THE UTILITY OF THE BHAVA-RASA THEORY IN

CONTEMPORARY MUSICAL THEATRE

Thesis

Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree Masters of Arts in the Graduate School of the
Ohio State University

By

Shyama Iyer, B.F.A.

Graduate Program in Theatre

The Ohio State University

2022

Thesis Committee:

Dr. Stratos Constantinidis, Adviser

Dr. Shilarna Stokes

Dr. Mandy Fox

 Copyright

Shyama Iyer

2022
 Abstract

The Bhava-Rasa Theory appears in the Gupta period (250-543 CE), a time when

standardization of Sanskrit and scores of new literature propelled the progress of Indian drama.

The theory, which addresses the emotions of the performer and performance spectator, served as

a tool to create and evaluate performance in the Gupta Empire. I argue that this ancient theory

can benefit contemporary musical theatre artists. I use historiographic methods to examine the

Bhava-Rasa Theory in the Natyashastra (Treatise on Drama) and over thirty other Sanskrit texts.

My research results in an improved version of "The Bhava-Rasa Technique" a dramaturgical

technique first proposed by Dr. Joshua M. Leukhardt that actors/directors/designers may use to

examine the emotional intent of their work. I provide a better translation of Bhava-Rasa

terminology, discuss visual, corporeal, linguistic, and musical Bhava within dramatic contexts,

and better elucidate the benefits of this process for contemporary theatre-makers. To demonstrate

the utility of the Bhava-Rasa Theory through praxis, I use the Bhava-Rasa Technique to analyze

the Sanskrit plays Abhijñānaśākuntalam (The Recognition of Sakuntala) and Mricchakatika (The

Little Clay Cart). I then apply the same technique to two Broadway musicals—Wicked and

Caroline, or Change. In the final chapters, I present my newly written musical titled The Bhava

Cycle, and discuss its creation and staging processes. This thesis marries the ancient East with

the contemporary West to provide a new method of harnessing emotion in drama and advocate

for its essentiality in theatre across culture and time.

ii
 Dedication

To the artist who seeks to cross oceans

iii
 Acknowledgements

I thank my adviser, Dr. Stratos Constantinidis, my mother, Akila Iyer, and the countless actors,

dancers and singers who have entered my life. You have all knowingly, or unknowingly, inspired

me to think, create, write, and rewrite this thesis.

iv
 Table of Contents

Abstract………………………………………………………………………………... ii

Dedication……………………………………………………………………………... iii

Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………… iv

List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………. vi

Chapter 1: Introduction………………………………………………………………... 1

Chapter 2: Review of the Literature…………………………………………………... 10

Chapter 3: Bhava-Rasa in Sanskrit Drama……………………………………………. 32

Chapter 4: The Bhava-Rasa Technique……………………………………………….. 38

Chapter 5: The Bhava Cycle…………………………………………………………… 61

The Bhava Cycle Score………………………………………………………………... 69

Chapter 6: Conclusions………………………………………………………………... 156

154

Bibliography…...………………………………………………………………………. 157

v
 ……..
v

List of Figures

Figure 1. Bhava and Rasas with Translation………………………………………………………5

Figure 2. Hand Gesture Pathaka…………………………………………………………………..18

Figure 3. Images of Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam demonstrating the 108 Karanas………………...20

Figure 4. Bhava and Rasas with Translation………………………………………………………31

Figure 5. Kapila Venu performing the Mahishasuravadham……………………………………...33

Figure 6. The Bhava Process Theatricalized……………………………………………………....39

Figure 7. Bhavas and Rasas with Translation…………………………………………………...…39

Figure 8. Anubhavas……………………………………………………………………………….40

Figure 9. Bhava-Rasa Pathways …………………………………………………………………..42

Figure 10. Rati/Sringara translations………………………………………………………………43

Figure 11. Vismaya/Adbutha Translations…………………………………………………………44

Figure 12. Bhaya/Bhayanaka Translations…………………………………………………………45

Figure 13. Soka/Karuna Translations………………………………………………………………46

Figure 14. Utsaha/Vira Translations………………………………………………………………..47

Figure 15. Krodha/Raudra Translations……………………………………………………………48

Figure 16. Jugupsa/Bibhatsa Translations………………………………………………………….49

Figure 17. Hasa/Hasya Translations………………………………………………………………..50

Figure 18. Wicked Bhava to Rasa Pathway………………………………………………………...54

Figure 19. Gestural Anubhavas for Wicked………………………………………………………...56

Figure 20. Vocal Anubhavas for Wicked……………………………………………………………56

Figure 21. Caroline or Change Bhava to Rasa Pathway…………………………………………...58

Figure 22. Gestural Anubhavas for Caroline.………………………………………………………59

Figure 23. Vocal Anubhavas for Caroline………………………………………………………….60

vi
 vi
…..

