ABHINAyenAGUPTA~S CONCEPTION OF HUMOUR

Its resonances in Sanskrit Drama Poetry Hindu mythology and spiritual practice

By

D Sunt haralingam

qhfSis subYlitt~J l or tk

~ g)~gr~~ 0 DOCTOR OF PH ILOSOPHY

IN

PHI LOSOPH Y

[Jnder tlte Supervision of

PROF A K CH ATTERJEE

DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY BANARAS HI D UNIVERSITY

Yay 1983 Enrolment No 11533

- gt 1 middot6 ~ p v

shy shy

ar~~a J ~ rv~~rmiddotiy

ABUINAVAGUPTAS CONCEPTIOU OJ HttMraquoltftl ~2ir~ RESONANCES IN SANSKRIT DRAHA ilOETR( tUNDU H~THOlaOGY AND

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

(ABSTRACT)

bull ThJs contribution to the psycholo9Y and 3Ociology of humour

aDd laughter and to tha aesthetics of hasYa is primarily conceiwd

of as a stepping-stone to a total understanding of the function and

significance of the middotyidu~ who though the prime focus of haSYa

on the Sa1skrit stage has alwa1s been criticized for not serving

this function aaequ ate ly bull His stereotyped traits in all the

Classical play s and the inexplicable and seemingly unconnected

prescriptions laid down by the dramaturgists with regard to him

point insistently to some other function than th-a comic one and

this has led Prof F BJ ltUiper in his maanum oeus to assert that

his original role was a non-comic one rooted in certain fundamental

metaPhysical ana mythological representations of Vedic cosmogony

Though Kuiper has brought forth cogerE arguments for identifying

him with Vaxuna there ace so many other features that tni idoantity i3 (adrnittelllY) unaole to aCoount for and whiCh moreover tend to

ass~late ~r~ vidusectaka to other real or symbolic figures (Brahma

- i-purohita or prallman-prlest brahmacarin Vrskapi I asupat a Ganesa - bull etc) outside the tneatre some of whom are characterized by comic

elements absentia VaruQa The problerr befCre me was to isolate

thE central non-comic function that would not only explain the

imbrication of all these disparate identities in the vidii~~ but

I

2

lt

also accomrnodate his haSYA aspect so that the OD does not negate the

other Abhinava s attr ibution of the mere semblance of hisya

(lJiaylbaaa) to the yidusak whose hAsect1a function he nowhere deniesbull

convinced me I was OIl the ri9ht track

In delving into the complex symbolism of the vidusaka more bull

and more of his features show themselves to refer back directly or

indirectly to a central function of bein9 the institutionalized

tranS9ressor of brahminical socio-reli9ious norms and taboos

bull especially founded on the pureimpure opposition which sustains the

Hindu socio-reli9ioLls hierarchy The vidusaka is a comic figure

preCisely because he re-enacts this esoteric transgressive function

in a purely symbolic mode before an exoteric audience in the public

SOCial setting of the Sanskrit drama where these taboos still blve

all their binding force Further research revealed that this transshy

gressive dimension retained and elaboratea in the latez T antr ic

systems (like the Kaularrika)J is rooted in Vedic religion where

it is integrated harmoniously into a total system that finds

expression in cosmogony ritual (esp the pre-classical sacrificial

system centexeo on tr~ impure gIka+ta as a basic type comprisingbull

other figures lika the granmn-gijlOhilK5ii brQhmacarin etc ) society

(saturnalia) and other planes as well and Chat these other aspects

of the system have be~n deliberately retained in the symbolism of

the yiduiuka and determine his relation and interaction with the

hero anCi other characters Mathodologically our approach presupposes

that Hindu culture and especially its symbolic universe forms a total

coherent system that has been oerived tbro-lQl1 a series of socioshy

religious transformations from an e~ally coherent Vedic system of

religious representations All the Indologists whose works we have

- gt 1 middot6 ~ p v

shy shy

ar~~a J ~ rv~~rmiddotiy

ABUINAVAGUPTAS CONCEPTIOU OJ HttMraquoltftl ~2ir~ RESONANCES IN SANSKRIT DRAHA ilOETR( tUNDU H~THOlaOGY AND

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

(ABSTRACT)

bull ThJs contribution to the psycholo9Y and 3Ociology of humour

aDd laughter and to tha aesthetics of hasYa is primarily conceiwd

of as a stepping-stone to a total understanding of the function and

significance of the middotyidu~ who though the prime focus of haSYa

on the Sa1skrit stage has alwa1s been criticized for not serving

this function aaequ ate ly bull His stereotyped traits in all the

Classical play s and the inexplicable and seemingly unconnected

prescriptions laid down by the dramaturgists with regard to him

point insistently to some other function than th-a comic one and

this has led Prof F BJ ltUiper in his maanum oeus to assert that

his original role was a non-comic one rooted in certain fundamental

metaPhysical ana mythological representations of Vedic cosmogony

Though Kuiper has brought forth cogerE arguments for identifying

him with Vaxuna there ace so many other features that tni idoantity i3 (adrnittelllY) unaole to aCoount for and whiCh moreover tend to

ass~late ~r~ vidusectaka to other real or symbolic figures (Brahma

- i-purohita or prallman-prlest brahmacarin Vrskapi I asupat a Ganesa - bull etc) outside the tneatre some of whom are characterized by comic

elements absentia VaruQa The problerr befCre me was to isolate

thE central non-comic function that would not only explain the

imbrication of all these disparate identities in the vidii~~ but

I

2

lt

also accomrnodate his haSYA aspect so that the OD does not negate the

other Abhinava s attr ibution of the mere semblance of hisya

(lJiaylbaaa) to the yidusak whose hAsect1a function he nowhere deniesbull

convinced me I was OIl the ri9ht track

In delving into the complex symbolism of the vidusaka more bull

and more of his features show themselves to refer back directly or

indirectly to a central function of bein9 the institutionalized

tranS9ressor of brahminical socio-reli9ious norms and taboos

bull especially founded on the pureimpure opposition which sustains the

Hindu socio-reli9ioLls hierarchy The vidusaka is a comic figure

preCisely because he re-enacts this esoteric transgressive function

in a purely symbolic mode before an exoteric audience in the public

SOCial setting of the Sanskrit drama where these taboos still blve

all their binding force Further research revealed that this transshy

gressive dimension retained and elaboratea in the latez T antr ic

systems (like the Kaularrika)J is rooted in Vedic religion where

it is integrated harmoniously into a total system that finds

expression in cosmogony ritual (esp the pre-classical sacrificial

system centexeo on tr~ impure gIka+ta as a basic type comprisingbull

other figures lika the granmn-gijlOhilK5ii brQhmacarin etc ) society

(saturnalia) and other planes as well and Chat these other aspects

of the system have be~n deliberately retained in the symbolism of

the yiduiuka and determine his relation and interaction with the

hero anCi other characters Mathodologically our approach presupposes

that Hindu culture and especially its symbolic universe forms a total

coherent system that has been oerived tbro-lQl1 a series of socioshy

religious transformations from an e~ally coherent Vedic system of

religious representations All the Indologists whose works we have

2

lt

also accomrnodate his haSYA aspect so that the OD does not negate the

other Abhinava s attr ibution of the mere semblance of hisya

(lJiaylbaaa) to the yidusak whose hAsect1a function he nowhere deniesbull

convinced me I was OIl the ri9ht track

In delving into the complex symbolism of the vidusaka more bull

and more of his features show themselves to refer back directly or

indirectly to a central function of bein9 the institutionalized

tranS9ressor of brahminical socio-reli9ious norms and taboos

bull especially founded on the pureimpure opposition which sustains the

Hindu socio-reli9ioLls hierarchy The vidusaka is a comic figure

preCisely because he re-enacts this esoteric transgressive function

in a purely symbolic mode before an exoteric audience in the public

SOCial setting of the Sanskrit drama where these taboos still blve

all their binding force Further research revealed that this transshy

gressive dimension retained and elaboratea in the latez T antr ic

systems (like the Kaularrika)J is rooted in Vedic religion where

it is integrated harmoniously into a total system that finds

expression in cosmogony ritual (esp the pre-classical sacrificial

system centexeo on tr~ impure gIka+ta as a basic type comprisingbull

other figures lika the granmn-gijlOhilK5ii brQhmacarin etc ) society

(saturnalia) and other planes as well and Chat these other aspects

of the system have be~n deliberately retained in the symbolism of

the yiduiuka and determine his relation and interaction with the

hero anCi other characters Mathodologically our approach presupposes

that Hindu culture and especially its symbolic universe forms a total

coherent system that has been oerived tbro-lQl1 a series of socioshy

religious transformations from an e~ally coherent Vedic system of

religious representations All the Indologists whose works we have

reliea upon for our- general frameworJ~ (Kuiper Durnezil Heestennan

RerC)ltl Dumont diarcieau) whatever their individual differences

share this totalizin O1lC synthe sizing approach The relation

betvreen the nayaKa (hero) ana the vid~~aka especially seems to

reflect tnat between the Yajamana (or king) aaa Lhe brahmcill (or

2urohita) ti1e latcer in fact repre senting a1d COIDLJr isingthe

dik~itg-aspect of tne YSiarnana s own gter sonalitj intne ritual drama

of tnG pre-classiCal sacr ifice 11any otaeurolltlise inexgtlicable fa aturE s

of -he yidUsarg become inc~lli~ible in terms of cnecransposition of this monel intQtde ae Stfllt cic anu liter ary aecerminatigtus )f the

