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What did Bharat did by Rasa?
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think this point does not require further elaboration. Bharata starts his whole enquiry with the definition of Bhavas. He asks kim bhavanti iti bhavaḥ kim va bhavayanti iti bhāvāḥ ucyate vagangasattvopetan bhavayanti iti bhāvāḥ iti42. He asks whether those that exist are bhavas or those that create are bhavas, and answers that those that create objects of poetry objects which are reduced to (acting of the types of) vāk, anga, and sattva, are bhāvas. There is no doubt that by the phrase vāgangasattvopetan kāvyārthan Bharata means Rasas. Abhinavagupta also accepts that these words refer to Rasas, but from his quotation of this passage, he very cleverly omits the words vagangasattvopetan. Only by resorting to this subterfuge and ignoring the implications of these words can he make his phrase 'objects of poetry' designate Rasa of his concept. Not simply any object of poetry, but that object (of poetry) which has taken that form of acting etc., Bharata holds to be Rasa. Without the qulifications 'vagangasattvopetān' the 'kavyartha' would not stand for 'Rasa' but would merely be another name for Sthayibhāva. Bharata himself uses the words as synonymous in chapter VI (p. 93 N Sagar Ed.). Of course, Abhi..avagupta would have no objection to such an interpretation as he identifies 'sthayibhavas' with 'Rasa' relying on the misinterpretation of Bharata's text which follows. This simple omission makes a world of difference to the whole theory of Rasa. For it immediately reduces Rasa to merely mental status, as the meaning of poetry. Thus instead of designating a member of the Ds2 series it comes to designate $3. It is a pity that Bharata's use of language is somewhat loose. Abhinavgupta exploits this to the full, but even then it is only by omitting a crucial part of Bharata's sentence, that he can make the text mean what he wishes.
There is another defect in Bharata's definition of Bhava. It no doubt points out that Bhavas are the causes of Rasas. But even though they create (Bhavayanti), Bharata does not bother to point out that they may still exist (Bhavanti). There
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