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Sunday, June 3, 2012

Spiritual life force in Hindustani music, Islamic Culture, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic Culture
Spiritual life force in Hindustani music
By BINDU CHAWLA

It is the wetness of water, the lilt in a melody, or the hue that radiates with the play of light on colour.

Like the meaning of the word ‘Krishna’ — ‘an inner element which attracts’ — the concept of rasa in Hindustani culture and music helps transmit an elusive but profound tattva or principle of life.

Rasa is the spiritual life force, the affirmation of the spirit in life, which radiates when ragas and talas are honed to a shine. And yet, the ragas of the entire Hindustani system have been categorised under nau rasa or the nine rasas . They are the shringara or love, hasya or humour, raudra or anger, vira or valour, the adbhuta or wondrous, vibhatsa or odious, karuna or compassionate, bhayanaka or fearful and shanta or peaceful. All raga moods are to be contained within the gamut of these nine prescribed bhavas or emotions, with some mix and match as well.

“ Rasa is the essence, the abstract quality of the raga,” explains Pandit Amarnath of the Indore gharana . “There is basically one essence or rasa in all of Hindustani music, and that is the bhakti rasa ; if it is shringara rasa or the emotion that represents love and its celebration, it is for bhakti . If it is adbhuta rasa or the mood which represents the sense of wonder, it is for bhakti . The underlying rasa is always bhakti . That is why the nau rasa theory is more relevant for the actor, rather than the musician, when things have to be dramatised.”

http://newageislam.com/spiritual-life-force-in-hindustani-music/islamic-culture/d/547


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