Rasa

(“tastes”) In Indian aesthetics, the nine
moods that can be generated in an audience by various types of artistic expression: erotic, comic, compassionate,
cruel, heroic, terrifying, loathsome,
marvelous, and peaceful. These nine
rasas correspond to the nine bhavas
(“states”): sexual excitement, laughter,
grief, anger, energy, fear, loathing, wonder, and peace. The nine bhavas are
considered to be the most basic unadulterated emotions, and although each of
the rasas corresponds to one of the
bhavas, there is an important difference.
Human emotive states come and go in
response to circumstances largely
beyond our control. Such emotive states
often cannot be sustained, and they are
generally not objects of aesthetic satisfaction. The case is very different for an
aesthetic mood (rasa), which can be sustained, since it is artificially generated
through artistic expression. This
emphasis on creating and sustaining
such a mood for an audience is the
dominant goal of the performing arts in
the Hindu tradition.