Classical (llama altlail a socio-cltllt-lral n~ilel governed y the

refonneci classical saC iiice il1lere ltilis impure )01lt had been

All oltline of oUr ltederaldorJ(ing

hYi-gt0thesis on trleuro yiC1l~i5a a~lCl tne wanner in INhicn it is Capable

of synthesizinJ on tne Oasis of nis tran39res~3ive dibension the

mutuallj 2xclusiv02 Hr)(ltels gtro)oseuoJ earliel senolar snip bas been

given in tne Int100Uction Ii is als) shovo 1i1at llis theory which

insists on the mity of coacegttion underly iL19 the viQU~aka and his

specificity to tne sympoundlOlic univer3E of radian CraaiCion is nevershy

tnelBss ill i1armony with cne ethLlolo-Jjgtt h comic transgressive

function 01 elleuro ritual clovln as a universal gthenoJuenon (lakarius)

1vhich resupposes a tt1Fory of transgression being the founuation

of tne original Sacred (Caillois r3ataille lJaKarius)

In this thesis Vie are only interestea in demonstrating that

there is a bisociative theory 01 nasia and nasa) implicit in

Abhinavagupta s sCat~ered 9r)I1oJacements on the same and exploring

how precisely this stJltlctur6 gtermits hasYa to effectively vehicle a

non-comic function in the Y1dusalsa and how to some extent evenbull

this hiSVa function itself comes to signify something that is

independent of it Thus wherevet incursions are made into various

aspects of the Vidufakas symbolic behaviour it is primarily with

the view of determining hoW it has been adjusted and accommodated

to better serve his hasYa-function One of our aims here is to

question the validity of a purely PSYChological approach to the

problem of humour and laughter drawing inspiration from primarily

biologiCal models based on analyses in terms of functionnorm or at

most from sociologizing models based on analyses in terms of

conflictrule Our intention is to shift the emphasis to a linguisshy

tic mooel that though derived from and accommodating the above

perspectives is based primarily on analyses in terms of significashy

tionsystem Laughter is the pleasurable dischaJge of superfluous

energies OCCasioned by the mutual neutralization of two opposing

simllltaneous impressions (cognitive emotional andor sensory-motor)

of a single stimulUS our method is to show how tnis basic blsocishy

tive structure rooted in the physiology and functioning as a safetyshy

valve for superfluous eneqjjies in the organism inevitably lends

itself--by its very structure--to social exploitation of laughter

as a censure-meChanism against transgressions of SOCia-religious

norms This situation is exploited in inverse by an esoteriC

perspective valorizing taboo-violation to the point that it

preseribes a generalized comic behaviour (as in the PaLpata ascetic)

even independently of sjecific modes of transgression 1i1ltew-

since laughter as an uncontrolled natural waste of energ s is

frowned upon by cultural norms that recommend its repression the

5

taboo-violator laughs freely and loudly (even when there is nothing

to laugh at) because such sacred laughter (eg the attahasecta of Rudra imitated by his P~~pata devotee) has thereby corne to signify

his transgressive function which is greeted by society with profane

laughter Ultimately a signify in9 function (worked into a rigorous

system of representations) derived fronl the psychology and sociology

of laughter begins to react in turn upon this psychology ana

sociology not only interfering with their regular functioning but

under certain conditions itself becoming primary and reorientating

the Be infrastructure s bull Not only is such an apprQach the only

adequate one to the clowning of ll1e lauli)hing P aJLpata (and sacred

ritual clowning in other societies) but it alone Can do full justice

to the exploitation of hasya in the yiaUsaka bullbull

Ln order to establish the possibility of c~ vidusakas haSiI function simultaneously and without contradiction vehicling a

pIofound oon-comic one it is not sufficient to oemonstrate that

Abhinava has an implicitly bisociative concepti)n of hClilCa that

WOulc permit it to serve both exigencies ie nas to be further

shown tnat this conception COlLesponOs tv reality and reflects the

basic structure of humour anti laughter as a universal phenomenon

Here r have restricted Iny efforts to the follolllina taskslshy

1) To show that humour-and-laughter remains an unsolved problem

of Western philosophy psyChology aesthetics and sociology and

that the variety of conflicting approaChes theories and conclusions

should warn against scholars of Indian aesihtH ics and literatureshy

especially sludents of the yipMfua (or of the anthropology of

-Ilaughter and clowning in cult eg the Pasllpatas)--from mechanicall

applying 80m3 ready-made West9rn conceptions to the problem ~f biaa

6

naSla or to evaluating the comic exploitation of the yidusalsa in bull

the Indian context (ch I III-VI) What is needed is to analyse

Indian theory and practice in terms of each other and in the light

of the discussions of the problems involved by native commentators

like Abhinava (Jagannatha etc~ not hesitating to draw amply upon

parallel Western concepts wherever these axe ablll to clarify the

more obscure points of the treatment of the comic in Indian

tradition In this way whatever is specific to the latter and its

tacit inner unity however complex will not be lost in the attempt

to arrive at a universally valid definition of humour and laughter

2) To bring together in a single work not only all of Abhinavas

more significant remarks directly tOUChing upon aAu and haSls (ch

IV VII IX) but also other relevant passages and some examples of

his practical literary criticism (eh VIII X) that may contribute

towards clarifying his insi~hts thereon Special care has been

taken to show by internal criticism and by replacing it within his

total aesthetics of kasa the inner coherence of Abhinava s

pronouncements from different point s of view on naSi aw hasla

3) To show that coherence can be restored to Abh1nava s

SCattered insights on incongruity superiority role of pain

social-censure mechanism identifiCation pan-emotionalism (of hasya) I

r asAbhasa haslsectbhasa etc only on the basis of an impliCit bisoshy

ciative theory whiCh can provide the framework for synthesizing

whatever is of value in the sociologiCal psychoanalytic behaviourshy

1stie etc approaches to humour and 1s moreover capable of aCcommoshy

dating recent ethnological data on the comic aspects of ritual

clowning

7

4) Since Western theorising on hwnour and laughter is far

more explicit and offers a variety of systematically constructed

models each accounting for specific aspects of the phenomenon we

have found it much more convenient to arrive at Abhinava s implicit

bisociation-theory by starting off from a presentation of Gurjieff s

model which is not only explicitly bisoCiative but finds this

structure at every level (intellectual emotional mo~ instinctive)

from which laughter may spring (ch II) We then proceed to refine

this basic structure with the help of the conceptual tools (Qoperative

fields selective operators bisociative junction etc) contrishy

buted by A Koestler and show how it alone Can simultaneously

acoomnodate Bergson s theory of laughtel as a social censur e-mechanism

and Freuds theory of jokes (and the laughter provoked) as vehicles

of represaed tendencies and pre-logical modes of thought (tirtlO theories

which are otherwise aifficult to reconcile with each other)--ch III

The remaininltj three chapters are aevoted to showing how the re sults

of experimental psychology bear out this theory of bisociation which

alone again accounts for the role of variable negative emotions inl1

the genesis of laughter lch IV) for the differing roles of suddenshy

ness in laughter (Hobbes etc) ana in surprise (ch V) and for the

validity of the incongruity principle central to the Indian aestheshy

tics of hsva and to the comic function of the viciusMa despite the bull

criticisms of Bergson Freud and some contemporary behaviourists

lch VI)

