Reading Lake Poets through the Rasa Aesthetics of Abhinavagupta

Abstract

Rasa theory, very often ascribed to Bharata who was its first exponent, and Nātyashastra which is the most fundamental and significant of all texts pertaining to Rasa school, many a time tends to neglect the contribution of the Kashmiri Shaivite scholar Abhinavagupta of the 10th century. Abhinavagupta, though he was not the first proponent of Rasa theory, cannot be overlooked within the whole discourse of Indian Aesthetics because of his contribution in two chief areas: Rasa theory through his work Abhinavabhārati and Dhvani theory through Dhvanyālokalochana. This paper aims at bringing forth those aspects of Rasa theory which are to be attributed exclusively to the unsung hero Abhinavagupta viz. the concept of Sahridaya, Shānta Rasa, obstacles (vighna) to Rasa realization etc. An attempt has been made to explain and illustrate these aesthetic principles through selected poems of Lake poets – Wordsworth, Coleridge and Keats, which would probably be more helpful to the beginners of English literature.