Figure 24. Bhava/Rasa for “Untied”………………………………………………………….……61

Figure 25. Bhava/Rasa for “Surprise”………………………………………………..……………62

Figure 26. Bhava/Rasa for “Control”……………………………………………………………...63

Figure 27. Bhava/Rasa for “Still”………………………………………………………………….64

Figure 28. Bhava/Rasa for “Stand”………………………………………………………………..65

Figure 29. Bhava/Rasa for “Storm”………………………………………………………………..66

Figure 30. Bhava/Rasa for “Ferment”……………………………………………………………..67

Figure 31. Bhava/Rasa for “High”…………………………………………………………………67

vii
 Chapter One: Introduction

The term “Bhava” and “Rasa'' appear in the Gupta period (250-543 CE), a time when

standardization of Sanskrit and scores of new literature propelled the progress of Indian drama. I

refer to Bhava as the emotions enacted by the actor, and Rasa as the expressive taste experienced

by the spectator. The relationship between Bhava and Rasa, which I identify as the Bhava-Rasa

Theory, is characterized by the interdependence of the two terms. As suggested by Sanskrit

scholar, Dr. Astha, “The flavor (rasa) is produced by the bhava through acting. No rasa without

bhava, no bhava without rasa; mutually, they lead to a different result. Each rasa experienced by

the audience is associated with a specific bhava portrayed on stage.”1 In other words, the

performer’s successful use of Bhava, serves as the ingredients used to prepare a delectable,

diverse, and nutritious meal enjoyed by the spectator. The spectator reflects on this experience,

and relays emotion back to the performer. This emotional dialogue is cyclic and purposeful. The

Bhava-Rasa Theory served as a tool to analyze performance in the Gupta Empire and for many

centuries thereafter, but has rarely found a home in contemporary Western contexts. In this paper,

I argue that the Bhava-Rasa Theory can strengthen the emotional palette of the contemporary

musical theatre performer, and effectively enhance the dramatic experience of a contemporary

performance spectator. I trace the long history of Bhava and Rasa, provide a justification for its

utility in Western performance practice, and detail the Bhava-Rasa Technique through a newly

written musical theatre song cycle, The Bhava Cycle.

1
Astha. “Abhinavagupta's exposition extends Bharata's Rasa theory in several ways.”

1
 Prior to its appearance in dramaturgy, the words “Bhava” and “Rasa” appeared in Vedic

period scriptures such as the Atharva Veda and Rig Veda, where they operate as medicinal

descriptors of the senses.2 In the dramatic context, however, our primary understanding of the

Bhava-Rasa Theory comes from the Natyashastra (250 CE), a manual composed in verse that

explores the creation, production, and dissemination of drama. The text, maintained orally, is a

compilation of Bharata’s teachings, most likely gathered by various scholars around the third

century. Evidence of the text is found in dated writings of 9th - 12th century scholars, existing

temple sculptures and inscriptions, as well as the embodied traditions of Indian performing

artists. The Bhava-Rasa Theory was in practice before the proliferation of the Natyashastra,

although the scripted evidence for this claim has since perished. As K.S. Arjunwadekar stresses,

while “No work in the Sanskrit literature, contemporary or prior to the Nãtyasãstra of Bharata,

attempts treatment of [the Bhava-Rasa theory] in a method comparable to that of Bharata, the

credit does not... go to Bharata alone, but is shared by him with his predecessors on the subject

whom he has frequently quoted.”3

So what does Bharata write in the Natyashastra about Bhava and Rasa? In the forefront

of chapter 6, Bharata’s pupils ask: ‘Explain how the [Rasas] enumerated by experts in dramatic

art attain their [special] qualities. And why are the Bhavas so called, and what do they make us

feel?’4 Bharata famously parallels Bhava and Rasa with our sense of taste:

2
Two of the four Holy Vedas of Hinduism, 1500 - 1200 BCE. For further reading on these origins of Rasa
in hindu scripture consult footnote 3.
3
Arjunwadkar, K. S. “The Rasa Theory and the Darshanas” Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental
Research Institute, vol. 65, no. 1/4, (1984): 81–100.
4
Gosh, Manomohan, editor and translator. Natyashastra: Ascribed to Bharata-Muni.Volume I - Volume
II, (2009): 105-106.