pound5) The chief objection shared by Bergson Freud and others

to tneories of the bislciatioaincongruity type that they leave

the p~siology of the laughter mechanism unaccounted for is anticishy

pated in advance by starting from Gurdjieff I s presentation of the

8

the bisociation theory in order to arrive through successive clari shy

fications at Abhinava s understanding of the same The convulsion

(0) consisting in the mutual neutralization of the two opposing

irreconciliable impressions of a single stimulus not only provides

the bisociative structures responsible for hUlTPur a firm rootedness

in the physiological mechanisms responsible for the pleasurable

laughter-discharge but also accounts for the tacit skill of recognishy

zing ana ewking humour This phenomenological aspect is especially

important for the relishing of hasYa which as a uas (for Abhinava

not an object of cognition but the relishable cognizing itself- shy

pratIti lodha) is primarily the skilful exploitation of cognitive

structures for bringing about bisociative emotional effects Whereas

in compulsive (siddha) worldly hiu the bisgtciated perception imposed

by the stimulus automatiCally provokes laughter through the passive

mediation of the convulsion 0 in the aesthetic relish of hasla the

sUbject (swgaya) actively exploits 0 as a sensor for reorganizingbull

the given stimuli so as to heighten and diversify the bisocl ative

possibilities offered ana no more than suggested by the objective

form and content of the poem joke etc fo

6) Abhinava s most original and promising insight for the

psychology of hunour is the structural definition implied itl his

dltaclaration that all the other (aesthetic) enotions are comprehended

within nisya which is generated by incongruities in some of the

members of the operative field that would normally have evoked the

emotion concerned alone (ch IX) The fact that any of the other

emotions Can be an ~ffe9tivsect constituent of hasYa clearly reveals

that Abhinava conceived the latter as a structure that includes

5

taboo-violator laughs freely and loudly (even when there is nothing

to laugh at) because such sacred laughter (eg the attahasecta of Rudra imitated by his P~~pata devotee) has thereby corne to signify

his transgressive function which is greeted by society with profane

laughter Ultimately a signify in9 function (worked into a rigorous

system of representations) derived fronl the psychology and sociology

of laughter begins to react in turn upon this psychology ana

sociology not only interfering with their regular functioning but

under certain conditions itself becoming primary and reorientating

the Be infrastructure s bull Not only is such an apprQach the only

adequate one to the clowning of ll1e lauli)hing P aJLpata (and sacred

ritual clowning in other societies) but it alone Can do full justice

to the exploitation of hasya in the yiaUsaka bullbull

Ln order to establish the possibility of c~ vidusakas haSiI function simultaneously and without contradiction vehicling a

pIofound oon-comic one it is not sufficient to oemonstrate that

Abhinava has an implicitly bisociative concepti)n of hClilCa that

WOulc permit it to serve both exigencies ie nas to be further

shown tnat this conception COlLesponOs tv reality and reflects the

basic structure of humour anti laughter as a universal phenomenon

Here r have restricted Iny efforts to the follolllina taskslshy

1) To show that humour-and-laughter remains an unsolved problem

of Western philosophy psyChology aesthetics and sociology and

that the variety of conflicting approaChes theories and conclusions

should warn against scholars of Indian aesihtH ics and literatureshy

especially sludents of the yipMfua (or of the anthropology of

-Ilaughter and clowning in cult eg the Pasllpatas)--from mechanicall

applying 80m3 ready-made West9rn conceptions to the problem ~f biaa

6

naSla or to evaluating the comic exploitation of the yidusalsa in bull

the Indian context (ch I III-VI) What is needed is to analyse

Indian theory and practice in terms of each other and in the light

of the discussions of the problems involved by native commentators

like Abhinava (Jagannatha etc~ not hesitating to draw amply upon

parallel Western concepts wherever these axe ablll to clarify the

more obscure points of the treatment of the comic in Indian

tradition In this way whatever is specific to the latter and its

tacit inner unity however complex will not be lost in the attempt

to arrive at a universally valid definition of humour and laughter

2) To bring together in a single work not only all of Abhinavas

more significant remarks directly tOUChing upon aAu and haSls (ch

IV VII IX) but also other relevant passages and some examples of

his practical literary criticism (eh VIII X) that may contribute

towards clarifying his insi~hts thereon Special care has been

taken to show by internal criticism and by replacing it within his

total aesthetics of kasa the inner coherence of Abhinava s

pronouncements from different point s of view on naSi aw hasla

3) To show that coherence can be restored to Abh1nava s

SCattered insights on incongruity superiority role of pain

social-censure mechanism identifiCation pan-emotionalism (of hasya) I

r asAbhasa haslsectbhasa etc only on the basis of an impliCit bisoshy

ciative theory whiCh can provide the framework for synthesizing

whatever is of value in the sociologiCal psychoanalytic behaviourshy

1stie etc approaches to humour and 1s moreover capable of aCcommoshy

dating recent ethnological data on the comic aspects of ritual

clowning

7

4) Since Western theorising on hwnour and laughter is far

more explicit and offers a variety of systematically constructed

models each accounting for specific aspects of the phenomenon we

have found it much more convenient to arrive at Abhinava s implicit

bisociation-theory by starting off from a presentation of Gurjieff s

model which is not only explicitly bisoCiative but finds this

structure at every level (intellectual emotional mo~ instinctive)

from which laughter may spring (ch II) We then proceed to refine

this basic structure with the help of the conceptual tools (Qoperative

fields selective operators bisociative junction etc) contrishy

buted by A Koestler and show how it alone Can simultaneously

acoomnodate Bergson s theory of laughtel as a social censur e-mechanism

and Freuds theory of jokes (and the laughter provoked) as vehicles

of represaed tendencies and pre-logical modes of thought (tirtlO theories

which are otherwise aifficult to reconcile with each other)--ch III

The remaininltj three chapters are aevoted to showing how the re sults

of experimental psychology bear out this theory of bisociation which

alone again accounts for the role of variable negative emotions inl1

the genesis of laughter lch IV) for the differing roles of suddenshy

ness in laughter (Hobbes etc) ana in surprise (ch V) and for the

validity of the incongruity principle central to the Indian aestheshy

tics of hsva and to the comic function of the viciusMa despite the bull

criticisms of Bergson Freud and some contemporary behaviourists

lch VI)

pound5) The chief objection shared by Bergson Freud and others

to tneories of the bislciatioaincongruity type that they leave

the p~siology of the laughter mechanism unaccounted for is anticishy

pated in advance by starting from Gurdjieff I s presentation of the

8

the bisociation theory in order to arrive through successive clari shy

fications at Abhinava s understanding of the same The convulsion

(0) consisting in the mutual neutralization of the two opposing

irreconciliable impressions of a single stimulus not only provides

the bisociative structures responsible for hUlTPur a firm rootedness

in the physiological mechanisms responsible for the pleasurable

laughter-discharge but also accounts for the tacit skill of recognishy

zing ana ewking humour This phenomenological aspect is especially

important for the relishing of hasYa which as a uas (for Abhinava

not an object of cognition but the relishable cognizing itself- shy

pratIti lodha) is primarily the skilful exploitation of cognitive

structures for bringing about bisociative emotional effects Whereas

in compulsive (siddha) worldly hiu the bisgtciated perception imposed

by the stimulus automatiCally provokes laughter through the passive

mediation of the convulsion 0 in the aesthetic relish of hasla the

sUbject (swgaya) actively exploits 0 as a sensor for reorganizingbull

the given stimuli so as to heighten and diversify the bisocl ative

possibilities offered ana no more than suggested by the objective

form and content of the poem joke etc fo

6) Abhinava s most original and promising insight for the

psychology of hunour is the structural definition implied itl his

dltaclaration that all the other (aesthetic) enotions are comprehended

within nisya which is generated by incongruities in some of the

members of the operative field that would normally have evoked the

emotion concerned alone (ch IX) The fact that any of the other

emotions Can be an ~ffe9tivsect constituent of hasYa clearly reveals

that Abhinava conceived the latter as a structure that includes

6

naSla or to evaluating the comic exploitation of the yidusalsa in bull

the Indian context (ch I III-VI) What is needed is to analyse

Indian theory and practice in terms of each other and in the light

of the discussions of the problems involved by native commentators

like Abhinava (Jagannatha etc~ not hesitating to draw amply upon

parallel Western concepts wherever these axe ablll to clarify the

more obscure points of the treatment of the comic in Indian

tradition In this way whatever is specific to the latter and its

tacit inner unity however complex will not be lost in the attempt

to arrive at a universally valid definition of humour and laughter

2) To bring together in a single work not only all of Abhinavas

more significant remarks directly tOUChing upon aAu and haSls (ch

IV VII IX) but also other relevant passages and some examples of

his practical literary criticism (eh VIII X) that may contribute

towards clarifying his insi~hts thereon Special care has been

taken to show by internal criticism and by replacing it within his

total aesthetics of kasa the inner coherence of Abhinava s

pronouncements from different point s of view on naSi aw hasla

3) To show that coherence can be restored to Abh1nava s

SCattered insights on incongruity superiority role of pain

social-censure mechanism identifiCation pan-emotionalism (of hasya) I

r asAbhasa haslsectbhasa etc only on the basis of an impliCit bisoshy

ciative theory whiCh can provide the framework for synthesizing

whatever is of value in the sociologiCal psychoanalytic behaviourshy

1stie etc approaches to humour and 1s moreover capable of aCcommoshy

dating recent ethnological data on the comic aspects of ritual

clowning

7

4) Since Western theorising on hwnour and laughter is far

more explicit and offers a variety of systematically constructed

models each accounting for specific aspects of the phenomenon we

have found it much more convenient to arrive at Abhinava s implicit

bisociation-theory by starting off from a presentation of Gurjieff s

model which is not only explicitly bisoCiative but finds this

structure at every level (intellectual emotional mo~ instinctive)

