शृङ्गं हि मन्मथोद्भेदस्तदागमनहेतुकः ।
उत्तमप्रकृतिप्रायो रसः शृङ्गार इष्यते ॥
śṛṅgaṁ hi manmathodbhedas tad-āgamana-hetukaḥ |
uttama-prakṛti-prāyo rasaḥ śṛṅgāra iṣyate ||
(Sāhitya-darpaṇa: 3.183; cited in the Locana-rocanī-ṭīkā on Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi: 1.21)
“Since [the word] śṛṅga [lit., ‘peak’] refers to the emergence of amorous passion [lit., ‘the Mind-churner’] (Manmatha) [viz., Kāmadeva], the rasa the cause of which is the arising of that [i.e., of the emergence of amorous passion] and the basis of which primarily is the exalted [i.e., a nāyaka and nāyikā of exalted character] is called śṛṅgāra.”
Commentary
This translation is prepared with reference to the Lakṣmī-ṭīkā on Sāhitya-darpaṇa written by Sāhityācārya Paṇḍita Śrī Kṛṣṇa-mohana Śāstrī Ṭhākura.