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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Kindle Life – Navarasa – Episode:7

There are “Navarasa’s” (nine state of a being) mentioned in Vedic literatures as characteristics of human beings. I could not find an equivalent English word to describe a “Rasa” and kindly permit me to use the word “Rasa” through out this article. More than characteristics, I would imagine “Rasa” is the manifestation of behavior of human beings in each of these Rasa’s at different times in our Life. The nine Rasa’s are:
  • 1.     Hasya – Humour
  • 2.     Adbudha – Wonderment
  • 3.    Shringara – Romance (very approximate translation)
  • 4.    Raudra - Anger
  • 5.     Karuna – Compassion
  • 6.    Veera – Valor (Fearlessness)
  • 7.     Bhaya (Fear)
  • 8.     Bibhatsa – Disgust
  • 9.    Shanta – Peace 
We are indefinitely striving for the ninth Rasa “Shanta, the Peace” through several means throughout our life. We hardly reach there, as the means are invariably wrong which has no capability to take us to that destination! In this article I wish to cover the macro picture of each of these Rasa’s and their importance in our life.

1. Hasya – Humour:

 In our childhood we found everything amusing right from the butterfly to airplane and we never had any inhibitions to laugh and giggle. As we grew up whenever we laughed, we were told that we have to be serious to achieve in life. Parents and teachers progressively ensured that we loose our ability to have humour in life. In our corporate World humour has no place which acts as lubrication in our life and improves efficiency and relationship. The research shows the organization with lighter atmosphere achieves more and has the least attrition. Humour sabotages outcome is a myth and believing that seriousness means absence of humour is absurd.

People who blend humour in their transactions found to have better relationship and produce results better than people who are always serious. Medically smile is found to have therapeutic value for well-being. I recently attended E-Lab (Energy Lab) programme of Swami Shukbodananda where we were taught how to develop the sense of humour including flexing the cheek muscles, which have become rigid without usage of laughing. People with light heatedness are found to have healthy and long life. Let us have “Hasya Rasa” in our daily life.

2. Adbudha Rasa - Wonderment


The Adbudha rasa is an integral part of us when we have born. When we were a toddler we kept every object in our mouth to figure our what that object is all about. We were very curious and wondering to see everything around us. As we grew up, slowly got into the rut of conformity taking everything granted and no wonderment in spite of everything is a miracle around us. The heart beating, breathing, digesting and any other functions of the body happening without our conscious effort is a miracle. Earth rotating without a spinning mechanism, flowers blossoming, lotus not getting wetted by water and everything we see around us is a miracle. If we are  are  open for this vision there will be wonderment and we have closed our senses they are events of daily life. The falling apple was a wonder for only one human being when billions of them saw in the past and taken for granted as a normal incident. It was jokingly said when Newton asked his father “why the apply has fallen down?”, his father had no answer and seem to have said “My son it was falling during my father and grand father days as well! All of them took it, polished it and ate it! My son you also do the same!”

The learning quotient - LQ is a function of wonderment which kindles curiosity and some of us remain as learners throughout our life. “One who knows not that he knows not is a fool” which means that there are large domain in this universe still remains as a mystery to be unfolded and we don’t know that we don’t know. When we are in this domain the wonderment is the only Rasa that will help us investigate this mystery the nature has kept in its bosom and waiting its children’s to discover. Let Adbudha rasa keep your LQ drive your life.

3. Shringara Rasa – Romance


One of the experiences all of us would have gone through is Shringara – the romance either in our pre-marital or after marriage at least in the first six months. In Tamil there is a saying “Asai aruvadu nall, moham mupadu nall” which means that desire after marriage will last for 30 days and lust will last till sixty days. This means that the romance is temporary till the lust is present. All of those who fell in love or infatuation will recall that we felt the woman or men who we fell in love with is going to provide eternal happiness we experienced in the dating days! Alas, the fact is disastrous after marriage; why? The astronomical telephone bill during pre-marriage dating has not even reduced to answering sms once a day!

The Shringara rasa is not Lust for sex! It is far beyond the physical needs. Today needing a partner at adulthood is for either satisfying sexual needs or serving the person and that explains the disappearance of Shringara once the lust is fulfilled. Let me quote Kahlil Gibran’s version of marriage:

“You were born together, and together you shall be for evermore.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Stand together yet not too near together: for the pillars of temple stand apart”

The Shringara is the most bonding ingredient between men and woman which adds spice to life even during the old age as it is free from lust for ephemeral aspects of life. If Shringara rasa is predominant during the married life it can keep the fire of love forever.

4. Raudra Rasa – Anger:


In my previous article “Anger Management” I presented the evil effects of anger. If anger is evil, the nature would not have created a Rasa of its kind. Let us look at the positive aspect of Raudra rasa.

The Raudra is divided into two rasas namely positive and negative. Positive anger ensures that you are not used as a doormat or taken for granted by the people around you. When anger expressed in a controlled manner it always has a positive effect. If the anger is expressed in an un-controlled manner it becomes a negative anger which spoils relationship and affects the image of the person. When one says “I am angry about ………” and expresses in a cool manner, the other person understands that the act is reprimanded and not the person. Often it is taken more seriously than expressed through an un-controlled anger. Raudra rasa hence is the positive anger that enhances your personality.