from which laughter may spring (ch II) We then proceed to refine

this basic structure with the help of the conceptual tools (Qoperative

fields selective operators bisociative junction etc) contrishy

buted by A Koestler and show how it alone Can simultaneously

acoomnodate Bergson s theory of laughtel as a social censur e-mechanism

and Freuds theory of jokes (and the laughter provoked) as vehicles

of represaed tendencies and pre-logical modes of thought (tirtlO theories

which are otherwise aifficult to reconcile with each other)--ch III

The remaininltj three chapters are aevoted to showing how the re sults

of experimental psychology bear out this theory of bisociation which

alone again accounts for the role of variable negative emotions inl1

the genesis of laughter lch IV) for the differing roles of suddenshy

ness in laughter (Hobbes etc) ana in surprise (ch V) and for the

validity of the incongruity principle central to the Indian aestheshy

tics of hsva and to the comic function of the viciusMa despite the bull

criticisms of Bergson Freud and some contemporary behaviourists

lch VI)

pound5) The chief objection shared by Bergson Freud and others

to tneories of the bislciatioaincongruity type that they leave

the p~siology of the laughter mechanism unaccounted for is anticishy

pated in advance by starting from Gurdjieff I s presentation of the

8

the bisociation theory in order to arrive through successive clari shy

fications at Abhinava s understanding of the same The convulsion

(0) consisting in the mutual neutralization of the two opposing

irreconciliable impressions of a single stimulus not only provides

the bisociative structures responsible for hUlTPur a firm rootedness

in the physiological mechanisms responsible for the pleasurable

laughter-discharge but also accounts for the tacit skill of recognishy

zing ana ewking humour This phenomenological aspect is especially

important for the relishing of hasYa which as a uas (for Abhinava

not an object of cognition but the relishable cognizing itself- shy

pratIti lodha) is primarily the skilful exploitation of cognitive

structures for bringing about bisociative emotional effects Whereas

in compulsive (siddha) worldly hiu the bisgtciated perception imposed

by the stimulus automatiCally provokes laughter through the passive

mediation of the convulsion 0 in the aesthetic relish of hasla the

sUbject (swgaya) actively exploits 0 as a sensor for reorganizingbull

the given stimuli so as to heighten and diversify the bisocl ative

possibilities offered ana no more than suggested by the objective

form and content of the poem joke etc fo

6) Abhinava s most original and promising insight for the

psychology of hunour is the structural definition implied itl his

dltaclaration that all the other (aesthetic) enotions are comprehended

within nisya which is generated by incongruities in some of the

members of the operative field that would normally have evoked the

emotion concerned alone (ch IX) The fact that any of the other

emotions Can be an ~ffe9tivsect constituent of hasYa clearly reveals

that Abhinava conceived the latter as a structure that includes

7

4) Since Western theorising on hwnour and laughter is far

more explicit and offers a variety of systematically constructed

models each accounting for specific aspects of the phenomenon we

have found it much more convenient to arrive at Abhinava s implicit

bisociation-theory by starting off from a presentation of Gurjieff s

model which is not only explicitly bisoCiative but finds this

structure at every level (intellectual emotional mo~ instinctive)

from which laughter may spring (ch II) We then proceed to refine

this basic structure with the help of the conceptual tools (Qoperative

fields selective operators bisociative junction etc) contrishy

buted by A Koestler and show how it alone Can simultaneously

acoomnodate Bergson s theory of laughtel as a social censur e-mechanism

and Freuds theory of jokes (and the laughter provoked) as vehicles

of represaed tendencies and pre-logical modes of thought (tirtlO theories

which are otherwise aifficult to reconcile with each other)--ch III

The remaininltj three chapters are aevoted to showing how the re sults

of experimental psychology bear out this theory of bisociation which

alone again accounts for the role of variable negative emotions inl1

the genesis of laughter lch IV) for the differing roles of suddenshy

ness in laughter (Hobbes etc) ana in surprise (ch V) and for the

validity of the incongruity principle central to the Indian aestheshy

tics of hsva and to the comic function of the viciusMa despite the bull

criticisms of Bergson Freud and some contemporary behaviourists

lch VI)

pound5) The chief objection shared by Bergson Freud and others

to tneories of the bislciatioaincongruity type that they leave

the p~siology of the laughter mechanism unaccounted for is anticishy

pated in advance by starting from Gurdjieff I s presentation of the

8

the bisociation theory in order to arrive through successive clari shy

fications at Abhinava s understanding of the same The convulsion

(0) consisting in the mutual neutralization of the two opposing

irreconciliable impressions of a single stimulus not only provides

the bisociative structures responsible for hUlTPur a firm rootedness

in the physiological mechanisms responsible for the pleasurable

laughter-discharge but also accounts for the tacit skill of recognishy

zing ana ewking humour This phenomenological aspect is especially

important for the relishing of hasYa which as a uas (for Abhinava

not an object of cognition but the relishable cognizing itself- shy

pratIti lodha) is primarily the skilful exploitation of cognitive

structures for bringing about bisociative emotional effects Whereas

in compulsive (siddha) worldly hiu the bisgtciated perception imposed

by the stimulus automatiCally provokes laughter through the passive

mediation of the convulsion 0 in the aesthetic relish of hasla the

sUbject (swgaya) actively exploits 0 as a sensor for reorganizingbull

the given stimuli so as to heighten and diversify the bisocl ative

possibilities offered ana no more than suggested by the objective

form and content of the poem joke etc fo

6) Abhinava s most original and promising insight for the

psychology of hunour is the structural definition implied itl his

dltaclaration that all the other (aesthetic) enotions are comprehended

within nisya which is generated by incongruities in some of the

members of the operative field that would normally have evoked the

emotion concerned alone (ch IX) The fact that any of the other

emotions Can be an ~ffe9tivsect constituent of hasYa clearly reveals

that Abhinava conceived the latter as a structure that includes

8

the bisociation theory in order to arrive through successive clari shy

fications at Abhinava s understanding of the same The convulsion

(0) consisting in the mutual neutralization of the two opposing

irreconciliable impressions of a single stimulus not only provides

the bisociative structures responsible for hUlTPur a firm rootedness

in the physiological mechanisms responsible for the pleasurable

laughter-discharge but also accounts for the tacit skill of recognishy

zing ana ewking humour This phenomenological aspect is especially

important for the relishing of hasYa which as a uas (for Abhinava

not an object of cognition but the relishable cognizing itself- shy

pratIti lodha) is primarily the skilful exploitation of cognitive

structures for bringing about bisociative emotional effects Whereas

in compulsive (siddha) worldly hiu the bisgtciated perception imposed

by the stimulus automatiCally provokes laughter through the passive

mediation of the convulsion 0 in the aesthetic relish of hasla the

sUbject (swgaya) actively exploits 0 as a sensor for reorganizingbull

the given stimuli so as to heighten and diversify the bisocl ative

possibilities offered ana no more than suggested by the objective

form and content of the poem joke etc fo

6) Abhinava s most original and promising insight for the

psychology of hunour is the structural definition implied itl his

dltaclaration that all the other (aesthetic) enotions are comprehended

within nisya which is generated by incongruities in some of the

members of the operative field that would normally have evoked the

emotion concerned alone (ch IX) The fact that any of the other

emotions Can be an ~ffe9tivsect constituent of hasYa clearly reveals

that Abhinava conceived the latter as a structure that includes

9

within itself any emotion whatever and also at the same time some

other element that opposes and impedes the development of this

emotion The analysis of hasYa in love-poems (Ch VIrI) reveals

that this opposing element is itself most often a contrary

incompatible emotion and the theorymiddot behind the exploitation of

this emgttional bisociation for hasYa-effects is deduced from

Abhinavas interpretation of the maxims governing the delineation

shyof love-in-union ( sambho9asrnQarg) bull Though privileging in thisbull context and in keeping with the ~ae8thetic the emotional

components and JQssibilities of bisociation Abhlnava is alive to

its cognitive aspect as well as is evidenced by his introduction

of the incongruity principle in the genesis of rasAbhasa and by

bull

his appealing to the same in order to reject the imitation theory

of drama for the bisociated cognition of both the ~tated and

the imitating elements can result only in haSii (eh VII n 20)

