Saturday, May 29, 2021

Rasa Theory (Indian Aesthetics)

   Name - Jignesh  K. Panchasara

 Paper - 109: Literary Theory & Criticism and                                                        Indian Aesthetics

             Roll No-8 

             Enrollment no-3069206420200013

Email id-jigneshpanchasara5758@gmail.com

             Batch- MA 2020-2022

Submitted to - S.B Gardi Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji  

                             Bhavnagar University.  

                       Introduction

Rasa theory draws a clear distinction between real-life experience and art experience- unordinary. In order to realize Rasa that must possess an adequate degree of intellectual and emotional equipment. It is given the highest honor ever since the beginning of Poetics. Sthaibhava or emotion of this erotic sentiment is Rati or love.

What is Rasa?

               According to Bharatmuni
            ‘’ Vibhava anubhava vyabhacari samyoght rasa nishpattihi’’
              Vibhava means determines, anubhava means consequences and vyabhacari means transitory state or feeling.
               The Sanskrit meaning of rasa is that juice or essence. However Bharatmuni has used the word in different context. The word rasa here dose not like any type of liquid or syrup.
According to Makarand Paranjap
             ‘’ Rasa in Bharatmuni, is nothing
                But the exposition of the structure
                Of human experience’’.

                 The Vedic meaning of rasa is essence and it refers to the experience of the supreme reality, which is one of the self existence delights. Rasa is the emotion resulting from a contemplation of a various feelings.
According to V.S. Seturaman
                  ‘’ A blending of various bhava arise
                    Certain emotion, accomplished by
                    Thrill and a sense of joy is ‘Rasa’ ‘’.

The rasa theory originates with Bharatain Natyasastra. It claims that the object or meaning that is sought to be conveyed in literary compositions is in the nature of an emotional effect of diverse human experience on man’s mind and heart. It is possible, Bharata demonstrates, to enumerate the whole range of emotions, or states of being born of experience, and to analyse the structure of those emotions in terms of cause, physical correlate and their effect on man’s being. The theory thus becomes in effect a theory of literary experience which is strongly rooted in the empirical human reality.

Bharata, the first enouncer of the theory, gives the most comprehensive analysis of its sources, nature and its categories. Subsequently the theory found major commentators in Dhanika Dhananjaya who re-examined Bharat’s typology of drama and added to it a typology of uprupakas, sub-plays, plays within plays, and one-act plays. It is Abhinavagupta, however, who enriched the theory by elucidating its philosophic foundations and by analyzing in depth the aesthetic dimension of the theory in terms of the nature, cognition and effect of literary experience.

Features of Rasa Theory

Rasa means aesthetics, juice, essence, taste in performance. 
Rasa is an undefinable realization and intense feelings with detachment.
It is the flavor (general) or aesthetic emotion (metaphorical). 
It is the soul of poetry. 
Rasa is an emotion and cannot be described in opposition to Aristotle.
Originally, Rasa means juice, essence or elixir. 
It is the pleasure experienced by each class of people. 
No other word can define Rasa completely. 
It is the impression created on the mind of the sympathetic audience by the expressions of Bhavas (emotions) and it’s experienced by it. 
Rasa is not experienced in common situations but only in the art form.
Rasa’s Foundation is laid upon a particular view of psychology that holds our personality and according to which a few primary emotions live in the conscious and subconscious state of our being.

These emotions are vast, amusing, pathetic, heroic, passionate, fearful, disgusting and wonderful. Later on peaceful, intellectual and devotional were also added.

There are Nine Rasa, which are given below with some Information.


1) Attractiveness Srngaram- Love and 
                                                         Shringaram rasa is presiding by god Vishnu, the god of love and romance and the colour of this rasa is a colour of youth, green colour, which also suggests nature in which love evokes. In the most of the description and implication of love there is a presence of nature. Shringaram is a Rasa which suggests erotic pleasure, attraction and the expression which suggests romance and love between hero and heroine. This is the special Rasa which is considered as the ‘king’ of all the Rasas.  It includes the beauty of women and men and the sensuous description of the love of both.

