Rasa (literary form)

Rasa () or Raso is a certain didactic literary form in Apabhramsa. It is a genre of poetry in Old Gujarati language popular during early period of Gujarati literature. Sometimes the term is used interchangeably with "Prabandha" of medieval literature.
History.
"Rasa" developed during the period of Gurjar Apbhramsa. It is a period between Hemachandra and Narsinh Mehta. They are mostly written by Jain monks and were performed in Jain temples on certain occasions. Early examples are "Updeshrasayan Rasa" (1143) by Jinadattasuri, "Bharateshwar-Bahubali Raso" (1184) by Shilabhadrasuri, "Jeevdaya Raso" (1200) by Asigu. "Sandesa Rasak" (15th century) by Abdul Rahman is one example of non-Jain composition. The literary tradition till 19th century. "Gajsinh-Raja-no-Rasa" (1851) is one late example.
Form.
During its earliest form, it was a musical "Roopaka" (theatrical performance). Vagbhatta describes "Rasaka" as a soft and vigorous musical "Roopaka" with a variety of "Tala" (beat or measure) and "Laya" (rhythm). "Rasaka" was played by female dancers. The number of pairs participating can increase up to 64.
There were two types of "Rasa"s; "Tala Rasa" and "Lakuta Rasa". In "Tala Rasa" the beats of time were matched by claps of hands while in "Lakuta Rasa" it was matched by clashing of wooden sticks in the hands of performers. So the "Rasa" was a type of literature intended to performed by pairs of females dancing and singing in a circle. "Tala Rasa"s were mostly played by females while "Lakuta Rasa"s were mostly played by males. The form is somewhat similar to "Rasa" dance played in "Rasa lila".
As the early "Rasa"s were intended to be performed, they were not lengthy. But over the years, they became lengthy and narrative with elements of story. So the performance aspect may have been diminished. It is doubtful that the "Rasa"s written in 17th and 18th centuries were actually performed. It is most likely that they were only recited.
The "Rasa"s were written in a variety of metres like Doha, Chaupai or Deshi. "Rasa"s were divided into "Khanda" and different parts were called "Bhasha", "Thavani", "Kadavaka".
They had historical as well as mythological themes. Due to their basic composition meant to be didactic, the early "Rasa" like the "Buddhi Rasa" includes only words of advice. In late compositions of 16th to 18th century, they reads heavy and artificial due to incorporation of elements of narration, description, moral instructions and sectarian principles.