Question

"Yatha atmanah shauryadayo bhavanti tathaiva angino rasasya bhavanti -" (Just as heroism and other qualities belong to the soul, similarly [blank] belong to the primary Rasa). Fill in the blank.

• A. Dosha (Defects)
• B. Ritayah (Styles)
• C. Gunah (Excellences/Qualities)
• D. Rasah (Sentiments)

Hint:

Remember the 'Location' of Poetic Elements:
- Guna $\rightarrow$ Resides in the Soul (Rasa).
- Alamkara $\rightarrow$ Resides on the Body (Shabda/Artha).
- Dosha $\rightarrow$ Detracts from the Soul.
This analogy is the most common way to distinguish Gunas from Alamkaras.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Indian poetics uses the "Atma-Sharira" (Soul-Body) analogy to describe the structure of a poem. In this framework, Rasa is the Atman (Soul), and Shabda-Artha (Word and Meaning) are the Sharira (Body). Just as a human soul has internal virtues like courage, and the body has external ornaments like jewelry, poetry also has internal and external attributes. This question focuses on the definition of 'Guna'.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The quote is a paraphrase of a famous definition found in Mammata's 'Kavyaprakasha' and Vishvanatha's 'Sahityadarpana'.
The actual verse is: \(Ye~rasasyangino~dharmah~shauryadaya~ivatmanah...\)

This means: "Those attributes which belong to the primary/principal Rasa (Angi), just as heroism (Shaurya) and other virtues belong to the soul, are called Gunas."

Let's analyze the comparison:
1. Guna vs. Soul: You cannot physically see "heroism." It is an internal quality of a person's character (soul). Similarly, qualities like 'Madhurya' (sweetness) or 'Ojas' (brilliance) are not just in the sounds of the words, but are internal qualities of the 'Rasa' that the poem evokes.
2. Stability: Gunas are 'Achala-sthiti' (stable). A heroic poem must have the Guna of 'Ojas'. Without it, the Rasa cannot be fully manifested.
3. Contrast with Alamkaras: While Gunas are internal like character, Alamkaras (figures of speech) are external like jewelry. Jewelry can be taken off, but character cannot.

The other options do not fit:
- Doshas are like physical blindness or lameness (defects).
- Ritis are like the skeletal structure or the arrangement of limbs (styles).
- Rasas cannot belong to Rasas; they are the soul itself.

Step 4: Final Answer:
Just as heroism belongs to the soul, Gunas (excellences) belong to the Rasa. Therefore, Option (C) is the correct answer.