Rasa Theory And Natyashastra

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Name:Gohil Poojaba S

Roll No.:18

Std:M.A.Sem:2

Sub:Paper No 7

Literary Theory And Criticism

Assignment Topic:Rasa Theory & Natyashastra

Summited To:M.K.Bhavnagar University

Year:2015:2017

Introduction:

“Our emotions are the gastric juices which transform this world of appearance into the more intimate world of sentiments.on the other hand,this outer world has its own juices,having their various qualities,which excite our emotional activities.this is called in our Sanskrit Rhetoric,Rasa,which signifies outer juices having their responses in inner juices of our emotions.and a poem,according to it,is a sentence or sentences containing juices,which stimulate the juices of emotion.it brings to us ideas vitalized by feelings,ready to be made into the life style of nature.”(Rabindranath Tagore)

The very core of the Sanskrit Natya theory is the creation of “Rasa”.every dramatic presentation was aimed at evoking in the minds of the audience a particular kind of aesthetic experiences,which is described as “Rasa”.the concept of “Rasa” is the most important and significant contribution of the Indian mind to aesthetics.the study of aesthetics deals with the realization of beauty in art,its relish or enjoyment and the awareness of joy that accompanies an experience of beauty.Rasa has no equivalent in word or concept in any other language or art of the world hitherto known to us.the closest explanation can be ‘Aesthetic Relish’.

The word Rasa is derived from the root Rasah meaning sap or juice,taste,flavour,relish.the extract of a fruit is referred to us Rasa,which itself is the essence of it,the ultimate flavour of it.Bharata succinctly encapsulates the theory of Rasa in his most famous formula like Rasa sutra thus:

“VibhavanubhavvyabhicharisanyogatRASAnishpattih”.

The aesthetic relish is produced by a combination of the determinants,consequents and transitory states or fleeting emotions.he explains Rasa as the essence derived from the various ingredients.he gives the parallel of the extract,rasa,got from various condiments,having different tastes when combined becomes delectable to taste.hence,that which can be tasted or flavoured can be termed as Rasa.

This aesthetic relish,which is possible only through mental perception,is termed as ‘Natyarasa’.even the terms Vibhava,Anubhava,and Vyabhicharibhava refer only to stage representations,not to realities of life.it naturally follows that what they produce should only be Natya Rasa.

Bharata classifies the Rasa under eight categories and gives the corresponding Bhava which gives rise to the rasa.these are known as Sthayi Bhava or pervading stable emotion.they are:Rati(Love),Hasa(Mirth),Shoka(Grief),Krodha(Anger),Utsaha(Heroism),Bhaya(Fear),Jugupsa(Disgust),and Vismaya(Wonder).

The corresponding eight Rasa are Sringara(Amorous),Hasya(Humourous),Karuna(Pathetic),Raudra(Furious),Vira(Valorous),Bhayanaka(Horrific),Bibhatsa(Repugnant),and Adbhuta(Wondrous).

There are three types of Bhava,namely Sthayi,Vyabhichari and Satvika totaling to forty nine.The Satvika bhava are the physical manifestation of intense emotion.they are Sthamba(Petrification),Sveda(Perspiration),Romancha(Horripilation),Svarabheda(Voice change),Vepathu(Trembling),Vaivarnya(Facial colour change),Asru(Weeping) and Pralaya(Fainting).it is an amazing analysis of human emotions put in a nutshell.

For instance,in the play,Abhijnanshakuntalam,Kalidasa uses King Dushyanta`s coming to the hermitage to pay respect to the sage,as the alambana vibhava.The girl`s talk,the bee,their attire,the flower garden,and such other become the uddipana vibhava.on Dushyanta`s entry,fleeting emotions like confusion,wonder,fear,curiosity,bashfulness and such others seems to fill the minds of all the characters present.The blossoming of love between Shakuntala and Dushyanta is gradually established through the reactions of both of them to the conversation of the Sakhis with the king.if the ‘Patra’enacting as Shakuntala is able to show the Satvika bhava of horripilation or vepathu out of the new experience of love which is strange to an ashramite and Dushyanta is able to portray sthambha on seeing her beauty and romancha on knowing her lineage,then the rati sthayi bhava gets established in the mind of the people who can experience the sringara rasa.

Bharata says that Bhava and Rasa are mutually dependent.the performer or producer,be it an actor,dancer,singer,instrumentalist,or stage craftsmen,should be conscious of the sthayi bhava and the rasa that they are striving to establish.this will help them realize their Sidhdhi through Rasotpatti.