5. Karuna Rasa:  


The approximate translation of Karuna Rasa is what Buddha called as “Compassion”. It is not sympathy as it is often misunderstood. Sympathy leads to giving and enforces the ego of the giver feeling superior to the receiver. As Vivekananda says “Giving is possible only when the receiver is willing to accept and hence we need to thank the receiver for accepting our giving!”

Compassion is a state of a being where we are so tolerant to the people that none of their act can hurt you as you feel that “They knows not what they are doing” as Jesus said when he was crucified or Lord Buddha was spat on his face. In modern days we feel that when someone slaps us in one cheek, we should slap them in both their cheeks! It is very hard to make the modern man to understand what is compassion is all about.

There are several occasions we come across a situation in our family and professional life where we react heavily and regret later that those reactions could have been avoided. Such a feeling comes only when we are compassionate to those beings that we felt have hurt us. Hence compassion is none other than of a state of a being when we forgive those who commit mistakes and seemingly hurting us. Hence Karuna is an advanced state of a being which one can master after developing the previous 4 rasas.

The balance Rasa’s to follow soon. Wish you all the best to apply the Navarasa’s in your life.

Love
NC

13 comments:

  1. Very interesting NC.I have seen how beautiful relationships are destroyed because of someone's inability to control anger and bigoted viewpoints. And especially, when a person loves someone, he/she should not try to control their partner in the name of Love.

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  2. Thank you for sharing with us these color of emotions!!

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  3. I am delighted to see Zinal and Shirena's comments. It is a pleasure to watch young people taking interest in their self development using these inputs. God bless you for a wonderful life ahead. Kind Regards NC

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  4. wow...can't wait for the next installment!!

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  5. Sir you are making us wait like we wait for a Rajni Movie... When r the other 4 rasas coming up..... Should we pay a premium...

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  6. Dear Bharath

    Nice to know that my blog deserves premium like Rajnikant movie. There is always a pleasure in waiting which we all experienced during our romance days!

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  7. Very Nice..

    When I read the article had one question/thought that came to me - You mention that we are in the quest for Shanti Rasa; but is it that when you attain Shanti then you leave/attain mukti from the other Rasa's? In that sense what we are trying to achieve is a balance in the use of the all these rasas, use the positive side of all rasas rather than get consumed by it..You cannot have one rasa which is your dna, maybe when you are take the path of a monk or yogi, then you are leaving all rasas and trying to achieve only Shanti.

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  8. Hi Peripa,
    This one is really fantastic....
    I will make a concious effort to implement each of them:)...
    Thank you

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  9. Mr Ganesh if i am privileged to answer your question on behalf of Mr NC , i would like to quote here that Rasas or the Elements of a man in his life time has + ve and - ve aspects which either takes his consciousness levels from one chakra to another namely Mooladhara chakra the lowest chakra only cares about Food and lower pleasures of life and when the man graduates by using rasas he goes into Shrusrutha and then Manipura and Finally Anahatha these 4 are the materialistic chakras which makes a complete man in his body form but then when he uses the negatives he comes down the chakras and then he is re born to make good of this loses... So both the positives and negatives are required to experience and then finally graduate to the other 3 chakras for which Shanti rasa is the most imp quality to sustain and become a yogi or siddha.... I hope i have answered your question. You can never neglect your 10th standard learning's once you graduate and become a scientist or an economist since every learning helps you to climb steps of knowledge.. hence its said Wisdom is Knowledge set in action...

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  10. Looks like my reply to Mr Ganesh'S question was like a westindian bouncer, Just went above the head i guess.. Feedback welcome..

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  11. When you mention compassion , the Lady with the Lamp comes to my mind. Another one is Mother Thersa.
    I have read about Mahatma Gandhi that he could not stand the sight of a dog which was going through uncruciating pain and he had decided to shoot it down to give its permanent peace. In a way I feel this is also a compassion. You have to overcome your normal self to do that extraordinary act which may be a common act for a soldier.

    Compassion comes in many forms. Lord Rama's acceptance of fruits from Sabari who was an abandoned self , old in age , not knowing any tradition or royal or holy way of attending to the guest, offered the fruits which were already tasted by her to check whether they are worthy of offering. Rama accepts with great delight and also enjoys the occasion without any 'Bibatsa rasa'. This is an exhibition of compassion at its height.
    Similarly, he introduces the boatman Guha to his beloved Sita as if he was his own brother.
    this is also an act of compassion , exemplenary in nature.
    In Tamil there were some kings who were praised as 'Vallals'. One of them was called 'Pari' who could not stand the sight of a flower creeper without any hold and it was about to fall. probably he could pluck a stem from somewhere and planted it nearby so that it could hold on to it. Since he was moved so much about the pitiable condition of the creeper, he did not even waste his time. He simply pulled his carriage and left it as hold for the creeper and walked to his palace. Sometimes, certain action may look studid. but we have to go by the feelings of the man or woman who did the act rather that analysing by logic.
    There are innumerable narrations of this rasa in literature and epics .

    regards
    Hariharan P S

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