353. THE RASA SCHOOL 355

THE RASA SCHOOL 355

स्यात्मा etc.), three theories opposed to that of ध्वनि are principal. Vide Prof. Sovani's learned paper in the Bhandarkar Com. vol. pp. 383 ff on the 'pre-dhvani schools of alankāra'. It may not be strictly accurate to employ the word school for the several yes (theories) about what constitutes the soul of kāvya. But, since that word has been frequently employed by many of those who have written on the subject of Sanskrit poetics and since even as early as Rājaśekhara's Kāvyamīmāmsā the views of Vāma- niyas (the followers of or school of Vamana) and of Audbha- tas are mentioned (vide pp. 14, 20 for वामनीया: and pp. 22, 44 for aet:), the word 'school' may still be retained for the theories of rasa, alankāra and dhvani. The A. B. (GOS. vol. I. p. 266) also refers to the views of Audbhatas on Nātyaśāstra VI. 10. Vide 'definition of poetry or Kāvya' in JOR (Madras vol. III. pp. 85-100, 170-180, 199-223, 331-348 and vol. IV. 45-56 by Pandit D. T. Tatacharya. 9 The Rasa School. So far as the extant litereture goes, the earliest exponent of this school is the Nātysastra of Bharata. But is should not be supposed that speculations about rasa were not put forward before the Nātysāstra. It has already been shown that many verses called 'anuvamsya' and several Ārya verses had been composed before the current ao took shape and were incorporated in the extant Nātyaśāstra (vide p. 17 above). The Nātyaśāstra was composed with an eye to dramatic representation and it has been seen (p. 210) that kāvya and nātya are regarded as synonyms (chap. 16. 169, 17. 5 &c.). The T# 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 poct and who comments both on the ध्वन्यालोक and the नाट्यशासत्र says (on नाट्यरसा: स्मृताः in नाट्य० VI. G.O.S.p.291): नाट्यात्समुदायरूपाद्रसाः, यदि वा नाट्यमेव रसा:। रसस- मुदायो हि नाट्यम्। न नाट्य एव च रसा: काव्येपि. The rest of the passage is quoted on p. 219 above and अभिनव proceeds 'काव्यं तावन्मुख्यतो दशरूपकात्मकमेव। ... तत्र ये स्वभावतो निर्मलमुकुरहृदयास्त एव संसारोचितक्रोधमोह्दाभिलाषपरवशमनसो न भवन्ति तेषां तथाविधदशरूपकाकर्यनसमये साधारणरसनात्मकचर्वसग्राह्यो रससन्चयो नाट्यलक्षयः स्फुट एव। ये त्वतथाभूतास्तेषा प्रत्यक्षोचिततथाविधचर्वसालाभाय नटादिप्रकिया स्वगतकरोधशोकादिस क्कूटहृदयग्रन्थिमअ- नाय गीतादिप्रक्रिया च मुनिना विरचिता। सर्वानुग्राइकं दि शास्त्रमिति न्यायातेन नाव्य एव रसा न लोके इत्यर्थः। काव्यं च नाव्यमेव।' vol. I. p. 292.