Rasa Theory (From BharataMuni’s Nātyaśāstra)

 

#RasaTheory (From #BharataMuni’s #Nātyaśāstra)

Introduction

#Bharata Muni’s #RasaTheory from the #Nātyaśāstra is one of the most influential ideas in #IndianAesthetics. It explains -

• What rasa (sentiment) is
• How it is produced in drama
• The eight rasas and their emotional bases
•  The different kinds of bhāva (emotional states) that together create rasa
• The role of actor, text, and spectator in aesthetic experience

What is #Rasa?

The Basic Definition

Bharata defines rasa as the aesthetic sentiment experienced by the spectator, produced by the combination of:

• Vibhāva – Determinants (causes/context of emotion)
• Anubhāva – Consequents (expressions of that emotion)
• Vyabhicāri-bhāva – Transitory states (supporting, fleeting feelings)

He writes that rasa arises (niṣpatti) from the samyoga (combination) of these three.

The Food Analogy

Bharata uses a famous analogy:

• Just as different spices, vegetables, and ingredients are combined to produce the taste (rasa) of a dish,
• So different emotional elements (bhāvas), when combined and expressed, produce aesthetic rasa in the mind of the spectator.

Similarly:

• Food + spices → gustatory rasa (taste on the tongue)
• Drama (bhāvas expressed) → aesthetic rasa (taste in the mind)

Rasa is thus something the spectator “tastes” mentally, not a raw real-life emotion but a refined, aestheticized experience.

The Eight Rasas and Their Bases

Bharata lists eight rasas (later tradition adds a ninth, śānta):

#Rasa (Sentiment)	Meaning	#Sthāyi-bhāva (Dominant Emotion)
Śṛṅgāra	Erotic/Love	Rati (love)
Hāsya	Comic/Laughter	Hāsa (laughter)
Karuṇa	Pathetic	Śoka (sorrow)
Raudra	Furious	Krodha (anger)
Vīra	Heroic	Utsāha (energy/valor)
Bhayānaka	Terrible/Fear	Bhaya (fear)
Bībhatsa	Odious/Disgust	Jugupsā (disgust)
Adbhuta	Marvellous	Vismaya (astonishment)

Each rasa is thus rooted in a stable emotional core called sthāyi-bhāva, which is universal (all humans can feel love, fear, anger, etc.).

Bharata further assigns:

• Colors to rasas (e.g., Śṛṅgāra = light green, Karuṇa = ash-grey, Raudra = red, Bhayānaka = black, etc.)
• Deities (e.g., Śṛṅgāra – Viṣṇu, Raudra – Rudra, Vīra – Indra, Adbhuta – Brahmā)

These correspondences indicate how deeply rasa is integrated with psychology, cosmology, and symbolism.

Derivation of Some Rasas from Others

Bharata explains that four rasas are derived from four primary ones:

• From Śṛṅgāra (Erotic) → Hāsya (Comic) arises (through mimicry/ parody of love)
• From Raudra (Furious) → Karuṇa (Pathetic) arises (from the consequences of anger)
• From Vīra (Heroic) → Adbhuta (Marvellous) arises (from extraordinary heroism)
• From Bībhatsa (Odious) → Bhayānaka (Terrible) arises (what is disgusting often turns frightening)

This shows a systematic relation between rasas, not mere listing.

The Three Key Components: Vibhāva, Anubhāva, Vyabhicāri-bhāva

     Vibhāva – Determinants

Vibhāvas are causes or stimuli that evoke an emotion.

They are of two types:

1. 1 Ālambana-vibhāva (supporting determinant)
• The person or object that is the center of emotion
• Example (Śṛṅgāra): the beloved
1. 2 Uddīpana-vibhāva (stimulating determinant)
• The surrounding conditions that intensify emotion
• Example (Śṛṅgāra): spring season, moonlight, fragrance, music, garden, ornaments

Examples for other rasas:

• Karuṇa: death of a loved one, news of misfortune, captivity
• Raudra: insult, abuse, betrayal, rape, threat
• Bhayānaka: eerie sounds, ghosts, empty forests, cries of jackals and owls
• Bībhatsa: foul smells, blood, worms, excrement
• Adbhuta: miracles, divine beings, grand palaces, magical acts

Without correct vibhāvas, the intended rasa will not arise.