It is on the basis of emotional bisociation again that an attempt

is made to explain Abhinavas otherwise cryptic remark on the

component of momentary pain or distress in determinate laughter

(sAnysandhana-liu) and it is further demonstrated that such an

interpretation is in harmony with Freuds insight into humour as

a defence~chanism against incipient unpleasure and also supported

by the experimental results of behavioural and social psychology

and by ethnographic data on ritUal clowning (ch IV) The relevance

of these findings for contemporary humour research and theorising

are two-fold 1) the pre sent models whiCh seek to isolate specific

laughter- (or hwnour-) stimuli from those of other emotions or

which seek to separate the laughter from other emotional affects

10

in their examination of slimuli which seem to generate bo1h (either

simultaneously alternately or alternatively) could more profitably

be replaced by a structural model that reveals how the stimuli of

these other emotions are reorganized to produce the bisociative

effects responsible for laughter (or humour) 2) the reinterpretation

of incongruity as the objective correlate of bisociated perception

and response will obviate the more serious of the current objections

to incongruity theory

7) To pro~jQse that from the point of view of aesthetics

Abhinava s principal contribution to mociern humour-theorising would

lie in his having provided the necessary theoretical framework for

distinguishing between ~ as worldly self-subsisting emotional

bisociation provoked by common (s~dharaIja) stimuli (and normally

immediately discharged as pleasurable lauvhter) ana its transformation

into the transcendental (alaukika) relish of hasectYa whiCh is deliCately

-I

bull sustained through aesthetic identification with charaCters (asraYA)

representeo as reacting in emotionally incompatible ways to stimuli

that are peCUliar to them alone (ch VII) Through a literary

critiCism of several verses depicting mutual love (sambbOge) as

prime sentimnt but yet overflowing with haYe in terms of the

psychology of the Characters represented ana the mode of participashy

tion of the connoisseur (~~) it is shown that this theoretical

aistinction merely reflects the techniques for evoking higsect exploited

by the poets in actual practice (en VIII) It is argued moreover

that the prescription of hasYa as an inevitable ancillary of (Sambho9a-)

knsara though partlY accountea for by the pleasurable nature of laughter that makes it a natural stimulant and side-effect of kama

10

in their examination of slimuli which seem to generate bo1h (either

simultaneously alternately or alternatively) could more profitably

be replaced by a structural model that reveals how the stimuli of

these other emotions are reorganized to produce the bisociative

effects responsible for laughter (or humour) 2) the reinterpretation

of incongruity as the objective correlate of bisociated perception

and response will obviate the more serious of the current objections

to incongruity theory

7) To pro~jQse that from the point of view of aesthetics

Abhinava s principal contribution to mociern humour-theorising would

lie in his having provided the necessary theoretical framework for

distinguishing between ~ as worldly self-subsisting emotional

bisociation provoked by common (s~dharaIja) stimuli (and normally

immediately discharged as pleasurable lauvhter) ana its transformation

into the transcendental (alaukika) relish of hasectYa whiCh is deliCately

-I

bull sustained through aesthetic identification with charaCters (asraYA)

representeo as reacting in emotionally incompatible ways to stimuli

that are peCUliar to them alone (ch VII) Through a literary

critiCism of several verses depicting mutual love (sambbOge) as

prime sentimnt but yet overflowing with haYe in terms of the

psychology of the Characters represented ana the mode of participashy

tion of the connoisseur (~~) it is shown that this theoretical

aistinction merely reflects the techniques for evoking higsect exploited

by the poets in actual practice (en VIII) It is argued moreover

that the prescription of hasYa as an inevitable ancillary of (Sambho9a-)

knsara though partlY accountea for by the pleasurable nature of laughter that makes it a natural stimulant and side-effect of kama

11

as a purusKth is primarily intelligible only in terms of its bull

essentially bisociative strllcture and the aesthetic norms governing

the poetic delineation of sambhog q bull The analysis relies primarily

on Abhinava s own critical comments on the aesthetic techniques

utilized and comes to the conclusion that the rasa-aesthetic

privileges above all the epptional centre in its treatment of

haiya

The ~plicat1on of this distinccion to Western aesthetics

would require not the abandonment of the stiltUlus-organism-response

model of behaviourism (which is also basic to the ~-aesthetic)

but its refinement to include processes like tanmavThhavAPi

(aesthetic identification) and iadhiranIkarana (universalization) based on and cie1- iwd from this model but becoming primary and

bull

modifying its whole functioning in certain contexts esp that of

aesthetics This is wholly clear in Abhinavas third criterion that

unlike the stimulus of hasal the vibhiva of haSYa is uncomrron

(asadhMana) ie uniquely related to a particular ilrala whosebull

perceived responses and the transitory emotions they sU9gest are

integral and indispensable to the relishing of hasYa It is here

that the principle of tanmavIbhavana intervenes to make the crucial

separation between the ~-aesthetics with its sthiYin~

distinction and the behavioural approach of those like IA Richards

(cf his synaesthesislt) which is unable to distinguish between the

two though the neea is acutely felt Nevertheless Abhinava himself

admits that the distinction ~haSyg though perfectly valid in

theory and easily recognizable in privileged cases like the love-

verses above is often blurred and difficult even in theatre

12

(QrahASana vidUMil) it would therefore lle preferable to speak

in terms of degrees of aestheticization of hasa into hasYa

It is clear moreover that the ~ha~ya distinction cannot

be applied as such and withollt modification to Western or other

literatures which are not organically and self-consciously dependent

on an aesthetic tradition of the SlsectA-type 11or to a whole Category

of jokes and witticisms which though possessed of a certain

aesthetiC appeal hover in a kind of limbo between art and worldly

life Though unable to aevote special attention to such frequent

instances of -hwrour which do not exploit bisociative strategies

for primarily emotional effects l we nevertheless try to show (Ch VIr)

