History of Sanskrit Poetics c6.55

c6.55

9 The Rasa School. So far as the extant literature goes, the earliest exponent of this school is the Nāṭyaśāstra of Bharata. But is should not be supposed that speculations about rasa were not put forward before the Nāṭyaśāstra. It has already been shown that many verses called ‘ānuvaṃśya’ and several Āryā verses had been composed before the current नाट्य० took shape and were incorporated in the extant Nāṭyaśāstra (vide p. 17 above). The Nāṭyaśāstra was composed with an eye to dramatic representation and it has been seen (p. 210) that kāvya and nāṭya are regarded as synonyms (chap. 16. 169, 17. 5 &c.). The रस theory is set down at great length in the अभिनवभारती (GOS vol. I. pp. 274-295 and to a lesser extent in ध्व. and लोचन pp. 54-72 and pp. 182 ff. अभिनवगुप्त who was himself a great critic and poet and who comments both on the ध्वन्यालोक and the नाट्यशास्त्र says (on नाट्यरसाः स्मृताः in नाट्य० VI. G. O. S. p. 291) : नात्यात्समुदायरूपाद्रसाः, यदि वा नाट्यमेव रसाः । रससमुदायो हि नाट्यम् । न नाट्य एव च रसाः काव्येपि. The rest of the passage is quoted on p. 219 above and अभिनव० proceeds ‘काव्यं तावन्मुख्यतो दशरूपकात्मकमेव । ...तत्र ये स्वभावतो निर्मलमुकुरहृदयास्त एव संसारोचितक्रोधमोहाभिलाषपरवशमनसो न भवन्ति तेषां तथाविधदशरूपकाकर्णनसमेये साधारणरसनात्मकचर्वणग्राह्यो रससञ्चयो नाट्यलक्षणः स्फुट एव । ये त्वतथाभूतास्तेषां प्रत्यच्चित्ततथाविधवर्णनाभाय नटादिप्रक्रिया स्वगतक्रोधशोकादिसङ्कटहृदयग्रन्थिभञ्जनाय गीतादिप्रक्रिया च मुनिना विरचिता । सर्वानुग्राहकं हि शास्त्रमिति न्यायात्तेन नाट्य एव रसा न लोके इत्यर्थः । काव्यं च नाट्यमेव ।’ vol. I. p. 292.