RASA
“Because truly that existence is auspiciously formed, rasa truly is that existence; for once one here reaches that rasa, this person becomes completely blissful.” (TaiU. 2.7.1)
What is RASA?
Rasa, in performance art is the feeling or emotion that a performer gives to their audience. The goal is to make the audience physically and emotionally feel the things that the artist felt themselves. But! This is not at all the only meaning of the term.
In terms of food, RASA could be the art that a chef is sharing with their diners, or in terms of Terroir, though it is a stretch, I see Rasa being the elements of the terroir of a place that go into the food that is grown. The earth is using Rasa subconsciously in a way. Something I’ve noticed about Rasa during my research is that it has endless meanings, and so far all I’ve concluded is that Rasa can be everything. Which, funnily enough, is a way that I view “terroir” after taking this class.
The term rasa has been applied to many things over years of study and usage of the word. It originates from a sanskrit word pertaining to taste and nectar from plants. It is used 5 times in the Bhagavaghita with a similar meaning. In another part, Krishna actually refers to himself as rasa – human taste. This is very interesting, because over time the word was more commonly used in variations of theater and acting rather than taste. It is a way to experience art – any art, which to me includes food. From my understanding that can also extend to almost anything that evokes emotion and comes from a place of truth. And that also extends to everyone who is in the smallest way affected by a performance or whatever the term is being applied to. Sidenote: there is a specific type of theater that uses rasa to achieve certain goals emotionally and aesthetically, but in this writing I am looking at the term on a larger scale.
It reminds me very much of “emotional terroir” but with a broader range of subjects that can be related to it.
There are 8 (sometimes 9, sometimes 10) Rasas, each one pertaining to a different emotion, color and often times diety.
śṛngāra ̇ , “romance” or “passion”
hāsya, “comedy”
karunạ , “compassion”
raudra, “fury” vīra, “heroism”
bhayānaka, “horror”
bībhatsā, “revulsion”
adbhuta, “amazement.”
According to some resources, the achievement of rasa is divine love and acceptance.
I think that elements of New Orleans embody this idea. Not only is much of the music centered around expressing and sharing deep human emotion, but it is often experienced while stimulating more than just one sense. Connecting the environment with the physical acts with the emotional unseen.