History of Sanskrit Poetics c6.76.2

c6.76.2

298-300) after a lengthy examination shows that in the Mahābhārata शान्तरस is intended to be the most predominant and करुण is the most predominant rasa in the रामायण. It is not impossible to perform on the stage a drama such as the प्रबोधचन्द्रोदय but the audience may be sparse. If नाट्य is defined (by दशरूप I. 7) as अवस्थानुकृतिः (imitative representation of various conditions), there is no theoretical reason why śāntarasa cannot be represented on the stage by clever actors with appropriate settings. Abhinavagupta went to the other extreme and propounded the view that शान्त was the greatest रस because of its relation to मोक्ष, the highest goal of human life, and because all poetic pleasure is अलौकिक and like ब्रह्मास्वाद. Vide अ. भा. vol. I. p. 340 ‘सर्वरसानां शान्तप्राय एवास्वादः’. Acc. to अभिनव and धनञ्जय, शम is the स्थायिभाव of शान्त, वैराग्य and संसारभीरुता are विभावs, मोक्षशास्त्रचिन्ता is अनुभाव, निर्वेद, मति, धृति, स्मृति are व्यभिचारिभाव. Acc. to मम्मट (IV 35. निर्वेदस्थायिभावोस्ति शान्तोपि नवमो रसः) and सङ्गीतरत्नाकर the स्थायिभाव of शान्त is निर्वेद, while others put forward जुगुप्सा or उत्साह as the स्थायिभाव (सङ्गीतर. verse 1374). On pp. 92-106 of his work ‘The number of rasas’ Dr. Raghavan furnishes a corrected text of the section on शान्तरस from the अभिनवभारती. Vide p. 207 above for the view of the चन्द्रिका on शान्त viz. आधिकारिकत्वेन शान्तो रसो न निबध्य:. We saw above that रुद्रट mentions a 10th रस called प्रेयान्. The अ. भा. (vol. I pp.