Studies in the History of Sanskrit Poetics v2.c86.17

v2.c86.17

Viśvanātha insists very strongly on the necessity of *vāsanā* in the spectator, which consists of experience (*idānīntanī*) or instincts acquired from previous births (*prāktanī*). If one is not endowed with these germs of the capacity of appreciation, one may develop them by study of poetry and experience of life. In the case of the grammarian, the philosopher or one well-versed in the sacred lore, these susceptibilities are deadened. If it is sometimes found that an eager student of poetry is still deficient in the capacity of relishing *rasa*, we must assume that it is the result of his accumulated demerit of a previous birth. Thus Viśvanātha is anxious to show that experience and cultivation of the power of imagination are essential in one who seeks to enjoy *rasa*.