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International Journal of
English Research
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VOL. 12, ISSUE 1 (2026)
Navarasa: The nine jewels of Indian aesthetic experience
Authors
Kanchan Rameshwar Vaidya
Abstract

Nourished in the soil of prehistoric Indian theatre, Navarasa the nine emotional essences, continue to shimmer like jewels in the coronet of Indian aesthetic thought. In this essay, the eternally beautiful Navarasas: Shringara (love), Hasya (laughter), Karuṇa (pity), Raudra (anger), Veera (valor), Bhayanaka (fear), Bibhatsa (disgust), Adbhuta (wonder), and Santa (peace) these are treated not merely as acting moods, but as profoundly rooted emotional archetypes that govern the Indian artistic mind. From traditional works such as Bharata's Natyashastra and from contemporary wisdom in dance, theater, film, and poetry, this research investigates how the rasas persist over time and medium. Instead of examining them independently as discrete expressions, this article examines their intertwinement—how one performance, verse, or glance can be a multiplicity of rasas in tension and harmony. Through the union of literary theory, philosophical analysis, and cultural inquiry, this book seeks not simply to describe the Navarasa model but to ask: why, all these centuries later, do these nine still move us?

The answer is found not only in the pleasing appearance of these rasas but also in their ability to connect on a human level.
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Pages:37-40
How to cite this article:
Kanchan Rameshwar Vaidya "Navarasa: The nine jewels of Indian aesthetic experience". International Journal of English Research, Vol 12, Issue 1, 2026, Pages 37-40
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