The Natyasashastra:

A key text which deals with the emotional theory of Rasa is the Natyasashastra,attributed to Bharata Muni.Bharata ascribed a divine origin to drama and considered it to be a fifth veda.the Natyasashastra primarily deals with theatre,dance & musical performance.According to the Natyasashatra,the major purpose of the dance,drama,ritual and poetry is catalytic in that aesthetic performance should provoke an emotion that is already present in members of the audience.the various elements of a performance combine to create a sympathetic response in those who experience them.Moreover,a member of the audience who has cultivated his or her own aesthetic response may experience a transformation of their own emotion into a purely aesthetic,transcendental feeling:an experience of divine bliss.this is the transformation of Bhava into its essence Rasa.

Natyaveda or Natyashashtra were divided into four parts:

1)Art of effective speech or recitation

2)Art of music

3)Art of acting and

4)Rasas

With the science or theory of which the Natyaveda is concerened,primarily presents Rasa,and the three acts are the means of its effective presentation.thus,it is an organic whole.so the Natya is divided into two parts mainly:Rasa & Presentation of Rasa.

The presentation of Rasa can be done in four ways:

1)Angika (Acting consiting part of body)

2)Vachika (Acting of speech organs)

3)Sattvika (The art of involve oneself in character and feel it which adds involuntary expressions & gestures.

4)Aharya (The other supportive create atmosphere for play.

Sthayi bhava and vyabhachari bhava are the two types of bhavas.Rasas sre engendered from the combination of these three elements.

Vibhav,Anubhav,Vyabhichari bhav and Sanyog are essential for Rasa.

In brief let`s glimps on it:

Vibhav:it has two elements.

1)Alamban (It is the means of expression of feelings through which feelings reaches to the viewer.

2)Udipan (They are the events happens in the drama and the stage decoration as well as the atmosphere created by musis,light effect on the stage and depiction of the atmosphere through words in text.

Anubhav:it is the physical changes due to the rise of an emotion.these changes are voluntary as they can be produced by an effort of the will.they are called Anubhavas.

Vyabhichari Bhav:these are transient emotions.they are like waves,which rise from the ocean of the basic mental state and subside into the same.

There are five aspects of Staus of mind Srasti,Stithi,Samhar,Tirobhava and Anugraha involved in the composition of a poem.

Srasti is aesthetic intuition that charges the poet.

Stithi denotes objects of inspiration which captivate the mind of the poet.

Samhar is indication of expression which is the depth of the poet.

Tirobhava is resulting stimulation which diffuses illusion.

Anugraha is the manifestation of the universal rhythm.

All these aspects are not found in every poem.Kavya which has these aspects offers truth,meaning and knowledge,kavya lacking them is not a poem but merely a verse.

According to Dimock Indian poetics may be appropriated for Indian Literature.he belives ‘Sanskrit critics have taxonomic approach to the psychology of emotions.the taxonomic involves to more from the personal to transpersonal.there is a highly particular level.it is the level of interpersonal aesthetic delight.

“An exhibition and enjoyment that is more like spiritual realization is very much present in Indian Literature.”

Further Dimock includes that the translation of Sanskrit Literature only consist the Sthayi Bhava but can not take the reader or viewer to the Rasa.

T.S.Eliot`s theory of objective corrective and the Rasa theory can be compared.Eliot even believes that a set of objects,a situation,a chain of event are responsible for the portrayal of the emotion in poetry.the feeling of the character is shown by surroundings and it is made objective that can be seen by eyes and felt by heart.the sahradaya cab feel the exact emotions and connect himself with the character.

Rasa theory has its own limitations as well as so many versions in Indian literatures such as Ramayana has.it is like gigantic tree having many branches.the vague interpretations of various Indian scholars about the rasa theory demand more attention to study an emphasis for the criticism of Indian text.

Abhinavgupta`s theory of Rasa:

For Abhinavgupta,all experiences leave ‘Traces’in the mind.these traces have two components:the Representational and the Emotional.the representational element can be visual image or a propositional fact,the emotional element is a re experiencing of the original feeling.

For example:

In recalling a deceased friends,one may recall an image of them,recall certain facts about them but even re experience the sadness felt at their passing.

These traces are latent in our minds,according to Abhinavagupta.at certain times,they may be fully activated.we recall the memories and re experience the emotions associated with them.However,ther are also times when these traces are activated but not brought into self reflecting awareness,yet there is some affect.

For example:

I might enter a particular place and feel suddenly sad.i might reflect on the sudden surge of sadness and recall a prior experiences of sadness in that place,but what is important here is that the representational content of the memory was initially not present.

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