Description
Rasa is the aesthetic theory of emotional experience central to all Indian performing arts. The nine rasas (navarasas) — shringara (love), hasya (humor), karuna (compassion), raudra (anger), veera (heroism), bhayanaka (fear), bibhatsa (disgust), adbhuta (wonder), and shanta (peace) — describe the emotional flavors a performance can evoke. In music, specific raags are associated with particular rasas, though the relationship is more suggestive than prescriptive.