन्ते ।
(FT. II. . 180)