2
 It is said that just as well-disposed persons while eating food cooked with

many kinds of spice, enjoy its tastes, and attain pleasure and satisfaction, so the

cultured people taste the Durable Psychological States [Rasa] while they see

them represented by an expression of the various Psychological States [Bhava]5

In the Natyashastra, Gupta Era actors are described as dancers, musicians, and spiritual guides,

therefore situating the Bhava-Rasa Theory in a variety of artistic disciplines (philosophy,

literature, drama, dance, music etc). The commentaries appearing after the Natyashastra’s

proliferation elucidate how emotion can be crafted both within and beyond these artistic

disciplines.

Bhatta Lollata (circa 800 CE), Šri Šaňkuka (ca. 850 CE), Bhatta Näyaka (ca. 900),

Abhinavagupta (born between 950 - 960 CE), Rãmacandra (ca. 1100), Gunacandra (ca. 1100),

Saradatanaya (1175 - 1250) and Nandikeshwara (ca. 1200) are among the most notable

Bhava-Rasa Theory scholars. Koodiyattam, Yakshagana, Tamasha, Therukoothu, and Bhandh

Paathar are theatre styles that continue to carry elements of Sanskrit drama, including the

Natyashastra’s prescribed utility of Bhava and Rasa. Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali,

Manipuri, Mohiniattum, Kuchupudi, Sattriya, and Odissi are dance-theatre forms that also retain

the vocabulary and conventions of the Natyashastra’s Bhava-Rasa Theory. Finally, in the

classical Indian genres of Carnatic and Hindustani music, a musician can evoke Bhava and Rasa

through their soulful rendering of melody and rhythm.

5
Gosh, Manomohan, editor and translator. Natyashastra: Ascribed to Bharata-Muni.Volume I - Volume
II, (2009): 105-106.

3
 The emotional states and responses detailed in the Bhava-Rasa Theory are intended for

dramatic purposes and are distinguishable from the emotions we enter in and out of in daily life.

As described by Wallace Dace in “The Concept of ‘Rasa’ in Sanskrit Dramatic Theory,” the

actor “imitates the emotion [bhava], so the audience tastes the emotion as it watches his

performance, the difference between tasting the emotion and experiencing it in real life is

summarized by the word Rasa.”6 The relationship between the two terms is necessary, for

together, they reveal a recipe for memorable experiences. Dr. Sarachchandra reiterates, “The

Indian theory says that aesthetic emotion is similar in some respects to the corresponding

emotion in real life, but that behavioristically it will be different. You enjoy it without exhibiting

the symptoms or the overt behavior associated with that state of feeling. It is a kind of inner

enjoyment, a kind of passivity.”7

Chapter six of the Natyashastra divides the Bhavas into psychological states that, when

utilized, allow a performer to communicate sensitively to the spectator. These separate

psychological states incite specific Rasas in the spectator. The following figure shows the

pathway of emotion between performer and performance spectator:8

6
Dace, Wallace. “The Concept of ‘Rasa’ in Sanskrit Dramatic Theory.” Educational Theatre
Journal, vol. 15, no. 3, (1963): 249–254.
7
Gunawardana, A. J., and E. R. Sarachchandra. “The Uses of Tradition. An Interview with E. R.
Sarachchandra.” The Drama Review: TDR 15, no. 2, (1971): 193–200.
8
I follow Joshua M. Leukhardt’s use of Bhava “verbs” and Rasa “nouns.” For more reading see
Leukhardt’s Thesis: The Bhava Process: An Approach to Understanding the Process of Characterization
in the Natyasastra.

