Abhinavabharati is a Sanskrit commentary on theNatyasastra, an ancient treatise on dramatic theory byBharata Muni. It is the oldest extant commentary on the treatise. TheAbhinavabharati was written byAbhinavagupta (c. 950–1020), the greatKashmiriSaivitespiritual leader and a yogi.
In this monumental work, Abhinavagupta explains therasasutra of Bharata in consonance with the theory ofabhivyakti (expression) propounded inAnandavardhana's (820–890) workDhvanyaloka ("aesthetic suggestion"), as well as the tenets of thePratyabhijna philosophy ofKashmir.
According to Abhinavagupta, theaesthetic experience is the manifestation of the innate dispositions of theself, such as love and sorrow, by the self. It is characterised by the contemplation of the bliss of the self by the connoisseur.It is akin to the spiritual experience as one transcends the limitations of one's limited self because of the process of universalisation taking place during the aesthetic contemplation of characters depicted in the work ofart. Abhinavagupta maintains that thisrasa (literally,taste oressence, the outcome)[1] is thesummum bonum of all literature.
Natyasastra of Bharatamuni: Text, Commentary of Abhinava Bharati by Abhinavaguptacarya and English Translation/edited by Pushpendra Kumar. Translated by M.M. Ghosh. Delhi, New Bharatiya Book Corporation, 2006, 3 Vols., 1614 p
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