Till the advent of Prof K.C. Pandey on the Indological horizon, the Sanskrit academy was hardly aware that Abhinavagupta--the most towering creative genius of medieval India--was more a philosopher than a literary critic and that his foray into poetics, in fact art and aesthetics as such, was to complement and substantiate his metaphysical and soteriological vision and that his contribution has been phenomenal in both the realms along with their allied and applied ramifications.

It was largely for Panday to unearth Abhinavagupta from the historical and academic oblivion and highlight the unique poignancy of Abhinavan contribution as being nurtured by a unified dynamic integral world-view having perfection, this is, oneness of the being and the beautiful, experience and expression, beingness and bliss, foundationally enshrined in its epicentre.