![]() The Navaras in Indian Classical Music are- Karuna sadness, pathos Shringar love, joy Vira heroism, valor Hasya laughter, comedy Raudra anger Bhayanaka fear Vibhatsa digust Adbhuta surprise Shanti peace When performing a drama (which includes classical dance), it is felt that a judicious use of the first eight moods would leave the audience with a feeling of the ninth, peace. In a musical performance, the first four, and the ninth, find expression in the Raagas, or musical modes. The moods of the other four, that is, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise, are not regarded as inherent in the Raagas themselves, but rather can be combined with stage action to create a greater dramatic effect. The shades and meaning of these moods can be described in a variety of ways. These descriptive words are called Bhavas (expressions). The Rasa Shringar ("love"), for instance, has so many Bhavas: happiness, joy, enchantment, wonder, ecstasy, infatuation, adoration, eroticism, devotion, and so on-there must be an infinite number of words to describe all the kinds of love. Bhavas are what artists spend years developing and refining, and are what communicates with and moves audiences. Apart from the Rasas, there are other terms which are commonly used to describe the shades of feelings that can be conveyed by Raagas. According to their nature, Raagas can be classified into two groups- serious or light. A serious Raaga can be said to have a Gambhir Prakrit (serious nature). This might be said of the strictly classical literature in general. Lighter Raagas are said to have Chanchal Prakrit (restless nature). A Raaga with a devotional tradition is described as having Bhakti Ras (devotional love), to distinguish it from the more romantic nature of Shringar Ras. Also certain Raagas are said to have healing properties. However, one must be very careful when dividing the various Raagas as these may be very personalized by different artists, and one person's concept of "heavy" in music may be approached more lightly in another's version. |