355. THE RASA SCHOOL 357

THE RASA SCHOOL 357

writer to treat of rasa in a work called काव्यालक्कार. The शिशुपाल- 14.50 (composed about a hundred years before tz) speaks of rasas in connection with dramas.1 Even in Bharata's Nāțyaśāstra, rasa is not the principal subject treated of, but it is dealt with therein because of its relation to dramatic representation. The business of the drama was to evolve rasa in the spectator by means of the four kinds of abhinaya.2 The TE says that without rasa nothing can be done in drama (नदि रसादृते कश्चिदर्थः प्रवर्तते। नाय्यशास्र G. O.S. vol. I. p. 274) and the w. NT. remarks that one rasa runs like a thread in a drama- tic representation (एक एव तावत्परमार्थतो रसः सूत्रस्थानीयत्वेन रूपके प्रति- भाति । अ. भा. vol. I. p. 273). In the नाट्यशासत the largest portion is devoted to matters specially concerning the dramatist and the actor, while the analysis of the emotional effect desired to be produced and actually produced on the audience is dealt with mainly in chapters 6 and 7. It may be noted here that according to the apararater p. 1 (quoted on p. 1 above) Bharata dealt with rūpakas and Nandikeśvara with rasas. But the present Nātyaśastra deals with both these subjects and no ancient work of Nandikeśvara on rasas has come down to us. In my last edition I said that the theory of rasa has a semi- physiological and semi-psychological basis and that it tries to explain how human feelings and emotions are worked upon and roused by drama and poetry. But I did not go into the psychological basis. I should like here to indicate briefly the psychological aspect of the theory. I have neither the time nor space nor ability to discuss the varying views of modern Psychologists. Psychologists are not agreed on many points. I shall set out very briefly what psychologists like MacDougall say. In 'The Energies of men'

1. स्वादयन्रसमनेकसंस्कृतप्राकृतरकृतपात्रसक्करः । भावशुद्धिविहितैर्मुंदं जनो नाटकैरिव बभार भोजनः ॥ शिशुपालवध 14. 50. 2. The four kinds of अभिनय are आङ्गिक (concerning the movements of the head, face, the hands and other limbs of the body, described in chap. 8-13 of the Nātyasastra), arfa (in chapters 15-22, dealing with metres, laksınas, figures of speech, plot, the vrttis), TaT (dress, ornaments &c. in chap. 23), erfeas (horripilation, tears, bhava, hava &c. in chap. 24).