Studies in the History of Sanskrit Poetics v2.c79.71

v2.c79.71

It must be observed at the outset that rasa does not appear to be Bharata’s principal theme, and that it is discussed only in connexion with his exposition of dramatic representation with which he is principally concerned. It is not surprising, therefore, that Rājaśekhara, probably following some current tradition, should regard Bharata as an authority on rūpaka (drama) rather than on rasa, and mention one Nandikeśvara⁴² as the original exponent of the rasa-doctrine, which, if Rājaśekhara is right, Bharata must have borrowed and worked up into his dramaturgic system. That the rasa-doctrine was older than Bharata is apparent from Bharata’s own citation of several verses in the āryā and the anuṣṭubh metres in support of or in supplement to his own statements; and in one place, he appears to quote two āryā-verses from an unknown work on rasa⁴³.