2)  Hasyam- Laughter and Comedy
                                 This rasa is presiding by lord Ganesha, the god of happiness and laughter. And the colour which is connected with this rasa is white, peaceful colour which suggests the peace of mind which can be gain by laughter. In hasyam rasa there is are comic elements by the characters of drama by which they tries to make audience laugh and fresh, if there is any tragic scene one after one, dramatist used to use the comic scene to make the audience fresh and ready for the next tragic scene. In British literature there is also this kind of technique has been used by Christopher Marlow in Dr. Faustus. Sometimes dramatist put such characters which are specially set in drama to evoke hasya rasa so the audience feel relief. Hasya rasa is another important rasa as per Bharatmuni. Hasya is also a therapy as per science which can help to relief the pain.

3)   Raudram- Fury and violence
                  This rasa is presiding by rudra, the angery nature of Shiva is considered as Rudra, and its colour is red, which suggests fire too. Rudra also consider as destroyer. This rasa evokes when there is any sequence of anger and the situation is very furious and characters are full of passion and violence. This a very important rasa as far as veer rasa is concern because both are connected with each other, after anger there is a depiction of veer rasa and the story goes on. The depiction of Raudra rasa suggests that in the story something worst will be happen soon, for example in Abhigyanshakuntalam appearance of Durvasa suggests the fear the departure of lovers. As anger spoils the relation, in Rasa theory it suggests the downfall in the life of characters.

4)   Karunyam- Compassion and Tragedy
                   This rasa is presiding by Yama, the God of death and the colour of this rasa is gray, colour of ashes, that itself suggests that its about tragedy and departure. Karuna is the second important Rasa. As per Bharatmuni, any story cannot be completed without Karuna rasa. Compassion is very important for drama; audience can be more involved by the tragic incidents than comic or any other. This emotion touches the heart of an audience more than any other rasas. Tragic elements are necessary for drama; because of tragic elements one can get pleasure of hasyam and shrungar. Karun rasa has also its own beauty, if a character is in pain audience can get tragic aesthetic pleasure. That is the reason that the experience over tragedy we find as much enjoyment as in that of a comedy.

5)  Bibhatsam- Disgust
                                  Bibhatsa rasa is preciding by Lord Shiva, shiva is considered as a tribal man, the colour of this rasa is blue. It suggests disgust and hesitation. Bibhats rasa evokes when there is a description of such unwillingly things and such kind of situation which is not accepted and which has not morally and ideally good perception. This rasa is rarely used, but when it is in use it fills the heart of audience with disgust.

6) Bhayanakam- Horror and  Terror
                 This rasa is presiding by the goddess kali, the angry part of parvati goddess. The image of kali, even the description of it is also horrible. The colour of Bhayanaka rasa is black; ‘kali’ a word itself suggests the black colour. The colour is also used to horrify. In the drama, it cultivates the fearin the audience by the characters. In mythological drmas, an entrance of devil or any evil power, it evokes the terror in the mind of audience which is Bhayanakam rasa.
7)   Shantam- peace and tranquillity
            The last rasa is shantam it means peace. The colour of shantam rasa is white and it is symbole of peace and also it suggests purity. The rasa is presiding by Vishnu. It evokes when all the characters are happy in their life and feeling pleasure. Most of the time it comes in the end of the drama, when there is a happy ending.


8)  Viram- Heroic Mood
             Veer rasa is to show power and strength of the character. It is presiding by lord Indra which suggests power and strenghth of all the Gods. The colour of this rasa is wheatish brown, near to gold colour. This rasa evokes when thre is a time of fight and the character has to show his ability and physical strength. It suggests heroic presentation by the character in drama.

9)  Adbhutam- Wonder
Adbhutam rasa is presiding by Lord Brahma, Brahma is a writer of destiny and Adbhutam rasa is about wonder in life of character. The colour of adbhutam is yellow; it is also a colour of brightness. It evokes when an unexpected incident or  thing happens, it creates wonder in the mind of character as well as audience.

Conclusion
if we can find and illustrate the major Rasa so we all know that there are nine major Rasas but two Rasas are the part of the Nine Rasas. Another common Rasas are Vatsalya(parental love) and Bhakti (Spiritual Devotion).

works Cited 
Encyclopedia Britannica. 2021. Rasa | Indian aesthetic theory. [online] Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/art/rasa> [Accessed 29 May 2021].

INDIAN CULTURE. 2021. The rasa theory: an essay in understanding. [online] Available at: <https://indianculture.gov.in/rasa-theory-essay-understanding> [Accessed 29 May 2021]

"Rasa Theory (Indian Aesthetics); Summary & Analysis • English Summary". English Summary, 2021, https://englishsummary.com/rasa-theory/#Features_of_Rasa_Theory&gsc.tab=0
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