Ценности, етика и естетика в творчеството на Абхинавагупта (Кашмир, XI век)
Ethical, Axiological, and Aesthetic Dimensions in the Оeuvre of Abhinavagupta (11th-Century Kashmir)

Summary/Abstract: In the works of Abhinavagupta (c. 10th–11th century), an Indian philosopher, aesthetician, and mystic of the Kashmiri Shaivism tradition, the themes of values and ethics are present, albeit not in the manner typically encountered in Western ethical thought. For him, these concerns are more implicitly embedded within his philosophical and aesthetic system rather than explicitly formulated as codified moral rules. For the purposes of this study, selected sections of his work Tantrāloka – a philosophical-tantric treatise – are examined. In this text, Abhinavagupta presents a comprehensive metaphysical cosmology that is ethically grounded and outlines a path toward liberation. The values emphasized in this work include the attainment of inner freedom (svatantrya), the responsible exercise of knowledge and power, and the ethics of self-realization – that is, moral conduct directed toward the recognition of one’s own divine nature. The second focal text of this study is Abhinavabhāratī, a commentary on Bharata’s 2nd-century treatise on theatre, the Nāṭyaśāstra. Here, Abhinavagupta addresses aesthetic values and the ethics of art. Through the experience of rasa – an aesthetic emotion historically equated with bliss – the spectator undergoes purification, reflecting the ethical dimension of artistic experience. Art thus fulfills both an educative and liberating function, elevating the spirit and fostering inner harmony. Emotional empathy (bhāva), when properly expressed, results in ethical purification (catharsis), a concept analogous to Aristotle’s, yet grounded in a spiritual framework. Abhinavagupta does not conceive of ethics as a prescriptive list of virtues or rules; rather, he frames it as a process of internal transformation. Within this framework, the highest values comprise self-awareness, freedom, devotion to the absolute, and aesthetic sensibility understood as a spiritual path.

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