that similar mechanisms of identification with the emotional attitudes

of others are often involved even if subordinated to other purposes

like satirical intent Often again the humour lies rather in the

ingenuity and artistry with which the bisociative Clash is brought

about or the brilliant non-comic ideas that are vehicled by the formal

technique of the bisociated pattern to achieve a str iking contrast

of ideas to question the field operators involved to bridge different

planes of thought so as to present them in an entirely novel light

or to reveal their hidden connections or similarities and so on

An essential component of such wit or humour is no doubt the separashy

tion of thought from the inertia of the emotions as rooted in the

biologiCal instincts (separatien of the cortical layers from the

sympathetic system on the physiological level)1 so much insisted upon

by Koestler Being a commentator on an existing artistic practice

based on the rasa-aesthetic and not a systema~ic theoretician aiming

at a universal theory of h~ur and laughter Abhinava has naturally

13

COIngtlelely neglected the se aspects of humour-theory Ilhat is

significant however is that hasYs insofar as it is the aestnetici shy

zation or relishing of the emotional bisociation that constitutes

hasa laquo is based not on he aivorce of thought from the inertia of

the constituent emotions but xatIler on their reconciliation tbre

than that the cognitive strategies and idenlificatory mechanisms

involved are subordinated to tne evocation of emotion and it is

their inoispensable mediation that ensures that the emotions evoked

aXe purified of their bioloical inertia into the relishable state

ot~ vne would be justified in Claiming tnat the ~-aesthetic

including hasYa is based not so much on the principle of Consciousshy

ness seekindto esCape its biological determinations but Iather on

lhe quasi-tantric principle of its turning baCk to infuse the

oiological tunctions in their emotional expressio(1 with its own

lightness mobilitj and detaChment Unless this principle is kept

in mina OLle is aouna to lose si~ht of what is specific to the

exploitation of the universally valid bisociaeive structure L~ the

aesthetics of hisYa

8) Another irnJJOIta11t contribution of Abhinava to humour-theorj

is his advocation of che exploitation ot hasYa (or hasa) as a means

of reinfolciag the (proper plX suit oi) the purui~rthas through

negative exarilple (cll LX) dis assirnila1ion Jf incongruity (a

cognitiveaesthetic principle) to s0cio-religioltls irnroprietj despite

the pound aCe tnat the two ehough of1en coincidini I are no1 synonymous

reflects his concern to harmonise and mutually superJose the aesihetic

(or pleasuraoly cathar1ic in the Case of laughter) and the socialshy

cenSUl-e functions of naSia and it is precisely tne bisociative

structure of the latter tnat naturally lends itself to such eX910icashy

tio11 wherever this social function ana the enjoyment of laughtcr

tiains ttle upgterhana over the Jurely aesthetic dimension chE~ L1Cshy

tion retvJen ~ and hasia loses most of its relevance 1nou)h

chis ideolo~ical anll3xation laughter in the ser vice of safeshy

9uaraing social norrns is harolt alfierent frol 3eIg SOl I s essenLial

contr ibution to hurnour-tileorj (~sgteciallj as tur 1111 claDor aced

LttQ behaviJUlal models chat syntnesize Llco11yruitf social-ccflsorshy

shi~) anu enhaHceo self-esteem) the vital Ciif1ereilCe is that Abhinava

lith the bu1t as cOilstitutive vf l1~sYa even when ic functiolls as a

censurc-mecnanism sowetning tIl at 3er9SOH Jlimpsea bULiJaS unable 5

LO recOflcile with 1h~ cnastzing eftec1 of ridiculin 1 aughcer and

0middotJr oissociation from the laughable social lnisaemeanour It

on Lne basis oi silch iaentirication tlat MhilllVa recouizes a

loical uisti(iction--even tempo al sequence--betweenche semblance

vt (any) rasSl (rasabhasa) and 1he ensiliil9 hasya chat iuterrugtts

tais momtntalY or paltial iaentiiicatlon it is his irnplicit

bisociation tneory alone tnat Can justiiy chis simultaneous identishy

tication with ana rejec1ion of tne butt ana it is sugested that

~ ar irU1l detr actiug frol tile chastising eftect of the laughwr

it is this J~xtial iaentification tna1 reiloer s it 9articul3rly

numiliating for the butt A further aifference is the )ossibly

cm)tio(lal nature of this partial id~ntification whereas for Bergson

all particigtative emotion is uetrinental to SOCialized laughter

lhoultn tilrougn its social function haSla bcomes ancillary to all

1h fcgtilI c)rimary purusartha-gtriewated ~s it nevertheless stands in a sJecially fgtr ivileged relation with (sambho9a-) poundnigara and karna un account ot the catnaltlc pleasure it

l5

9) l1Ost sitniiiCant anG with far-reaChL19 repercussions ouisiac

tile ralnl ) aE scheeics ana the social hierarchy especially 1fJhen

le)laced lithia his total concepti0n of hasYa is his attribution

)1 tae rnere It semblance of hasta to tne YLdu~aka whose haSYa funcLion

bull

InterjjreteCi in the light ot all tne r itual

notations that hi3Ve 10(19 been rec)gnized (culminating Prof Kui)er s

recent co nt r ibution anCl Es~eciallt those tl1at converye to unoerline

his cntral eilnctlon as the transrressot oi bIahwLlical SOC1middotJshy

re 1iiou3 norITl5 this necessar ili irn(lie s ttlat fOl Abniuava til8

dimensions ao not exnaUst the eqloication 01 haeLd in loLL vidil~Msl

thar hasta coulu Silhultaneousli serve the Giarnetr ic illy or90site

function of )ernittiLl9 the exteriorizatioLl Qf an esoteric cransressshy

bull yidUsgKil s c0mic lJei1JvioJr )uc the irt2tular mods ooscenebull

te )

Cannot De at C iou t8a tv 1n~ lack iJt crea~iV8 in ag inatioll in the

J)So( s tor the se aonormal and inexcllicably r-e str J(eu moues of

conV8Llti0l1 Llto ddri3lIiltic nQill into lawful irre9Jlaritiesi to

the play ana the i10rms governin that function alrEady strongly

16

SUi)1ltoatstilat ene nasia is simultaneouslj servin~ as tne vehicle

enat exa9~Jel ate s C(rtaill comic LJO ssibilit S vhil injlioiting

elillliuatL1l Otl1 5 Tnat tile hasia oa the aeschG1ic level is

model 01 tne orthociox or ahmin sc go ac tIe atlle nl

cou-Jled~itil claims 0 111( sCat-us 0L lli3~lci~dJ~lHIa=lil--

5LnultalleY-l5ly excgtloit the haSi a fUnccion tor cnastisL1S) tn is

du t he

C Jl ) an Ll emiddot i a1 1 la c c J r 0 1 -c vF t i - h~~ ~ - ( ~ 1 k 1 ) - _- 1 -- - _ J - - -- u~ -J - gt -I - I

motel of )urusarthashy-shyI bull -

~ 1pl1 dL a)J i ( ~l)

of its cnastisiflJ role in tile conflict OEt~veen brahItlLllcal socloshy

eL)C comiC cJnflict Oil thE Oci

al110iQuousU resolves chat contlicc scrol1ly sugiests tl1at the hasa

is 3imult1ileOu3ly s(~ v ins to disu ise an intGntional valor ation of

ana )artly neutralizes its role as an instrument at social censure

L1a1neS ()f gturE bralll11inical -Jeoigree central role in cl1c drama

17

upound Sinll1taneO~5 (exoCer ie) ueva1or izaCiof1 adO (e sJtel iC) valor izoshy

the ae sthetic leWd

L1 ra1 as a mooe of incoi19IUOUS boh2Lvi)Ul acting as a comic

stinu1us lhouin SLlcn tr aasgE ssian Can ptvVo lJUle1l nE~9 0lt i ve

kutilaka shy i

cille au

0ncectlis

18

centered arounu tr ansgressionboth airectly andor ii1directly

through symbolic assimilation with other (comiC or non-comic) figures

hat belong to the same sysem (something which is facilicated by

the polyvalence of symbols) This would immeuiately explain the

irregularity of tl1e 1OrmS governing his hasta function at the aestheshy

tic level for they wJuld have simultaneouslY selved to ensure the

signify ing function of these ostensibly comic stimuli Likewise

che valorization of the viouiaka is only the deliberate valorization

opound he symbolic W1iverse mediated by him whereas his eX91icit

oevalorization ana rioiculous aspect would be a function of that

central transgressive aimension which is wnolly censurable from the

purely e(Qteric point of view of life-in-society governed by the

9raded hierarchy of the 2uru sirthas This total atJproach to the viau~~ that consiaers him pr imar ily as a sign and only seconda-

r ily in terms of his social and ae sthetic function by aetermining

how these latter are reintegrated into this signifying function

is alone capable of explaining all the otherwise impossible contrashy

dictions in his individual psychology (wise fool indisfeDsable

but bungling helper lewd cnastity I ueformed and monkey-like

favourite of the queens maius etc) his literary Imiddotcharacterizashy

tion (stupid brahmin counselloJ of the exemplary king obscene

but free access to harem nonsensical jokes Prakrit-speuroaking

me at-eating and wine-dr inking br ahrnin etc) ana social status

(boy ~ abused by lower char acteJs but honourea by the herobull

ete) bull

To the esoteric gaze that has already lealnt to accord

supreme valorization to the most raoical modes of transgression

when replaced within their delimited context governed by a profourd

18

centered arounu tr ansgressionboth airectly andor ii1directly

through symbolic assimilation with other (comiC or non-comic) figures

hat belong to the same sysem (something which is facilicated by

the polyvalence of symbols) This would immeuiately explain the

irregularity of tl1e 1OrmS governing his hasta function at the aestheshy

tic level for they wJuld have simultaneouslY selved to ensure the

signify ing function of these ostensibly comic stimuli Likewise

che valorization of the viouiaka is only the deliberate valorization

opound he symbolic W1iverse mediated by him whereas his eX91icit

oevalorization ana rioiculous aspect would be a function of that

central transgressive aimension which is wnolly censurable from the

purely e(Qteric point of view of life-in-society governed by the

9raded hierarchy of the 2uru sirthas This total atJproach to the viau~~ that consiaers him pr imar ily as a sign and only seconda-