       Anubhāva – Consequents (Expressions)

Anubhāvas are the visible and audible expressions of an internal state, shown by the actor:

Examples:

• Śṛṅgāra: soft movements, tender glances, smiling face, sweet speech
• Raudra: red eyes, knitted brows, clenched fists, lip-biting, defiant posture
• Karuṇa: weeping, lamenting, drooping limbs, pale face
• Hāsya: throbbing lips and cheeks, broad smiles, shaking shoulders
• Bhayānaka: trembling, wide or frozen eyes, dry mouth, paralysis
• Bībhatsa: turning away, narrowing the mouth, spitting, covering the nose

These are consciously controlled by the actor and are crucial in making the inner emotional state perceptible.

Bharata groups anubhāva under the broader concept of abhinaya (representation), which has four kinds:

1. Āṅgika – bodily action (gestures, posture, facial expression)
2. Vācika – speech (dialogue, intonation, voice modulation)
3. Āhārya – costume and makeup (dress, ornaments, stage props)
4. Sāttvika – subtle, involuntary physical reactions (see below)

         Sāttvika-bhāvas – Involuntary (Temperamental) States

These are eight special physical reactions deeply tied to mental states:

1. Paralysis (stambha)
2. Perspiration (sveda)
3. Horripilation/goosebumps (romancha)
4. Change of voice (svarabheda)
5. Trembling (kampa)
6. Change of complexion (varṇabheda)
7. Tears/weeping (aśru)
8. Fainting (pralaya)

These are called sāttvika because they arise from inner sattva (psychic/moral energy, controlled mind). They cannot be convincingly faked without inner involvement. A great actor must cultivate these.

        Vyabhicāri-bhāva – Transitory States

These are temporary emotional states that support and enrich the dominant emotion without replacing it. Bharata lists thirty-three, e.g.:

• Discouragement, anxiety, shame, jealousy, weariness, intoxication, despair,
• sleep, dreaming, awakening, insanity, sickness, fright, deliberation, etc.

Example (Śṛṅgāra in separation):

• main sthāyi-bhāva = love
• vyabhicāri-bhāvas: anxiety, yearning, jealousy, fatigue, sleep, dreams, etc.

They give texture and psychological realism to the main emotion.

      Sthāyi-bhāvas – Dominant Emotional States

These are the stable, underlying emotional dispositions which, when artistically awakened and supported, become rasas in the spectator:

• Rati (love) → Śṛṅgāra
• Hāsa (mirth) → Hāsya
• Śoka (sorrow) → Karuṇa
• Krodha (anger) → Raudra
• Utsāha (energy, enthusiasm) → Vīra
• Bhaya (fear) → Bhayānaka
• Jugupsā (disgust) → Bībhatsa
• Vismaya (astonishment) → Adbhuta

They are universal human emotions, but in art they are refined and generalized so that the spectator does not merely feel personal love or grief, but a universalized aesthetic love or grief.

Rasa and Bhāva: Who Produces Whom?

The sages ask: do bhāvas come from rasas or rasas from bhāvas?

Bharata answers:

• Rasa arises from bhāvas, not the other way round.
• The bhāvas, together with representation (abhinaya), cause rasa to originate.

Yet he also emphasizes mutual dependence using analogies:

• States ↔ Sentiments are like seed ↔ tree:
• A tree comes from a seed, but seeds also come from trees.
• Like ingredients and taste:
• Like ingredients and taste:
• Ingredients produce taste; but the experience of taste is what makes ingredients meaningful as “edible”.