4
 Bhava (Performer) Rasa (Performance Spectator)

1 Rati To desire → Sringara Romance

2 Hāsa To jest → Hāsya Joy

3 Śoka To despair → Karunya Sorrow

4 Krodha To agitate → Raudra Anger

5 Utsāha To champion → Vīra Pride

6 Bhaya To fear → Bhayānaka Dread

7 Jugupsā To abhor → Bībhatsa Disgust

8 Vismaya To awe → Adbhuta Wonder

Figure 1 (Bhava and Rasas with Translation)

In addition to the sixteen Bhavas and Rasas, the Sanskrit actor’s craft is enhanced by

Vyabicharibhavas, Vibhavas, and Anubhavas. The Vyabicharibhavas, or "Transitory

Psychological States,” are the subtler emotions that interchange to benefit and strengthen the

main bhava (Sthyayibhava).9 The Vibhavas are the circumstances such as time and place, from

which emotion arises. Finally, the Anubhavas, are the gestures and vocal qualities that portray

emotion. The utilization of Vyabicharibhavas, Vibhavas, and Anubhavas strengthen the Rasas for

a performance spectator.

While the Bhava-Rasa Theory has a fixed place within Sanskrit drama, it possesses the

characteristics of a widely applicable dramaturgical theory. In the last millennia, numerous

scholars have made the Bhava-Rasa Theory relevant to their own contexts. Among the most

9
Gosh, Manomohan, editor and translator. Natyashastra: Ascribed to Bharata-Muni. 122.

5
notable Sanskrit commentaries on Bhava and Rasa are Šri Šaňkuka and Bhatta Näyaka’s

Natyashastravakhyas (circa 825 CE); Anandavardhana’s Dhvanyāloka (875 CE);

Abhinavagupta’s Abhinavabharati (1000); Rãmacandra and Gunacandra’s Natyadharpana

(1200 CE); Saradatanaya’s Bhāvaprakāśana (1200) and King Bhoja’s Sarasvatīkanthābharana

(1025 CE) and Sringaraprakasana (1050). These texts are focused on answering lingering

questions like: What is the true relationship between Bhava and Rasa? Who experiences emotion

first—the performer or the performance spectator? And what should the function of the

Bhava-Rasa Theory be in the Indian dramatic arts?

Very few scholars, however, have attempted to broaden the Bhava-Rasa Theory past the

Indian context. One problem is in the difficulty to accurately translate Sanskrit to English. When

translating Rasa, most authors use “flavor” or “sentiment” which align with Bharata’s “taste” in

the Natyashastra. Others find different terms. In her writing, Kathleen Marie Higgins equates

Rasa with “breakthrough.”10 She uses the word as a eureka moment that quantifies the

after-effects of performance. Wallace Dace, on the other hand, avoids translation altogether. He

uses the transliterated words “Bhava” and “Rasa” themselves.11

Another problem lies in the limited knowledge in the simultaneous fields and general

apprehension to engage in appropriate cross-cultural play. To battle this, Kathleen Higgins gives

an insightful reason for integrating Bhava and Rasa vocabulary into Western Drama. She puts

forth the idea that “Indian investigation of breakthroughs, both within and beyond aesthetics,

10
Higgins, Kathleen Marie. “An Alchemy of Emotion: Rasa and Aesthetic Breakthroughs.” The
Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 65, no. 1 (2007): 43–54.
11
Dace, Wallace. "The Concept of "Rasa" in Sanskrit Dramatic Theory." Educational Theatre Journal 15,
no. 3 (1963): 249-54.

6
challenges Western philosophy to investigate further art's connection with the ethical and

spiritual dimensions of life”12 and reiterates the lack of discussion on staged emotion as a

shortfall of Western theatre in its current moment.

In my thesis project I advocate for more liberal translations of Sanskrit terminology and

emphasize more creative applications of the Bhava-Rasa Theory. I am, of course, not the first in

pursuing this venture. Scholars like Richard Schechner have made attempts to encourage the

Western use of the Rasas, and others have manufactured a “Rasa theory interpretation” of the

Western repertoire. Examples of these attempts include Joshua M. Luekhardt’s interpretation of

A Doll’s House; Tapasvi Nandi’s interpretation of Waiting for Godot; and Gregory P. Fernando’s

interpretation of Ernest Hemingway’s poetry. The applications of the Bhava-Rasa Theory to

these non-Indian dramatic works are necessary in bringing the theory to life, but I argue that they

serve as a lens to view the theory rather than to enhance the works themselves. The theory

remains an afterthought to the creation. This phenomenon reduces the Bhava-Rasa Theory to a

fragmented, unprofitable approach to performance on the Western stage. It also perpetuates the

impression that in doing so, we are only revisiting—not revitalizing—an archaic, exotic practice.

