Some time ago, Sri Ramanna Vishnubhotla asked me a question on
Navarasas and he encouraged me to put a few facts together on that topic
and as a result of that encouragement a quick and dirty essay was
developed. Sri Ramanna posted that on Ghantasala digest and subsequently
I posted that on SCIT. It seems there is a renewed interest on that
topic again. I have also compiled a couple more articles on rasas and I
want to post them in a series. So, I do start with my old article (a
repost).
Hope you enjoy this.
--pa'lana
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rasa - rasamu
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"Rasa" is a Sanskrit word and borrowed into several languages.
Apte says in his Sanskrit dictionary:
rasa = sap, juice (of trees)
liquor, drink
taste, flavor, relish
In Vyasa's philosophy rasa is one of the 24 guNa's.
That is also the Upanishad sara'mSa.
The shaDrasa's (shaDruculu) - uppu, pulupu, ka'ramu,
tiipi, cEdu, and vagaru are gustatory rasa's and
according to Munukumtla Sambasiva (a student of Vempati
Chinasatyam and the author of Koocipoodi Natyamanjari
calls these shaDrasa's - loukika rasa'lu.
"rasa" also stands for taste or inclination for a thing
such as liking or desire, love, affection, pleasure,
delight, happiness, elegance, and beauty (Apte).
In poetic expressions, the rasa is used to describe
pathos, emotion, and feeling.
For a sentiment - rasa is often used.
Apte says "Rasas are more or less a necessary factor of
every poetic composition, but according to Visvanatha,
they constitute the very essence of poetry."
The whole Indian chemistry (Alchemistry) evolved from
"rasa".
Rasa is to be possessed and enjoyed (a'sva'dimcuTa). Physical union of
chemical substances such as liquids and sugar create the rasas. This
chemical combination creates the taste - the gustatory appeal. It is
merely a bodily neurosensory feeling - jiiva'niki samtRuptiniccE
pada'rdha'lu. Similiarly a plethora of thoughts unite and
create the rasa's of the other type - the abstract rasas attached with the
inner self. We often eat the dishes and describe the tastes (loukika
rasa's). Similary the abstract rasa's (emerged from the
thoughts) are received and enjoyed by the individual (e.g. a dance
performance or musical concert enjoyed by a spectator). With out these
abstract rasa's the dance performance or musical concert will be
tasteless, odourless, and colorless - lacks the abstract chemistry but
the chemistry behind the human feelings and emotions. Eventhough these
abstract rasa's are considered as rasa's (just as the shaDrasa's or
shaDruculu), they are as powerful or ever more potent than the loukika
rasa's closely associated with the kaLalu (fine arts) in amalgamating the
performer, performance, and the spectator. Without these abstract rasa's
there is no meaning attached to any nonparametric expression. This is the
absolute truth. Only humans possess this quality of distinguishing and
enjoying the abstract rasa's. What a creation! (one of the rasa's
expressed by me here. Hope you understand that. That is the rasa:
adButamu.)
Ba'va's (thoughts - inner) unite together and create rasa's.
Three important Ba'va's such as the viBa'va, anuBa'va, and vyaBica'ri
react in an unision and give birth to various rasa's (inner abstract
rasa's).
Rasa's, the inner abstract ones, have occupied the most important seat in
Indian classical dances. Bharata, the father of the Natya Sastra who
learnt the art of dance from Lard Siva (na'Tya Sa'strmu Sivuni vaddanoo)
and the philosophy of Rasa Sastra from Nandikesvara (rasa Sa'strmu
namdikESwaruni vaddanoo) created the Natya Sastra and divided it into 11
divisions : (1) rasamu; (2) Ba'vamu; (3) aBinayanamu; (4) dharmi; (5)
vRuttulu; (6) pravRutti; (7) sidhdhi; (8) svaramu; (9) atOdyamu; (10)
ga'namu; and (11) ramgamu. That was how the 5th vEda, the pamcama vEdamu,
Na'tya vEdamu evolved. Brahmadeva picked up va'cikamu from RugvEdamu,
samgiitamu from sa'mavEdamu, aBinayanamu from yajurvEdamu, and "rasamu"
from adharvaNavEdamu and created this novel vEda, the na'TyavEdamu. Siva
is the ruler of this dance (na'Tya) and Nandikesvara is the ruler of the
rasa (Ba'vOdBava rasamulu - the abstract tastes which originate from the
unision of abstract thoughts out human emotional sphere).