r ily in terms of his social and ae sthetic function by aetermining

how these latter are reintegrated into this signifying function

is alone capable of explaining all the otherwise impossible contrashy

dictions in his individual psychology (wise fool indisfeDsable

but bungling helper lewd cnastity I ueformed and monkey-like

favourite of the queens maius etc) his literary Imiddotcharacterizashy

tion (stupid brahmin counselloJ of the exemplary king obscene

but free access to harem nonsensical jokes Prakrit-speuroaking

me at-eating and wine-dr inking br ahrnin etc) ana social status

(boy ~ abused by lower char acteJs but honourea by the herobull

ete) bull

To the esoteric gaze that has already lealnt to accord

supreme valorization to the most raoical modes of transgression

when replaced within their delimited context governed by a profourd

19

metaphysical andor r itua motivation the recognition of the

transgressive function invested in the vidu~m s symbolism Can be

no cause for laughter On the contrary the recognition of the

significations hidden in the various signifiers brought together

in his comic lntexventions and the displacement of the altention

towards restorin9 their coherence on the esoteric plane can only

detract from 1pound not largely efface I his hasXe function Mgtreover

even the instances of really incongruous behaviour speech or

co stume and the comic aura that surrounds them are now rather

perceived as the tranSjgtarent symbols of a transgressive function

that has nothing intrinsically comic about it For these symbols

despite their adaPtation and elaboration to suit the comicr ole of

the yidU~~ in the drama acquire their capacity to signify only

by virtue of their participation in a pre -oxistin3 5i9nifjin9 syst~

that encompasses the entire domain of Iiindu culture ald reaches back

to its Vedic origins where they recur in an arunistakeably non-comic

ltritual cosmogonic ep1c etc) context gtr at least with a primarily

non-comic Irotivation (GaxteJias or Agnis enornlOus appetite or the

former oS DRdakas1 the contrary speech or donkey-like gtraying of

Brahma s fifth heach the braynacilL11 s abllse of the hetaera in the

Ilahavrata etc) Replaced in this total system by an esoteric gaze

forearmed with the comprehension and mastery of its secret corresponshy

dence s the hasye aspect of the vidufaka 5 interventions-on the

aestlltlc literary level of the ploy and in the txoterlc soc1oshy

religl)U5 context that encompasses thE performance of the drama-

is redu=ed to a mere semblance To just Iihat extent Abhinavagllpta

had assindlated the traditional symbolic universe underlying the

figure of the vidu~~ and to what extent he effectively recognized

bullbullbull bullbull

bullbull

20

it in the latters traits (e_g_ Varuna) and interventions can onlybull

be matter of futile speculation for us who have ourselves only just

cOJll(1enced the task of deciphering What matters is that he himself

waS the crowning theoretician of the transgressive ideology of

Trika (rather Kaula) tantrism attributing his hignest metaphysical

realization of the supreme all-devouring Bhairava-Consciousness to

precisely such transgressive praxis At the same tine he clearly

recognized the dichotomy between the esoteric and the exoteric domainIbull the latter governed by rigorous socio-religious norms from which

perspective alone he comments on the Sanskrit drama He even

insists on the continuity oatween the Vedic and the T antric tradition

of esotericism exploiting extreme impurity and radiCal transgression

in order to transcend the pureimpure distinction and attributes

the reticence of the Vedic R~is on this transgressive dimension of

their realizations to their concern with preserving the exoteric

order founded on norms of purity I avikalgena bhavena mynayomiddote

tathaanavan 243 lokasaruraksaoarthem tu ~ tattvam taih

praaopitam 244 TA IV As such it seems to us that Abhinava

combines in himself all the necessary conditions for recognizing a

central transgressive function in the viOuiaka that though deeply

rooted in Vedic esotericism would have also found manifold expression

in the symbolic universe of Hinduism But like the Vedic Rsis

he describes he would have been even more committed to preserving

and reinforcing the exoteric order OOW governed by the graded

hitI a1chy of the Quru ~irtbas which it was the duty of the 1lt1a11 aveda

to inculcate And it is in the midst of this order that the

yiduialsa appears at the centre of the stage to hold us laughing

spellbound by his own laughter Indeed seen in this light what is

bullbull

21

really striking is not Abhinavaguptas reticence on the true role

of the xidUaka but on the contrarY the various hints he has

dropped for us-at least for those among us who are prepared to

take him wholly seriously-that the vidu~~ s role is not exhausted

by hisYa ie his properly aesthetic ana SOCial aspect He has

no hesitation in emphasizing to explain the vidusakas being

protected by OMkara that he is along with the nay aka the principal

male character of the play Taken together with his casual remarks

attributing not hasya but the semblance of hasya (hasy3bhasa) to

the ~=aampamp this valorization of his otherwise inexplicable role

proves conclusively tnat not only did Abhinavagupta know a great

deal more about his role than he ever put into his AbhinayabharatI

but that he had deliberately left these clues behind for the

initiated like himself to recognize and fOllow up systematiCally

It will be clear by now that a cOflvinclllg exposition of

the esgtteric significatioJls ~rked into the hasYa function of the

~~~ will first opound all have to reconstitute the total signifying

systenl (the basic principles un6erlying it the symbolic techniques

imiddott employs an inventory of its chief motifs and their complex

interrelations and substi~utions the his~orical ~ransformations

and distortions it has undergone etc) by virtue of which the

clusters of signs that fuse to constitute even a single comic

intefvention of the yidUlaka are able to evoke an entire complex of

ideas practices and doctrines Though we have already deciphered

a great portion of this symbolism and at least enough to confirm

beyond any doubt the transgressive function we have only presented

some of these materials in the body of this thesis and that too only

bullbullbull bullbull

bullbull

20

it in the latters traits (e_g_ Varuna) and interventions can onlybull

be matter of futile speculation for us who have ourselves only just

cOJll(1enced the task of deciphering What matters is that he himself

waS the crowning theoretician of the transgressive ideology of

Trika (rather Kaula) tantrism attributing his hignest metaphysical

realization of the supreme all-devouring Bhairava-Consciousness to

precisely such transgressive praxis At the same tine he clearly

recognized the dichotomy between the esoteric and the exoteric domainIbull the latter governed by rigorous socio-religious norms from which

perspective alone he comments on the Sanskrit drama He even

insists on the continuity oatween the Vedic and the T antric tradition

of esotericism exploiting extreme impurity and radiCal transgression

in order to transcend the pureimpure distinction and attributes

the reticence of the Vedic R~is on this transgressive dimension of

their realizations to their concern with preserving the exoteric

order founded on norms of purity I avikalgena bhavena mynayomiddote

tathaanavan 243 lokasaruraksaoarthem tu ~ tattvam taih

praaopitam 244 TA IV As such it seems to us that Abhinava

combines in himself all the necessary conditions for recognizing a

central transgressive function in the viOuiaka that though deeply

rooted in Vedic esotericism would have also found manifold expression

in the symbolic universe of Hinduism But like the Vedic Rsis

he describes he would have been even more committed to preserving

and reinforcing the exoteric order OOW governed by the graded

hitI a1chy of the Quru ~irtbas which it was the duty of the 1lt1a11 aveda

to inculcate And it is in the midst of this order that the

yiduialsa appears at the centre of the stage to hold us laughing

spellbound by his own laughter Indeed seen in this light what is

bullbull

21

really striking is not Abhinavaguptas reticence on the true role

of the xidUaka but on the contrarY the various hints he has

dropped for us-at least for those among us who are prepared to

take him wholly seriously-that the vidu~~ s role is not exhausted

by hisYa ie his properly aesthetic ana SOCial aspect He has

no hesitation in emphasizing to explain the vidusakas being

protected by OMkara that he is along with the nay aka the principal

male character of the play Taken together with his casual remarks

attributing not hasya but the semblance of hasya (hasy3bhasa) to

the ~=aampamp this valorization of his otherwise inexplicable role

proves conclusively tnat not only did Abhinavagupta know a great

deal more about his role than he ever put into his AbhinayabharatI

but that he had deliberately left these clues behind for the

initiated like himself to recognize and fOllow up systematiCally

It will be clear by now that a cOflvinclllg exposition of

the esgtteric significatioJls ~rked into the hasYa function of the

