Handbook of Classical Sanskrit Rhetoric /15

Introduction
 
cient creator of the universe. Poet's imagination or creative vision
(ie pratibha) can go beyond any limit and works more than his
experience and can create a thing of art in his own image. None
but he, who is possessed of smrti, mati and prajñā (ie intelligence,
intellect and wisdom) is a poet. In all respects he is a super-God.
His language is emotive, imaginative, ambiguous, ironic and para-
doxical. His aesthetics is art for the sake of art, for the sake of
knowledge and ultimately for the sake of delight par excellence.
Therefore, all art is universal, all poetic language is symbolic and in
Indian aesthetics it is what is known as sādhāraṇīkaraṇa or universal-
isation of art. This can be compared with Kantian theory which
advocates that beauty is purposiveness without a purpose, beyond itself
and that the contemplation of beauty is 'disinterested', indifferent to the
reality of the object and without regard to its utility. This is simply known
as Art for Art's Sake or Poetry for Poetry's Sake.
 
Digitized by This theory is almost the same with both ancient Indian and a
class of nineteenth century European critics of poetry, who tried to
iii
 
This theory is almost the same with both ancient Indian and a
class of nineteenth century European critics of poetry, who tried to
establish that the end of peotry is not to teach, nor even to please, but sim-
ply to exist and to be beautiful. While delineating on the suggestive
nature of poetry Abhinavagupta says that all objective elements as
well as subjective sentiments and feelings (ie technically known as
vibhāvas and anubhāvas) expressed or represented by the poet are
extra-real; aesthetic delight or rasa is uninterrupted bliss not associated with any kind of objective feeling and, therefore, may be compared only to divine bliss associated only with God-
ciated with any kind of objective feeling and, therefore, may be
compared only to divine bliss associated only with God-realisation
realisation (brahmāsvāda-sahodaraḥ). Poetry is compared to the milk of the divine cow, whereas Santayana echoes Kant's words — the height of poetry is
cow, whereas Santayana echoes Kant's words — the height of poetry is
to speak the language of gods. In classical Indian tradition, the poet is
eulogised as rsi, medha eulogised as ṛṣi, medhāviī, krāntadarsiśī, turiya-prajñaḥ ie the seer, the
wise man, the man with extra-ordinary vision. Bhaṭṭatauta, a renowned
scholar and critic, argues that each and every poet is a seer, a saint
(rsṛṣi) who is gifted with uncommon qualities which transcend the
present and encompass the past and the future; poet's genius is a
gift of the transcendental wisdom. Poetry is praised as the first philos-
ophy and the poet as a superior genius, the true and perfect man, a
ophy and the poet as a superior genius, the true and perfect man, a Godlike being and poet's art is the expression of the most perfect mind.

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