Navarasa Navarathri

Navarasa Navarathri

By

P.R.Ramachander

THunderstuck I had long back  stood   as an audience,

Witnessing   the  navarasas   being portrayed,

By  a Kathakali artist, without movement of his body,

But only   by movement of his two eyes.

A few days back my  loving daughter  invited me,

With great  love to see   her   Navarathri doll  show,

Which she   preferred   to  be named   as,

The navarasa    show  of  Navarathri .

I was surprised   and told   her  that I would love to see it,

And I  was taken aback  to see  the good old Navarasa in front of me.

I saw  the horse  pulling   the minister’s beard  through the window,

And along with    jester  with a mission Tenali   Rama laughed.

My daughter  then showed me several paunched laughing budhas,

Carrying money bags    and laughing   to their fill  ,

And showed that  these  two represented  humour  rasa,

Without which life   is drab  and almost silly  and I did laugh

Then she told me , be ready   to get drowned  in Surprise Rasa,

By showing me   Alladdin  being   surprided  by the genie,

AS well as  the falling of   good   and pretty Alice ,

In to the pit with surprise  and I fell in Surprise  Rasa.

Then  though unwillingly  she dragged  me to see  ,

The great hero  Hercules   doing  his missions with courage ,

As also  the courage  of Hanuman   as well as Durga ,

In the battle field  and though Old   suddenly I was lifted in Courage Rasa.

Then she showed me the tiger Arbutha   taking  pity on  the Cow ,

Called Punya koti   and letting it go  to feed  its calf  ,

She also showed how  poor  karna who   lost everything due to pity,

And how Lord Rama  took pity on Ahalya  and I was deep inside Pity Rasa.

She then took me to scene  of the devoted   Gajendra  got scared,

Of the crocodile   and called  Lord Vishnu for help  and to save him

And then he showed me  the Chinese monster  called  NIan ,

Getting scared  by a person wearing red tunic  and I was deep in scare  Rasa.

Seeing me being disturbed by all these  Rasas , she showed by

The peace that emanated from the girl Sadako  when she made paper cranes,

The peace  shining from the face of Raghavendra  doing penance in Manthralata,

And also  the abode  of peace   Adhi SAnkara  and I fell in the  peace Rasa.

My daughter then told me  that   she is going  to give me a jolt,

And showed me the anger  in the face  of Lord  Narasimha ,

When he came  to kill  Hiranya   for tormenting  his devotee

 And how  Shiva killed  god of love in great anger and I fell in anger rasa.

I was  shocked   by it and   she said  she is going to shock me further

And showed me Lord Vishnu as Mohini dancing  for killing Basmasura,

And also the scene  of snowhite  getting disgusted by her step mother ,

And mother Sita getting disgusted  by being in Asoka vana  and I was in disgust rasa.

I was then really disgusted and she said , no that is not how I want to end,

The interplay  of the nine rasas  and said the last one would thrill me,

And showed me  Lord Krishna   dancing with his beloved and pretty Radha,

As well the  wonderful story of Beauty and the beast and I was in Beauty Rasa.

After getting   drenched  in these   portrayal   of the nine Rasas,

From the   Navarathri   doll  display   of my daughter ,

I went back to my  garden of dreams , thinking   about,

Those portrayals   and felt that  this play  of emotions  were indeed great.