Nagendra
Rasa-Siddhanta
(National Publishing House, Delhi; 1964)
"Dr. Nagendra (born 1915) is a distinguished scholar, critic and essayist in Hindi. Born in the district of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, Dr. Nagendra received his early education at Atrauli, Anoopshahar and Chandausi and later joined the St. John's .College, Agra, and received his degree of Master of Arts in English Literature in 1936. In 1937, he got his degree of Master of Arts in Hindi Literature from the Nagpur University. Beginning his career as a teacher in English Literature at the Delhi Commercial College, he qualified for the D.Litt. in Hindi Literature from Agra University in 1947. After a short broadcasting career in the All India Radio, he was appointed Professor and Head of the Hindi Department, Delhi University, in 1955.
After a brief venture as a poet of the post-Chhayavad romantic school, Dr. Nagendra turned to literary criticism. Soon after his college he published critical studies of Sumitranandan Pant and Saket (by Maithilisharan Gupta) which were widely appreciated. Since then he has made a close and conscientious study of the theory of poetics, both Indian and Western, and has to his credit a number of valuable works on the principles of literary criticism. He has also edited and compiled several important volumes on poetics and on history of literature. His critical essays, collected in several volumes, have been much admired for their clarity of thought and crispness of style. This has brought him recognition in the Hindi literary circles and has won for him the State Prizes from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh as well as the Dalmia Puraskar.
The Award book, Rasa-Siddhanta, is a masterly exposition and interpretation of the ancient Indian poetics and their application to literature today. For its lucid analysis and comprehensive sweep of the subject, and for the vigour of its expression, the work has been hailed as an outstanding contribution to contemporary Hindi literature." (Citation)
Rasa-Siddhanta is an important source-book of literary criticism in Hindi and, since it deals with the history of the most important tradition of Indian aesthetics, has a pan-Indian significance. The theory of Rasa in India has been built up by several scholars belonging to different schools of philosophy and therefore there have been many problems, issues and questions which await satisfactory answers. The book discusses these questions in all seriousness and has arrived at satisfactory conclusions. For example, one of the most raging questions is as to how can the experience of pathos be delightful? Nagendra finds the answer to this question in the equilibrium of emotions in a work of art. Nagendra has an advantage over the ancient critics and that is, he can take the help of the western scholars.
Nagendra's book is valuable for another more important reason. What exactly is the relevance of the theory of Rasa which had its origin in the poetry and drama of the classical age, to the modern times? The author has proved the relevance in clear terms. According to him the doctrine of Rasa is not opposed to principal moral aesthetics and although deep-rooted in emotions it does not preclude the element of intellect. The art-experience which the spectator or reader gets through the medium of the word and its meaning is both sensual and intellectual Therefore it is subtler than sense experience and also avoids the abstractness of intellectual experience. The theory of Rasa, because of its firm basis in Indian humanism, would be a criterion not only for the evaluation of ancient works of art but it would also help us to judge works of art of the future.
The book proves beyond doubt that the theory of Rasa is built on the sound foundation of concepts of universal significance.
Suresh Chaodra Trivedi
(Source: Sahitya Academy Awards – Books and Writers – 1955-1978
Published by Sahitya Academy. ISBN 81 7201 014 1)
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