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50 Articles for 2019 Number 15

Rasa (Aesthetics) and the Rasika !
I have two friends in CMF who when meeting always greet each other as "Akka how are you" (loosely Elder sister how are you...placing for posterity their lesser age compared to the person opposite) and promptly the greeted will respond “fine” how are you "Akka". Unless both were born at the same exact date time second and micro second and not as twins, it brings to logic one should be older ! None concedes space in this oft repeated drama !
Rasa the aesthetic flavour in our music has been mentioned in Bharatha”s Natya Sastra and refined by the Kashmiri Saivite scholar Abhinavagupta....which can be said that which evokes the feeling in the audience which cannot be explained. Must place on record here that natya Sastra covers music ... the terse statement is
tatra vibhāvā-anubhāva vyabhicāri saṃyogād rasa niṣpattiḥ ।
(translation : vibhāva, anubhāva, and vyabhicāri bhāvas together produce Rasa )
Briefly there were 8 Rasas and they are
01 Śṛungāram : Romance, Love, attractiveness.
02 Hāsyam : Laughter, mirth, comedy.
03 Raudram : Fury.
04 Kāruṇyam : Compassion, mercy.
05 Bībhatsam Disgust, aversion.
06 Bhayānakam Horror, terror.
07 Veeram Heroism. Presiding deity:
08 Adbhutam Wonder, amazement.
For each Rasa there is a God allotted as also colour and probably some Scholar thought its nice to say NAVARASAS and came out Shantam . Of course it took scholars many years of intellectual arguments to accept Shantam as a Rasa during 8th and 12th centuries and the ninth one was added
09 Shantam peace or Tranquility
The Natyasastra lists eight bhavas with eight corresponding rasas:
  • Rati (Love)
  • Hasya (Mirth)
  • Soka (Sorrow)
  • Krodha (Anger)
  • Utsaha (Energy)
  • Bhaya (Terror)
  • Jugupsa (Disgust)
  • Vismaya (Astonishment)
On the Question with whom does the RASA rests its interesting how it has evolved
Battalolattar has said anukaarya Mukyavrithi. meaning the Rasa can be savoured either directly or in an indirect way. by the rasika
Srisankugar has said with his philosophy of Chitraturga Nyaya that the artist and the rasika are the same when it comes to enjoying the RASA but the rasika savours lesser of RASA compared to the artist
Battanayagar with his treatise on Sadharanee Karanam brought out a new idea named Bhavaga Vyabaram which simplified says only if the Rasika measures up to the RASA as given by the artist he can enjoy
Finally Abhinavaguptar nailed it by saying RASA is like a state of ecstasy , cannot be enjoyed directly but the capacity to enjoy the RASA is with the common rasika ONLY !
caveat ; All the above are more suited for a drama but nevertheless with little refinement will easily suit our music too
So lets take our role as a Rasika seriously and continue to enjoy this music form.
Thanks..oops....perhaps i ended too early...remember our 2 friends in the beginning ... they are a classic case of neither a Rasika nor an Artist...one portrays with all her sense of awe the other to be an elder sister but the addressed person refuses that artistic revelation...and it is reciprocated by the other.... Acceptance of beauty from artists evoking a sense of Awe in us is very crucial and it need not be universally accepted form......
Hope this made an easy read. ...

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