~~~ will first opound all have to reconstitute the total signifying

systenl (the basic principles un6erlying it the symbolic techniques

imiddott employs an inventory of its chief motifs and their complex

interrelations and substi~utions the his~orical ~ransformations

and distortions it has undergone etc) by virtue of which the

clusters of signs that fuse to constitute even a single comic

intefvention of the yidUlaka are able to evoke an entire complex of

ideas practices and doctrines Though we have already deciphered

a great portion of this symbolism and at least enough to confirm

beyond any doubt the transgressive function we have only presented

some of these materials in the body of this thesis and that too only

bullbull

21

really striking is not Abhinavaguptas reticence on the true role

of the xidUaka but on the contrarY the various hints he has

dropped for us-at least for those among us who are prepared to

take him wholly seriously-that the vidu~~ s role is not exhausted

by hisYa ie his properly aesthetic ana SOCial aspect He has

no hesitation in emphasizing to explain the vidusakas being

protected by OMkara that he is along with the nay aka the principal

male character of the play Taken together with his casual remarks

attributing not hasya but the semblance of hasya (hasy3bhasa) to

the ~=aampamp this valorization of his otherwise inexplicable role

proves conclusively tnat not only did Abhinavagupta know a great

deal more about his role than he ever put into his AbhinayabharatI

but that he had deliberately left these clues behind for the

initiated like himself to recognize and fOllow up systematiCally

It will be clear by now that a cOflvinclllg exposition of

the esgtteric significatioJls ~rked into the hasYa function of the

~~~ will first opound all have to reconstitute the total signifying

systenl (the basic principles un6erlying it the symbolic techniques

imiddott employs an inventory of its chief motifs and their complex

interrelations and substi~utions the his~orical ~ransformations

and distortions it has undergone etc) by virtue of which the

clusters of signs that fuse to constitute even a single comic

intefvention of the yidUlaka are able to evoke an entire complex of

ideas practices and doctrines Though we have already deciphered

a great portion of this symbolism and at least enough to confirm

beyond any doubt the transgressive function we have only presented

some of these materials in the body of this thesis and that too only

bullbull

--

22

sporadically wherever the possibility showed itself of demonstrating

hoW they have been exploited for hasya effects The reason Was not

only limitations of space but that whereas the focuss of this

thesis is on hasya (humour and laughter) and hasyAbhasa and their

mode of superposition such an undertaking would have lifted us

out completely from the domain of hasya and the Sanskrit drama

as an aesthetic spectacle into the vast symbolic universe of

Indian religious lipounde Even the x1dUsak would have to be ruthlesslybull

dissected to systematiCally compare the individual elements of his

symbolism with the same dispersed elsewhere in the tradition before

we reintegrate them-with all their fullness of signification-to

resuscitate his comic essence Even then since this symbolism is

scarcely explicitated in an overt sy stematic manner anywhere we

WOuld have to linger long over these variolls models to demonstrate

conclusively that these inaividual symbols which they share with

the yiduAsectA indeed do have the precise meaning we attribute to

them and are ultimately fragments or facets of a single semiotic

8Y stem Though this is impossible within the scope of this thesis

it would suffice if we have convinced our readers that the vidU$~s

hASV a function also vehicles a non-comic symbolic function and

provided ample indications that the latter comprises an essential

transgressive dimension

10) But as a preparation to this larger undertaking we have

attacked the xJgiisaka s incongruous speech as a form of middotpoeticbull

humour (kaVYallasYA) to show that it is indeed teeming with the

kind of comic riddle-oevioes that would have served to transpose

complex symbolic equivalences like those found in the ritual

brahmodYgs or the Rigvedic hymnology into the aesthetic setting

23

of the drama OUr analy sis of the vrthI in terms of the at first

sight arbitrary definitions of its thirteen constituent elements

and in the light of both their comic exploitation by the vid~~

- in the ritual verbal contest of the puryaranga-~ata and the nonshy

bull

comic mechanisms moments and roodes of the brahmodYa led to the

conclusion thatl- 1) the vlthI was originally the comic exposition

of enigmas by a single persgtn or a comic wit-combat between two

persgtns fully exploiting a rich variety of riddle-mechan1smsl

2) these riddle-mechanisms of the vltnyaf1gas )etray a scheme to

facilitate the deliberate transposition of the riddle-cotltests

with their profound cosmo-ritual motivations of the brahmodYas

onto the aesthetico-literary medium of the drama 3) despite their

progressive exploitation for purely literary effects their original

function would have been best tetained in the COmic yidieas2 with his

licence to speak iocongruously I 4) the predominance of hasya in the

yItbyenaOgas is primarily to permit the superposition of the exoteric

incongruity and the esoteric coherence of the hidden equivalences

that constitute the enigma (cf esp g~A and Asatpralapa both

charaCteristic of the yidUsaka)j S) their exploitation by the vidusect~ shyin both ritual trigata (prolongation of the Vedic Vivie) and the

profane plaY confirms his Itready-wit (pratibha prescribed by

the NS) but of a type akin to that of the Rigvedic poet-seersshy

his Itfoolishness I like his comic function is the secondary elaborashy

tion of the exoteriC incongruity of his interventions at the purely

literary level (WhiCh harmonizes with the explanation of the same

in terms of his transgressive function) I 6) as bearer of the

~11aka presented by Brahma (himself the projection of the branmAn)

and as the protJ9~ of OMkira taken together with the monotonous

bullbull

bull bull

24

insistence on his brahminhood par excellence the xkdusoka is bull

indeed a comic caricature of the brahm4n (or HrohitA) precisely

because he is the revelation of the esoteric dimension of the latter

as bearer of the brahmtn-enigma Taken together with his primary

cooperation with the (Indra-)nAyaka of the play this implies the

yid[~s symbolic identity with the Brahma-atradhara of the

purYara69a-trigata and the latterts partial identity with the

Varuna-~eaka (whose antithesis he reintegrates into the thesis bull ~I-

of the Indra-giriRiJ~vika so as to arrive at an~comprehendiI1g

synthesis) The vidusaka of the 91ay proper as Brahma with anbull exaggerated VarUIJic aspect would represent that Mitra-VarUQa

incal-nated in the brahmAn-purghitas par excellence like the Vasisthas bull For it is by regressing as the (pre-classical) d1ksita in what

bull amounts to a metaphysical transgression to the embryogonic chaos

(Asat) of Varuna t s realm (Varunas 2ingaxa-pot held by the viduOakabull

like the largE basket-ears of the Brahma-v1dUaaka is clearly a wombshy

symbol) that the bronAl attains to the totality of cosmic connectbns

constituting the jatavidva In this way the vidUaka s kuilaka

would symbolize not only his mastery of the crooked speech of the

enigma but also signify (among other things) the perversitymiddotmiddot of

the transgression (~dayakuila) that lies at the heart of the enigma

Abhinava s contribution to these conclusions is amb4luous

and necessarily so for the very principle of esotaricism excludes

the possibility of his dwelling explicitly upon this hidden function

of the ythYaiigas or their ritual exploitation in the yidusaka bull bull

iet it is relevant to note the striking discrepancies between his

(already slightly aestheticized) interpretations of these formulas

2S

and the (highly aestheticized) illustrations he provides of them

He is clearly aware that it is the enigma and its I11E9chanisms that

holds these formulas toether and often provides details of context

motivation procedure that clarify the manner in which they could

have served as transpositions Yet as a traditional commentator

faced with the double task of being faithful to the definitions

handed down by Bharata and at the same time registering and legitimishy

zing the current practice of adapting them for purely aesthetiC

effects (independent of ritual notations) he also often inflects

the terms of each definition so as to justify and facilitate this

later usage Only an independent analy sis in terms of the symbolic

function of the vidisAkas comic utterances in the plays can reveal the precise extent and varied modes in which these formulas have

been exploited to retain his hidden role as the bearer of the

braPm~-enigma (in Prakrit~)

bull But to do this we would have to leave behind the aesthetics

and psychology of hiS1a to delve into the total symbolic universe

in which the yidusaka participates In this thesis we have restricshybull

ted ourselves to drawing out the inpl1cations of Abhinava 13 implicit

theory of haSyena and to showing how in the vigiifaksh the structure

of haaya permits it to simultaneously serve and disguise a non-comic

symbolic function This function is centered on ritual transgression

from which we have suggested that most of his attributes and behaviour

Can be derived either directly or indirectly It is the biaociative

structure of hasYa that in this way permits the vidUaag to mediate

between these two opposing yet complementary domains of Indian

religious life governed respectively by the sacred of interdiction

and the sacrality of transgression It is through the as it were

bull

-

26

unconscious identificatory pole of the bisociated perception that

the exoteric vision comes to participate in spite of itself in a

symbolic universe whose coherence it does not recognize and whose

values it is as yet not prepared to accept In the laughing

vidu~~ an exoteric vision wholly enmeshed in the hierarchical

order of the purusarthaswhich he entertainingly reinforces by his bull

laughable negative example~ is nevertheless forced to submit itself

to the claims of an esoterie vision that encompasses it and is all

the more effective for the reason that it is carefully hidden bull