So practically:

• On the stage side: Bhāvas (through vibhāva + anubhāva + vyabhicāri) → generate rasa
• On the spectator side: Rasa is what is experienced, while bhāvas are what are seen

This distinction is crucial:

Aspect	Bhāva (State)	Rasa (Sentiment)
Where located	In character/actor	In spectator
Nature	Emotional manifestation	Aesthetic experience
Visibility	Outwardly seen	Inwardly tasted
Duration	Momentary, situational	More general, pervasive during a scene/play

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                   Detailed Glimpses of a Few Rasas

1 Śṛṅgāra (Erotic)

• Based on Rati (love), related to youth, beauty, union of man and woman
• Two forms:
• Sambhoga-śṛṅgāra (in union): joyful love with beloved present
• Vipralambha-śṛṅgāra (in separation): love colored by absence and longing
• Determinants: spring, moonlight, garlands, ornaments, music, gardens, beloved’s presence
• Determinants: spring, moonlight, garlands, ornaments, music, gardens, beloved’s presence
• Expressions: serene eyes, sweet words, graceful body movements
• Bharata carefully distinguishes Śṛṅgāra in separation from Karuṇa:
• Karuṇa = despair due to irreversible loss (death, curse, captivity)
• Śṛṅgāra (separation) = sorrow mixed with hope and yearning

This shows his subtle understanding that same external event (separation, tears) may lead to different rasas depending on psychological framing.

2 Hāsya (Comic)

• Based on Hāsa (laughter)
• Arises from distortion or parody of Śṛṅgāra and other situations: grotesque dressing, boastfulness, stupidity, etc.
• Appears in different social grades:
• Superior persons: gentle smile, restrained, aesthetically pleasing
• Middling: moderate laughter, slightly louder
• Inferior: loud, vulgar laughter, shaking body, tears, uncontrolled behavior

Bharata even classifies six types of laughter (from slight smile to excessive, vulgar laughter) and links them to social character. This is a very fine-grained psychology of expression.

3 Karuṇa (Pathetic)

• Based on Śoka (grief)
• Determinants: death of dear ones, loss of wealth, exile, curse, captivity
• Expressions: loud weeping, lamentation, fainting, striking the body, drooping limbs
• Vyabhicāris: dejection, delusion, fainting, illness, fear, inactivity, etc.

It is the rasa of tragedy, producing deep compassion and emotional purification in the spectator.

4 Vīra (Heroic)

• Based on Utsāha (energy, valor)
• Determinants: noble cause, strength, reputation, self-confidence, moral duty
• Expressions: firmness, courage, patience, generosity, righteous anger
• Subtypes:
• Heroism in charity
• Heroism in duty (dharma)
• Heroism in battle

Vīra emphasizes moral heroism, not brute violence.

5 Bībhatsa (Odious) and Bhayānaka (Terrible)

• Bībhatsa = disgust (e.g., stool, worms, blood, foul smells)
• Bhayānaka = fear (from ghosts, darkness, empty houses, inauspicious sounds)

These are especially challenging on stage because they risk becoming merely unpleasant. The artist must maintain an aesthetic distance so that the spectator experiences a refined disgust or fear, not actual nausea or panic.

 Abhinaya and Performance Styles

Beyond rasa, this unit also briefly mentions:

• Four Abhinayas (modes of representation): āṅgika, vācika, āhārya, sāttvika
• Two Dharmis (styles):
• Lokadharmī – realistic, everyday behavior
• Nāṭyadharmī – stylized, conventional theatrical behavior

Good drama blends both: realism for credibility, stylization for beauty and clarity.

 The Role of the Spectator (Sahṛdaya)

Crucially, Bharata assumes a cultured spectator (sahṛdaya – “one with a heart”):

• Has emotional sensitivity
• Understands dramatic conventions
• Is capable of abstracting universal emotions from particular situations

Rasa is not just produced on stage; it is completed in the mind of the spectator. Without a sahṛdaya, the same performance may fail to “taste” like anything special.

Why Rasa Theory Matters

1. It offers a systematic theory of emotional response to art, comparable (and superior in some ways) to Western notions like Aristotle’s “catharsis”.
2. It explains how we take pleasure in tragic or painful scenes—through aesthetic transformation, not raw sympathy alone.
3. It unites:
• Text (playwright)
• Performance (actor, stage)
• Reception (spectator)
• within one coherent framework.

• 4.     It gives you an analytical lens to read not only Sanskrit drama but all narrative and dramatic art—including modern films, novels, and plays.

1. Reference - Indian Aesthetics: An Introduction by V.S. Sethuraman (Macmillan): Section I - From Nātyaśāstra: BharataMuni (Page No. 5-31)