154. 174 CHAPTER I1I

174 CHAPTER I1I

other mental state admits of so interesting a presentation, nor is so closely connected with the objectives of human life.

He refutes the view of those who admit Vatsalya, Laulya and Bhakti etc. to be independent Rasas. His refutation is based upon his conception of Rati. He draws a clear distinction between Rati (love) in ordinary life and that which art presents. It may be presented as follows :-

There are three distinctive features of love in ordinary life.

1. It is between two persons of opposite sexes, each being the object of desire and so of enjoyment to the other,

2. The judgement of the on-looker about the couple is "She is his wife". The resultant feeling, therefore, that is aroused by such Rati in the spectator, is that of yearning for the enjoyment, which the couple is imagined to have.

3. It does not persist. It lasts only so long as does the state of infatuation and the judgement, therefore, about it is "it is a transient state".

Rati in poetry is of essentially different nature. The characteristic features of it may be stated as follows :-

1. It persists through all states, presented poetically or dramatically, till its fruition. 2. The ultimate fruition of it is perfectly free from all elements of pain and sorrow. Its fruition is in perfect happiness. 3. Its fruition is in the erotic æsthetic experience, technically called Śrngara. While in the experience of the Rati in ordinary life the most important constituent is the external objective fact; the crotic æsthetic experience