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.Surrender and serving each other are the keys to anygood marriage or any other kind of stable love relationship.In this waythe relationship becomes a rehearsal of surrender to the universe and theDivine; it is directly through such a close partnership of Love that thissurrender may happen in its most exalted manner.Our universal Love36 T H E N I N E RASASmay also be expressed in relationships with family, friends, and basicallyevery person, animal, plant, or atom that we meet in life.Mind is the dominant kosha (sheath) in Shringara, because it is ourbasic tool for experiencing both physical and mental enjoyment.The egois also involved through the process of identification with the object ofShringara.The intellect may support it, for example by recalling sweetmemories of earlier times spent with a loved one or by explaining thehidden meanings behind an object of art.Artists play a very important role in stimulating the mood of Shrin-gara.One might say that traditional artists are masters of Shringara.There is Beauty in everything, even in misery or ugliness.That Beautycan be appreciated through paintings, sculptures, drama, movies, thespectacle of natural beauty, and so on.As the spectator is not person-ally involved, even the most horrific or sad experience - when artfullyexpressed by an actor, musician, or artist - can create a feeling of enjoy-ment.More about the role of art can be read in chapter 2 3.Shringara can be experienced on the physical, mental, and spirituallevels or on various combinations of these.Although Shringara can beexperienced at all levels, it has a particular relationship with the secondchakra.When it is experienced there, it is mostly physical and mental.When Shringara is experienced on the level of the fourth chakra, it maybecome very spiritual.Shringara can also be found in a more intellectualform, going into the world of meanings behind the aesthetic experience,which brings it to the fifth chakra level.While everyone has the ability to live in Beauty and Love withoutmuch effort, most people seem to suffer from a lack of both.Partiallythis is due to the increased popularity of the Rasas that are "enemies"of Love, particularly Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust (see the relatedchapters).It is also due to a real lack of understanding and appreciationof Shringara in modern culture.This is true in art and drama as well asin life.Romantic feelings are no longer regarded as "cool," especially inWestern society, and their cultural expression is mainly limited to mov-ies for children and old ladies.The beneficial effects of art, decoration,Shringara: Love 37music, and natural beauty on people's feelings are grossly underesti-mated.On the other hand, bodily beauty is totally overrated, with, forexample, people choosing plastic surgery simply because their looks arenot perfect.Moderation of sensual enjoyment is regarded as puritanicaland as a result relationships suffer from exhaustion, excessive expecta-tions, and boredom.Sub-Rasas of LoveMany sub-Rasas of Shringara are recognized in which the Love is notbetween a man and a woman.The best-known and most revered sub-Rasa of Shringara in Indian society is the selfless and pure Love of amother for her child.That parental Love is called the Vatsalya Rasa andcan also be experienced when it is felt that the Divine requires nurturingworship.This usually finds expression in activities such as decorating atemple or cleaning and dressing up a statue of the deity.The mood of Shringara has two aspects: The feeling of Love in union(Sambhoga Shringara) and in separation (Vipralambha Shringara).Theproblem with enjoying Love, as with every enjoyment, is that it has atendency to become addictive.When the object of Love is not present,Love can be mentally relived, fantasies about future meetings may occur,and a severe sadness and longing may be felt.Love always includes somelevel of attachment and this attachment to somebody may continue forthe rest of one's life.In many cultures, people sing "I will love you until the end of time." In India, the Love between a man and a woman canbe so strong that they take a vow to reincarnate for each other always.It is this vow that led to the disputed tradition of widow-burning (sati),which was believed to ensure that the wife could become her dead hus-band's wife again in the next life.The mood that is predominant in Bhakti Yoga (the yoga of spiritualdevotion) strongly relates to Shringara, but also includes other Rasassuch as Calmness and Wonder.The Love of the devotee is as real as inother types of Shringara, because the deity (including depictions suchas pictures or sculptures) is seen as more real than anything else.The38 T H E N I N E RASASadvanced bhakta (devotee) bypasses the addiction problem that is typi-cal for other types of Shringara, because he or she feels that God isalways around and available.Everything is God, so only unity is seen,even in the diversity of life.There is no need to look or long for Godbecause God is felt everywhere.Nevertheless, the feeling of separationfrom God may create Sadness and the less advanced bhakti yogi may toostrongly personalize his or her relationship with God and become overlyjealous or fanatical toward others [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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