Discussion on Emotion (Sthāyīn)

There are psychologists who believe that there are some more mental states which can be lasting as the other ones noted above, and become capable of dominating over other subordinate feelings. There is no doubt that there could be more than the classical number eight, for the number of these emotions cannot be limited to any definite figure. An emotion is a leading attitude, and any attitude which can stand by itself and carry on with others can be raised to the status of a principal emotion.

Bharata is very clear on the point, when he says that an emotion (sthāyīn) is like a king among his subjects or apreceptor among his pupils. The subjects and pupils come and go, yet the king or the preceptor remains as a guiding factor, so also the transitory states rise and fall, yet the permanent feature remains, which is the sthāyī bhāva. A sthāyī bhāva is found in every phase of action and is compared to a diluted piece of salt which remains invisible in every drop of water. It does not lose its existence due to feelings either apposite or discordant. That is why they are looked upon as Durable states.^[1] With these attributes the following are a few more bhāvas which are capable of becoming sthāyins in the opinion of the later canonists.

1. Disinterst (Nirveda): It is not an attitude of despair nor a pessimistic attitude which is capable of being a sthāyin, for, such condition of hopelessness presupposes the existence of yearning for an object, which is expressive of rati. So in this sense, nirveda can only be a subordinate state. But despondency caused by the unsubstantial nature of everything around oneself and consequent disinterest in the worldly activities which arises from the realization of Truth and results in an ecstatic joy in the form of total absence of all longing (tṛṣṇākashaya) is an emotion that can certainly last long and have several auxiliaries to promote it. It is in this sense that Nirveda is supposed by authors like Mammaṭa Bhaṭṭa and others to be the sthāyī-bhāva.

2. There are others who consider devotion to God, Guru or a king^[2] to be mental attitude which can pervade the activities of a character throughout his life, and consider Bhakti and Sraddhā to be other two sthāyins. Abhinava Bhāratī criticizes this view and includes them in the midst of rati as an ordinary bhāva^[3], which is in keeping with Bharata’s view.

3. Rapacity or laulya is another type of sthāyin believed by some whose view is equally criticized by Abhinava Bhāratī.

4. Affection (prema) towards juniors like a son, a daughter^[4], a younger brother, a pupil or any other individual in locofili, whether male or female, is also capable of being a sthāyin in the opinion of some authors like Viśvanātha.^[5]

Rudraṭa^[6] and Bhojarāja^[7] are two broad-minded canonists who feel that all the thirty-three transitory and eight involuntary states (sāttvikas) are competent for being delineated as sthāyins and can assume the form of a sentiment if manifested by means of suggestive factors.

The Daśarūpaka refers to some writers who have gone to such a queer length as to recognize passion for hunting and gambling (mṛgaya and akṣa) as fit for becoming sthāyins and converting themselves into rasas. But in actual practice of the poets none of these is portrayed to any such length, nor does it seem feasible to grant recognition to all such passing phases of mind for want of their fitness to be developed into rasas, hence these views could not be admitted by reputed sholars.

All the three types of states discussed above are called, in general terms, (bhāvas) and distinguished by reference to sañcārins, sāttvikas, and the sthāyins. All of them are subject to manifestation by means of suggestion and not of direct expression (abhidhā). The suggestion of these bhāvas is made out by describing their causes and effects, By the description of such circumstances as lead to the rise of a particular feeling and of its after-effects, the bhāva manifests itself in the mind of the aesthetic reader. Thus the vibhāvas (causes) which excite the feeling, and the anubhāvas (effects) which are the natural consequences of a feeling prevalent in mind form the basis of suggestion. Vibhāvas are of two kinds: One circumstances, and the other personal, which may be conveniently termed as direct and indirect vibhāvas. The circumstantial or direct vibhāvas are those which constitute the circumstances giving rise to a particular feeling. They excite; and hence are rightly named as the Uddīpanavibhāvas. The personal or indirect vibhāvas are those persons by feelings arises in the mind of another. They are really the objects of the feeling that present a substratum for its rise or generation. The indirect vibhāva, therefore, is the factor upon which the bhāva as though hangs. For this reason it is called the ālambhan. Since both the types of the vibhāvas are the causes of the bhāvas in as much as they generate them, they are given this etymological name.^[8]

Vibhāvas and anubhāvas which verily belong to the respective bhāvas when described by a poet in a piece of composition cause the suggestion of those bhāvas. This is the general process of the manigestation of a bhāva. But the Sthāyī bhāva is manifested not only by the description of its vibhāvas, both uddīpana and ālambana and also the description of its anubhāvasm, but is capable of being suggested by the presence of even a vyabhicārī bhāva,^[9] for the latter is always ancillary to the permanent emotion. Hence there is primarily a slight distinction in the suggestion of an ordinary bhāva and that of the sthāyin. The former can be indicated merely by the description of the vibhāvas and the anubhāvas, while the suggestion of the latter is brought out by the demonstration of vyabhīchārin with its ālambana in addition to the description of its own vibhāvas and anubhāvas in general. Thus these three factors when described by the poet render that emotion conspicuous, and capable of being relished for a long duration. The capacity of being relished for some length of time makes that emotion a rasa or sentiment which is the very vital quintessence of every poetry.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The Sangita-ratnakara notes in its last chapter that the Sthayin is that which is that which is aided by a large number of Vibhavas and is described in a composition in fullest details, whereas the Vyabhicarin is that which is brought to be borne on the minds of spectators only by inference through a few bhavas.

[2]:

Here the list is only illustrative and not exhaustive, for devotion to any cause which may be dear, e. g. service to the motherland, may equally well fall within this catregory.

[3]:

A. B. (Geakward Oriental Series ) p. 450.

[4]:

Ibid. p. 342.

[5]:

Sāhityadarpaṇa III-251.

[6]:

Sr. T. I, 14.

[7]:

Sr. Pr. VOl. II. Pp. 377-8.

[8]:

“Rasatvena bhavantam vibhavayanli avirbhavana-viseshena prayojayanli ili Alambanoddipana-rupah vibhavah”–Nāṭya-Darpaṇa p. 162.

[9]:

“Rasonmukham slhayina, prali visiṣṭena abhimukhyena caranli le vyabhicarinah”– Ibid. p. 162, LI. 21-22.