My approach emphasizes practice of Bhava and Rasa in the modern context from

conception of the dramatic work to the execution and receiving of it, more specifically, in the

realm of contemporary Western musical theatre.13 While cultures across the world combine

theatre, dance, and song, the Western musical theatre tradition I refer to, was primarily born in

the United States of America.While appropriations of European operettas and African American

12
Higgins, Kathleen Marie. “An Alchemy of Emotion: Rasa and Aesthetic Breakthroughs.” 43–54.
13
I use “Western” to reference a culture whose ancestry resides in Graeco-Roman traditions.

7
performance styles remain the historical foundations of the practice, the young genre is diverse

and absorbent to new theories such as the utility of Indian dramaturgy. As Edith Borroff writes,

“The many categories of musical theater are confusing, partly because they are variously defined

by different writers, and partly because however they are defined-they overlap, sending

compulsive categorizers into despair.”14 I further define contemporary musical theatre as a

dramatic narrative told through English lyrics, Western harmonic structure and modern Western

vocal inflections (vibrato, head voice, belt etc). Musical theatre and Sanskrit drama both

integrated song, dance, and dialogue. Furthermore, the Bhava-Rasa Theory calls upon a

heightened reality, one that encourages a “flare for the dramatic,” which the American Musical

often characterizes.

The next chapter will explore the vast library of literature regarding the Bhava-Rasa

Theory as well as introduce my concept of Bhava Realms. Chapter three will offer two examples

of how Bhava-Rasa theory would operate in classical Sanskrit plays, while Chapter four will

present two examples of how the theory would operate in contemporary musical theatre. Chapter

five will describe the staging, directing, and performance outcome of my new musical The Bhava

Cycle. Finally, the last chapter will give a brief summary of my findings and the possibilities of

future research on the topic.

The Bhava-Rasa Theory has remained an intriguing topic to scholars interested in

aesthetics and performed emotions. While scholarship has been marketed to Sankritists and

Borroff, Edith. “Origin of Species: Conflicting Views of American Musical Theater History.”
14

American Music 2, no. 4 (1984): 101–12.

8
classical Indian artists, the theory’s relevance in the West is less frequent. Furthermore, no other

scholar has ever focused on connecting the Bhava-Rasa theory to musical theatre. While a few

applications have been made, and fragments of its functions can be found, through this new,

accessible interpretation, the Bhava-Rasa Theory is closer to becoming a tool for the

international performer. Overall, this thesis project offers a deeper understanding of theatrical

emotion, and has the potential to serve as a prototype process for educators and directors to get

their viewers more engaged within their creations. Reimagining the Bhava-Rasa Theory for

contemporary musical theatre offers dramatists yet another fruitful approach to staged emotion,

and as noticed by Sudipto Chatterjee, “For although the rasa system took shape within a specific

culture, the rasas themselves are based on universal human emotions.”15

15
Chatterjee, Sudipto (translator), Shudraka (author), “The Little Clay Cart.” The Norton anthology of
drama. vol. 2, (2014): 428.

9
 Chapter Two: Review of the Literature

In the previous chapter, I presented the origins and definitions of Bhava and Rasa as well

as an introduction to my primary source, the Natyashastra. I linked my study of the Bhava-Rasa

Theory to contemporary musical theatre, and justified my cross-cultural research. In this

chapter, I will explore the literature about the Bhava-Rasa Theory. I also introduce the Bhava

Realms, “Realm” referring to the various artistic mediums through which Rasa can manifest. I

classify the Bhava realms into Linguistic Bhava, Musical Bhava, Visual Bhava and Corporeal

Bhava, and address a few literary works pertaining to each.

I use Linguistic Bhava to address the textual emotion of a theatrical performance,

indicating the emotion vested in the written lines, lyrics, and verbal deliveries of the actors.

Musical Bhava refers to the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic emotional intents of both the

composer and performer. Visual Bhava describes the emotion invested in all that meets the eye

during a musical theatre production. This includes the lighting, costuming, stage setting, and

location of action. Finally, Corporeal Bhava addresses the stylized presentation of the actor’s

body, particularly emotion embedded in the choreography.

