Dhvani and Rasa Applied

This weeks readings once again stressed the importance of dhvani and rasa in Indian literature. Pollock’s article on the surface stressed two important things. First, he illustrated that Sanskrit literature was important because it connected readers to an aesthetic experience highly valued in Indian culture. Second, one reaches the core of Pollock’s argument when he emphasizes that not only does Sanskrit literature become important because of its religious dimension, but also because of its power to display the social and moral norms within Indian society. Within the constraints of dhvani and rasa theory, Pollock showed how dhvani alludes to social aspects. Thus, he argued that in order to properly understand dhvani, one must understand the social context the author is talking within. Moreover, he argues that rasa works parallel to ones moral consciousness. He states that false bhavas are related to moral discourse. In other words, one gets false feelings when literature represents portrayals of stories that goes against the social order or norms within society. Lastly, Pollock outlines the true bhava-passion- which closely relflects the aesthetic experience. He quotes Bhoja, “passion alone is rasa, and the sole means of fulfilling the four life-goals” (pg 220).

Upon reading this week’s readings, one thing that struck my attention the most was the discussion of both literature conveying social and moral implications and this idea of putting things into context. What I find interesting is how such an analytical discussion in Indian literature can connect with the Quran. Pollock quotes, “aesthetic suggestion is a semantic function that produces in sensitive readers the idea of something different from the direct sense, by means of nine different factors of pragmatic specificity: that of the speaker, the addressee, the tone of the voice, the syntagm of the sentence, the expressed sense, the presence of a third person, the context, the time, or the place” (206). Much like the way that Indian verses are given significance through these nine different factors, the Quran is often studied in a similar way. The correlating theory in the Islamic tradition is referred to as the ‘occasions of descent’. According to this theory the verses in the Quran must be put into context in order to reveal dhvani.

In addition, the ideal of literature reflecting moral and social aspects in a certain culture can also be applied to the Quran. The dyvanyaloka and Pollock makes clear that in the Ramayana the good wins and the bad loses. In this sense, the idea is that one must mimic Rama not only in his behaviours, but in the way in which he functions within the social constraints of society to be depicted as good, whereas one must refrain from mimicking Ravana because he loses the battle, hence emphasizing his bad character. The Quran promotes similar social and moral ideals. The idea is that God favours Muhammad in his efforts, seen through the victory of war, so if one wants to go to heaven, one must mimic Muhammad’s characteristics.

Ultimately, Indian literature argues that mimicking Rama and experiencing his rasa is the true aesthetic experience according to this weeks reading. In other words, this is the way in which passion is developed thus a guiding principle to the main goals in Hinduism. In Islam such feelings of love/passion is attained through realizing or seeing the truth in the prophet and his acts of wisdom. This too reflects the guiding principle which takes one closer to residing in paradise with God.
The idea that devices employed in Indian literature can be used to also look at or reflect upon other cultures, really caught my attention the most in this weeks readings.