353. ÆSTHETIC CURRENTS IN POETICS 391

ÆSTHETIC CURRENTS IN POETICS 391

i n its subjective and objective aspects.

The fact seems to be, as it is revealed by a careful study of the available literature, that poetics and drama- turgy developed in earlier stages as two independent sciences. The object of the latter was the analysis of the æsthetic object, technically called Rasa, as presented in drama. The former, however, aimed at an analysis of all forms of artistic expression in language, not excluding even Muktaka, which is concerned with the presentation of an isolated object as it is poetically apprehended. The writers on poetics attempted to find out a characteristic of poetic expression, which may be found in all forms of artistic presentation in language. They differ from one another. They severally hold that the means of externalisation of poetic vision, the figures of speech (Alankāras), the poetic qualities (Gunas) or the style (Riti) etc., are the essence of poetic production.

BHĀMAHA

In giving an historical account of the æsthetic currents in the poetics in respect of both, the experi. ence and its stimulus, we have to begin with Bhama- ha ; because he is, by common consent, the earliest available authority on poetics. No doubt he refers to earlier authorities such as Rajamitra, Rāma Śarmā, Acyutottara and Sakhavardhana etc. and explicitly states that his work is based upon a critical study of the older authorities on the subject. But they are not accessible to us. The authorities, on which his work is based, are those on poetics and not on dramaturgy. Though the earliest available work on dramaturgy, the Natya Sastra of Bharata, treats of matters, which form the special sphere of poetics, namely, the poetic figures or Alańkāras, yet