Even while the Natyashastra remains my primary account of Sanskrit dramaturgy, its

author leaves one question unanswered: How exactly does one produce Bhava and/or Rasa? To

glean an answer I reinterpret certain chapters of the Natyashastra and consult other Sanskrit

commentaries. These commentaries include Bhatta Lolatta’s Natyashastravakhya (circa 500 CE),

Šri Šaňkuka and Bhatta Näyaka’s individual Natyashastravakhyas (825 CE); Anandavardhana’s

10
Dhvanyāloka (875 CE); Abhinavagupta’s Abhinavabharati (1000 CE); Rãmacandra and

Gunacandra’s Natyadharpana (1200 CE) translated as Mirror of Drama; Saradatanaya’s

Bhāvaprakāśana (1200 CE) and King Bhoja’s Sarasvatīkanthābharana (1025 CE) and

Sringaraprakasana (1050 CE) are some of the texts that focus primarily on the Bhava-Rasa

Theory. I have relied on Sheldon Polluck’s guided translations of these works—most of which

do not exist in their entirety—in his book, The Rasa Reader: Classical Indian Aesthetic by

Sheldon Pollock.

Bhatta Lollata’s Natyashastravakhya, the first known commentary on the Natyashastra,

extrapolates a unique understanding of the Bhava-Rasa Theory. He surmised that the writer

experienced both Bhava and Rasa before the audience could and insisted that the Bhavas remain

tools to create Rasa in the author. The “spectator” is largely ignored in this version of the

Bhava-Rasa Theory.16 Bhatta Nayaka, perhaps centuries later, wrote an addition to the

Natyashastravakhya of Bhatta Lollata. Nayaka followed Lolatta’s thought process, but expanded

the Bhava-Rasa discourse by hypothesizing a more holistic understanding of the theory. Nayaka

also argued that the Rasa experienced by the spectator erases “consciousness of their

individuality and universalizes the experiences of the character in the play or in spoken poetry”17

In terms of understanding, he believed that Rasa is not consciously generated in the minds of the

performer or the spectator, but that Rasa automatically manifests itself when the spectator

concentrates on the story presented by the performer.

Pollock, Sheldon I. A Rasa Reader: Classical Indian Aesthetics. New York, NY: Columbia
16

University Press, (2018): Pg 74.

Leukhardt, Joshua M. The Bhava Process: An Approach to Understanding the Process of
17

Characterization in the Natyasastra. (2019).

11
 Šri Šaňkuka argued the opposite of Nayaka. He insisted that a Rasa is the result of an

active process and requires conscious imitation. In his treatise, Šaňkuka gave an example of a

horse painted by an artist. He observed that while the horse does not exist in reality, the spectator

focuses on the image as a horse nonetheless.18 To Šaňkuka, the spectator is always aware of both

the performer’s Bhavas and the Rasas he himself experiences.

One of the most widely read commentaries is the Abhinavabharati by Abhinavagupta.

The Abhinavabharati is also an oral text developed in the 10th century and was composed in

response to the Natyashastra. In it, Abhinavagupta makes several notable additions to Bharata’s

Bhava-Rasa Theory. He introduces the term “Shanta” (absence of emotion) at the end of the

listed eight Rasas detailed by Bharata, claiming it to be the ninth Rasa. Abhinava argued that

Shanta (absence of emotion) is a crucial element of performance and further defined Shanta

along Buddhist principles as "that which brings happiness and welfare to all beings and which is

accompanied by the stabilization (saṃsthitā) in the Self.”19 Abhinavagupta substantiated that the

effect of Bhava-Rasa interplay is “to attract and focus the mind and thus reduce distraction and

dullness.”20 Anupa Pande comments in her translation of the Abhinavabharati that “the

philosophical interpretation, which Abhinava gave of rasa...underplayed the essentiality of the

specific roles of different media and techniques in the different arts and converted rasa into a

universal aesthetic category comparable to beauty.”

18
Abhinavagupta. and Gnoli, Raniero. The aesthetic experience according to Abhinavagupta. [Edited] by
Raniero Gnoli Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office Varanasi. (1968).
19
Masson, J L; Patwardhan, M V. SantaRasa and Abhinavagupta's Philosophy of Aesthetics. Bhandarkar
Oriental Research Institute, OCLC. (1969).
20
Abhinavagupta. and Gnoli, Raniero. The aesthetic experience according to Abhinavagupta.
[Edited] by Raniero Gnoli Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office Varanasi. (1968).

