Vedic Threads | Self paced
Exploring Rasa in Daily Life
This course offers an integrated exploration of Navarasa—the nine fundamental emotional essences—through the lenses of Indian aesthetics, sound (nāda), and Āyurveda. It begins by presenting rasa as a multidimensional experience that nourishes body, mind, and consciousness, emphasizing its expression through music and the sensitive interplay between performer and listener.
Building on this foundation, the course examines how different rasas manifest in illness, grief, and emotional struggle, highlighting the therapeutic role of sound and music in processing and transforming emotions. It further explores the deeper dimensions of rasa in resilience, inner transformation, and the end-of-life journey, where śānta (peace) emerges as the culmination.
The final session integrates these insights into practical applications, showing how awareness of rasa can support healing, emotional balance, and compassionate care across all stages of life. Overall, the course presents Navarasa as both an artistic framework and a pathway for self-awareness, healing, and inner stillness.
Guest Instructor
Dr. Shubham Kulkarni
Dr. Shubham Kulkarni is an Ayurvedic doctor and music therapist specializing in end-of-life care and mental health. He serves as the Head of the Department of Gandharva Veda Music Therapy at Maharishi University in the Netherlands and is a fellow of Naad, Raag, Ras, and Consciousness rooted in Abhinavgupta’s philosophy. A trained classical vocalist and disciple of Pandit Shounak Abhisheki ji, his work integrates both clinical and philosophical research, focusing on areas such as insomnia, depression, pregnancy care, Shaivism, tantra, mental health, and end-of-life care, alongside extensive clinical practice and tutoring experience across more than six countries.
Navarasa – An exploration through nāda, Āyurveda, and Abhinavagupta
Topics Covered:
- Rasa means more than taste; it is the essence extracted, savored, and assimilated at body, mind, and soul levels.
- Abhinavagupta expanded the original 8 rasas to 9 by adding śāntarasa, the rasa of peace and culmination.
- True rasa arises when nāda (sound), dhvani (suggested meaning), and śabda (word) are received by a sensitive heart (sahr̥daya).
- Every rāga in Indian music is designed to evoke a particular rasa, not merely an emotion, but a state of being.
- The creation and reception of rasa depend on inner sensitivity and discipline, both from the performer and the listener.
- Rasa as described by Abhinavagupta integrates śiva (pure consciousness) and śakti (awareness) into aesthetic experience.
- In Āyurveda, rasa is the first of the seven bodily tissues and is both physical and emotional nourishment.
- Emotional imbalance in Āyurveda is viewed as a form of rasa ajīrṇa — indigestion of emotions, affecting mental health.
- Nāda is the subtle vibration of sound; rāga is its structured form that enables rasa to manifest.
- The session concluded with a vocal demonstration in karuṇarasa, inviting participants into a direct experience of rasa through sound.
Learning Objectives:
- Define and distinguish the meaning of rasa from the perspectives of Abhinavagupta, Āyurveda, and nāda, recognizing its multidimensional nature.
- Describe how rasa is experienced and transmitted through sound, art, and relational presence, using core concepts like sahr̥daya and dhvani.
- Apply the principles of rasa theory to enhance awareness, healing, and aesthetic experience in daily life, therapeutic practice, and artistic engagement.
Session 2
Navarasa in suffering, illness, and emotional healing
Topics Covered:
- Rasa is experienced through both the body and mind and plays a role in healing.
- True health in Ayurveda includes clarity of mind, not only physical balance.
- Healing means restoring prasanna, not just removing disease.
- Fear and uncertainty are expressions of bhayānaka rasa and often appear first in illness.
- Anger in suffering reflects raudra rasa and needs safe expression.
- Grief and depression are forms of karuṇa rasa and can deepen illness if suppressed.
- Suppressed emotions increase imbalance, while expressed emotions bring lightness.
- The five stages of grief align closely with specific rasas.
- Music and nāda allow emotions to move without words.
- Raga-based music helps change our relationship to reality, not the reality itself.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the rasas associated with fear, grief, and anger as described in Ayurveda and Indian aesthetics.
- Explain how emotional expression through nāda and music supports healing in illness and suffering.
- Apply the concept of opposing rasas to support emotional balance in daily life.
Session 3
Navarasa at the threshold of death and transcendence
Topics Covered:
- Raudra energy can be constructive or destructive depending on whether it is guided by awareness.
- Suppressed grief often manifests as destructive anger rather than healthy courage.
- Vīra rasa requires a refined and conscious form of raudra to support resilience.
- Morning rāgas such as Bhairava cultivate alertness rather than comfort.
- Small changes in musical notes can radically alter the emotional rasa of a rāga.
- Listening to pure rāga rather than lyrical songs helps the listener stay rooted in rasa.
- Artistic traditions such as Rāgamālā paintings act as bridges between sound, poetry, and image.
- Slowness in music does not necessarily imply calmness; rasa lies in structure, not tempo.
- Śānta rasa emerges through acceptance, surrender, and inner stillness.
- At the end of life, nāda and rasa provide a direct pathway toward peace and transcendence.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify how specific rāgas evoke distinct rasas and explain the emotional effects of Bhairava, Ahir Bhairava, and Bhairavī.
- Distinguish between constructive and destructive expressions of raudra rasa in both music and lived experience.
- Describe how śānta rasa functions as the culmination of the Navarasa, particularly in contexts of grief, dying, and transcendence.
Session 4
Reflections & Integration with the Instructors
Topics Covered:
- Every human being is navarasa-ātmaka, capable of experiencing the full range of emotional essences.
- Therapeutic engagement requires sahṛdayatā, a genuine shared-hearted connection.
- In cases of trauma or grief, emotional attunement must precede musical intervention.
- For infants, rhythm and mind-pleasing sound are more significant than theoretical precision.
- Exposure to sound during pregnancy may influence subtle developmental processes.
- Depression (viṣāda) associated with vāta often contains elements of unresolved grief.
- The Ayurvedic principle of introducing a contrary emotion is described in Caraka.
- In grief, matching the emotional tone through rāga may allow suppressed feelings to surface.
- Elder care requires attention not only to diet but also to dignity and emotional context.
- The ultimate aim of sound-based therapy is silence and inner peace.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the concept of navarasa and explain its relevance in daily life.
- Outline how rāga may be used to meet and gradually transform emotional states such as grief or depression.
- Identify practical applications of sound awareness in childhood, pregnancy, and elder care contexts.
About Vedic Threads
Every Indian wisdom tradition carries within it a vast web of ideas, stories, and living knowledge. Vedic Threads is an invitation to explore that web — one theme at a time, in the company of lifelong practitioners and sincere seekers from around the world. Join hosts Drs. Ramkumar and Claudia Welch and Navneet Raman, and our distinguished guest instructors, for conversations that deepen your understanding of Ayurveda, yoga, and the traditions they emerge from.
