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The concept of “Rasa”
1217 Bālakrīdā of Pundit Madhusūdanjee as above. The A.bh. text reads as : (pp. 15, Vol. I.N.S.; G.O.S., ibid): "ātharvane tu śāntika-māraṇā"di-karmasu națasya iva tasyartvijah prāştuda-vaisuņnādy anubhāvānām prajā-satru-prabhịtinā avadhānagrahaņādinā lohitóșnīsā”der nepathyasya teșu teșu ca karmasu viśistaprayatnapuruṣa-sampādya-manóvastambhātmanaḥ sattvasya sambhavāt tataḥ abhinayā nām-a-grahaņam. vācikasty abhinayah pūrvam evóktaḥ. prādhānyāt vibhāvānām dhrti-pramodā"di-vyabhicāriņām ca paramārtha-satām samāharanam pradhānam iti vibhāvā"di-samagri-rūpa-rasa"tmaka-carvanā-sambhava iti tatas tadgrahanam uktam iti, na tatasthā eva ete. ata eva rasyante. tatraiva ca rasyanta iti vaksyāmah."
The idea seems to be that priests in the various rituals of AV. such as those of śāntikarma, māranakarma, etc., put on constumes consisting of red turbans and such other things. Through anubhāvas they express certain feelings. There is a sort of mental avastambha or resoluteness brought about by special efforts, and therefore there is the exhibition of such a "sattva" or mental disposition. According to Abhinavagupta, this seems to be the connection of rasas with AV. One may imagine a scene in which one of such magical ritual is performed when everybody would be tense with emotion pertaining to a particular act. Abhinavagupta seems to have taken some such performance of the atharvana ritual as a source of emotional ecstasy in rasa.
We have seen earlier that though the word rasa occurs at several places in the A.V., we have no clear case of the later meaning of nātya-rasa or kāvya-rasa. From another point of view, however, we may say that several hymns of the AV., taken by themselves are very impressive love lyrics. The number of such hymns is
out thirty-three. They are : AV. I. 34; II. 3; VI. 8; III. 25; VI. 8, 9, 82, 89, 102, 130, 131, 132, 139; VII. 36, (37), 37 (38); 38 (39), etc. etc.
A few lines from these may be quoted as below : e.g. AV. VI. 8.
“yáthā vřkşám líbujā samantam parişasvaje' evā pári svajasva mā’m yathā kāmínyaso yáthā mánnā’pagā ásaḥ
and also,
yáthā suparnáḥ prapatan pakşáu nihánti bhūbhyām evā' nihanmi te, máno yáthā mām kāminyaso yathā mánnā'pagā ásah.
and also,
yáthā mé dyā'vāprthivī sadyah paryéti sūryaḥ, evā pā’ryemi te mano yathā mām kāminyaso yáthā mánnā'pagā ásah."
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| SR No. | 006910 |
| Book Title | Sahrdayaloka Part 03 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Tapasvi Nandi |
| Publisher | L D Indology Ahmedabad |
| Publication Year | 2005 |
| Total Pages | 676 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 15 MB |