Studies In Sanskrit Sahitya Shastra

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

Page 73

KALPALATĀVIVEKA ON ABHINAVABHARATI
The text of the Abhinavabhärati (A.Bh.), the commentary by Abhinavagupta on Bharata's Nāțyaśāstra (NS) is corrupt and, therefore, obscure in many places. The commentary on the Sixth Adhyāya, though better preserved, than the commentaries on other chapters, has still a great deal of obscurity on account of its corrupt readings. Many reputed scholars have tried their best to improve the commentary. The Aesthetic Experience According to Abhinavagupta by R. Gnoli and Aesthetic Rapture by Masson and Patwardhan are two of the recent works which have tried to render considerable help in understanding the Rasādhyāya, Chapter VI of Bharata's NS and the A.Bh. on it. In a series of articles I made attempts to restore the text of over ninety passages of the A.Bh. mainly with the help of Hemacandra's Kāvyānusā sana and the Nātyadarpaņa of Rāmacandra and Gunacandra both of whom have made liberal use of the A.Bh. in their works.2 The Kalpalatā viveka (KLV) of an anonymous author has incorporated many long passages from the Dhvanyaloka (D.AI) the Locana commentary on it and the A.Bh. I have shown in a separate paper,3 entitled "Abhinavabhārati Ch. VII Recovered ?" how the KLV has preserved in toto a major portion of the A.Bh. on Ch. VII. In this paper I am attempting to restore the text of A.Bh., Ch. VI with the help of the KLV which offers comments on some of its difficult passages, and renders them intelligible, and incidentally, I would correct a few mis-readings in the KLV with the help of the A.Bh.
1 अन्यच्च स्थायिनां ये विभावादयोऽभिहितास्तरेव योगे स्थायिनः स्फीता भवेयू रसा स्युरित्यर्थः । अयोगे तु स्थायिन एवेति किं रसावस्थापरपर्यायायां स्फीतदशायां पुनर्विभावादिप्रतिपादनेन ।
-KLV p. 303, 11 13-15 The text of the A.Bh. which is commented here upon, reads : feetagenti gulnaefa (Vol. I. p. 272 1.14). The reading 'Sthita' makes no sense. The KLV reading 'Sphita' which directly yields the sense 'in its intensified state' is highly superior and, seems convincingly to be genuine. 2 saatat fat BRT THE
विवृद्धात्माप्यगाधोऽपि दुरन्तोऽपि महानपि । एतद्वाक्यं कृत्यारावणे रामेण स्वशोकस्याभिधायकमुक्त नाभिनयः ।
-KLV p. 304, 11. 17-19 . This passage confirms that the A.Bh. text cites only the second half of the verse. It further informs us that the verse expressing Rāma's sorrow is drawn from the
1 GOS No. XXXVI, Vol I, 1956 (vide pp. 22-23) 2 Vide Chapter No. 4 Supra. 3 Journal of The Oriental Institute Vol XX, No 3, March 1971