In other words, the rasa is the product of the reactants, the
performer-performance and spectator - that is the abstract feeling.
For one's information a great deal of chemistry is involved in this sort
of reaction of human feelings, thoughts, emotions, and actions.
Scientists are gallopping to get answers hoc tempore.
The rasa's are 9 out of which 8 rasa's were discovered by Bharata and the
9th, the Sa'mta rasa, was discovered by udBaTa (udBaTuDu).
SlOkam: Srumga'ra ha'sya karuNa' roudraviira Baya'naka'h
BiibatsadbutaSa'mta'Sca navana'TyE rasa'h smRuta'h
1) Srumga'rarasamu
2) ha'syarasamu
3) karuNarasamu
4) roudrarasamu
5) viirarasamu
6) Bayanakarasamu
7) BiiBatsarasamu
8) adButarasamu
9) Sa'mtarasamu
In originality, there are actually 8 rasa's and as it was mentioned
earlier, the 9th one was added. Ocassionally a 10th one is also included
according to Apte:
10) va'tsalyarasamu.
The written piece (ka'vyamu) disseminates the Ba'vamu and that ka'vyamu
is responsible for the emergence of Ba'vamu (thought or meaningful
thought) in the hearts of ordinary humans. Ba'vamu originates from
viBa'vamu, and expressed as anuBa'vamu and aBinayanamu - that is what a
poet does through his poem.
SlOkamu: Bavamti itiBa'va'h
viBa'vamu means the one responsible for the greatest wealth
of knowledge.
(I may supplement an addition on Bhavas later.)
Now going back to the classification of the rasa's, these are nothing but
the anuBava's coming from the gunOdBava Ba'va'lu. These rasa's are also
the depiction of Lord Siva - the ardhana'riiSvara.
These rasa's have close affinity with the 7 different ta'mDava's of Lord
Siva:
1) a'namda ta'mDavamu : sRushTi, sthiti, laya, anugraha, tirOdha'na
2) samdhya' ta'mDavamu : making others happy
3) kalika ta'mDavamu : destruction of the evil
4) vijaya ta'mDavamu : rudra the roudra
5) Urdhva ta'mDavamu : competition
6) uma' ta'mDavamu : meeting the death
7) samha'ra ta'mDavamu.: offering the ultimate solvation
Revisiting the rasa's:
1) SRumga'rarasamu : SRumga'ra poorNa rasamu
The beauty, love, ectasy.
The aesthetics.
(a'namda ta'mDavamu)
2) ha'syarasamu : The humor.
The basis for wisdom
Dreams + Reality + Humor : WISDOM
3) karuNarasamu: The compassion
(saving the dead)
4) roudrarasamu: The anger
(while fighting with the evil.)
5) viirarasamu: The courage/Heroism
(After defeating the evil and attaining victory.)
6) Baya'nakarasamu: The Fear
(making others scared)
(Driving away the evil and death and demons.)
7) BiiBatsarasamu: The chaos
(disequilibrium)
(The universe is always in equilibrium and
disequilibrium!).
8) adButarasamu: Terrific/Exclamatory/unimaginable
9) Sa'mtarasamu: Peace/Tranquility
(Meditation).
There is another way explaining these rasa's on upanishadic grounds.
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References:
1) Hindu Dharma Sarvasvamu: Sivananda Sarasvati\Translated by
P. Nagabhushanam
2) Koocipoodi Natyamanjari: Munukumtla Sambasiva
3) The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary: Vaman Shivaram Apte
4) Pingali Lakshmikantam : Sahitya Silpa Samiksha
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POSTED TO NURTURE TELUGU CULTURE AND LITERATURE IN THE NORTH AMERICA.
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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed above are not those of the CAS.
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