Natyashastra and Foundational Aesthetic Theory: Rasa, Bhava and Abhinaya
What the exam tests
This domain tests accurate use of Bharata's aesthetic vocabulary: rasa, bhava, the rasa-sutra and the four abhinayas. Definitions must be precise, not decorative.
Core theory
- Text: the Natyashastra is attributed to Bharata and has 36 chapters covering theatre, dance, music, makeup and architecture.
- Rasa-sutra: vibhava, anubhava and vyabhichari bhava combine to produce rasa.
- Rasas: shringara, hasya, karuna, raudra, veera, bhayanaka, bibhatsa and adbhuta; shanta is added by later tradition.
- Bhava: vibhava (cause), anubhava (outward response), vyabhichari or sanchari (transient), sthayi (permanent).
- Abhinaya: angika (body), vachika (speech and song), aharya (costume and makeup), sattvika (inner emotional state).
Worked example
A heroine waits for her lover in the monsoon. Vibhava is the rainy season and the absent lover; anubhava is her looking at the path, sighing and adjusting her garment; vyabhichari bhavas are longing, hope and jealousy; the sthayi bhava is love; the rasa is shringara, or karuna if separation dominates. Reasoning: rasa is not produced by the actor's facial expression alone but by the combination of determinants, responses and transitory states relished by the spectator.
Traps that cost marks
Equating rasa with ordinary emotion; forgetting sattvika abhinaya; claiming Bharata lists nine rasas; confusing bhava with rasa; naming a rasa without identifying vibhava and anubhava; ignoring the spectator's role in rasa-experience.