________________
Studies in Indian Philosophy
to better advantage. That is the realm of alankāras coming under the class vakrokti or atiśayokti in literature. Both these aspects of her beauty are externally open to view; they are bahya. These may excite the beholder's admiration. But they cannot explain the inner springs or character. Her qualities of head and heart like liveliness or sweetness of disposition, grace in movement and speech, and pure or spirited feelings i.e. madhurya, and lavanya, prasāda or ojas - deserve to be distinguished from external alankaras; they are righty termed gunas or qualities of the beautiful damsel. Now all this assemblage of alankāras and guṇas would become purposeless if they do not win for her the love a suitable husband of her choice. As Kālidāsa would say " priyeṣu saubhagyaphala hi cărută'; 'the end of beauty is the love of a chosen beloved'. Parvati had all the alankaras and gunas of a bewitching beauty, and even the maddening Lovegod himself on her side when she proudly displayed her charms before Śiva. But Śiva was unmoved. He did not reciprocate her love. Then Pārvatī realised the futility of her vaunted beauty: "nininda rūpaṁ hṛdayena Pārvati". But she did not give up her mission; she took to tapas to win Śiva's love, and triumphed by her changed heart. That is the story.
192
It is the same story in art also. Alankaras and gunas are the indispensable accompaniment of the beautiful damsel of art in general and literature in particular. But the end value or culmination of all these consists in rasa or aesthetic expe rience of the coonoisseur. Her own emotions and feelings are bhavas and these play key role in eliciting the intended rasa from the onlooker. The circumstances of time and place and so on provide the required background or vibhāva. Her gay movements of limbs and blandishments indicative of her mental disposition might be termed anubhavas. Her fleeting or shifting moods like anxiety, doubt and shyness only serve to emphasize the nucleus of a ruling sentiment like love within her heart and this is crystal-clear to her admirer, however much she might strive to hide them. In other words
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