12
 The Bhavaprakasana, formulated by Saradatanaya in the 12th century, takes yet another

standpoint on the Bhava-Rasa Theory. He critiques the narrative of the Bhava-Rasa Theory as

being too Rasa focused and centers his commentary on the performer's Bhavas. American critic

Whitney Cox summarizes these additions:

He [Saradatanaya] begins his text with a lengthy typology and analysis of the

bhāvas, and he develops his explanation of the ways that artistic language

functions through constant reference to these [the Bhava’s] elements rather than

their endpoint [Rasa], while acknowledging their final culmination in the

production of rasa.21

It is essential to understand that Saradatanaya did not encourage reflection on Rasa, instead

arguing that all thought should remain on the articulation of Bhava. Saradatanaya’s

commentaries are quite different from his predecessor's.

All of the above commentaries agree that the Bhava-Rasa Theory should ultimately

produce pleasure and serenity in its viewer. Even though the performance may include Bhavas of

pain, fear, disgust, and sadness, the overall purpose of art should be to leave the viewer feeling

peacefully enlightened. However, Ramachandra and Gunachancra, Jain monks, disagreed with

the stipulation that serenity and pleasure were the only outcomes of performance.22 In their

treatise, the Natya Darpana, they put forth the principle that the Bhavas can reciprocate two

21
Cox, W., Brill, Leiden; Boston,“Bearing the Nāṭyaveda: Śāradātanaya’s Bhāvaprakāśana.” Modes of
Philology in Medieval South India, (2017): 56–90.
22
Restifo, A. “Demystifying Kashmiri Rasa Ideology: Rāmacandra–Guṇacandra’s Theory of
Aesthetics in Their Nāṭyadarpaṇa.” J Indian Philos, (2019): 47, 1–29.

13
categories of Rasa—pleasure, and pain.23 Their addition is an important development to the core

of the Bhava-Rasa Theory as it applies to Western theatre.

Dhananjaya analyzed the Bhavas and Rasas within the ten forms of drama in the

Dasa-Rupaka; King Bhoja wrote a treatise purely on the Erotic Rasa titled Sringara Prakasa;

Vidyanantha’s Sahitya Darpana focuses on the Bhava-Rasa Theory through spoken text. Still,

other rare texts such as the Rasārṇavasudhākara, Rasakalikā, and Rasagaṅgād-hara provide a

diverse interpretation of the Bhava-Rasa theory. Interspersed within and beyond these rivaling

opinions are the variety of texts addressing Linguistic Bhava, Musical Bhava, Visual Bhava and

Corporeal Bhava. In the following subsections of this chapter, I will address each of these Bhava

“realms.”

The Emotion of Imagery

The texts we can source to assemble Visual and Corporeal Bhava are the Natyashastra and

the Abinayadharpana (1200 CE) by Nandikeshwara. In the introduction to his translation of the

Abinayadharpana, Manomohan Ghosh describes the integration of acting and dance: “Dancer is

an actor in ancient Indian context,”24 suggesting that to evoke Rasa, a heightened reality and

aesthetic frame are necessary.

The Natyashastra divides drama into two subsections: Loka-dharmi and Natya-Dharmi.

Loka-dharmi is drama that primarily entertains an audience, while Natya-dharmi is drama that

23
Trivedi, KH The Nāṭya Darpaṇa of Ramachandra and Gunachandra , A Critical Study, LD Institute of
Indology, (1966).
24
Gosh, Manomohan, editor and translator. Abhinayadharpana: Ascribed to Nandikeshwara. 14.

14
primarily enlightens an audience. Some argue that Bhava belongs to Loka-dharmi, while Rasa

belongs to Natya-Dharmi, because the Bhavas are the seed from which Rasas grow. In his book,

Splendours of Indian Dance, V. Raghavan elaborates, “Natya-dharmi...is not mere crude

convention but is an imaginative handling and beautification of the things of the world.”25 The

heightened reality required of Sanskrit drama is well captured in the aesthetics of contemporary

musical theatre because it falls under the categorization of “Natya-Dharmi.”

In Chapter XXIV (Harmonious representation) of the Natyashastra, Bharata offers

several rules to “gracefully” indicate character emotion. For example, to portray confusion the

actor should use, “Inversions of various items such as words, gestures, dresses, makeup…”26 and

to portray stage-fights, “...there should be no flow of blood...The use of weapons should be done

with its mimicry, or the cutting off [of one’s limb] should be represented, according rules, but the

use of gestures and postures only.”27 Applying this aesthetic frame to the Bhava-Rasa Theory

encourages us to exclude graphic depictions. For example, death, rape, and sex while often

addressed in Sanskrit plays are never shown on stage. This lurid dance presentation described by

André Lapecki, for example, would not be a valid presentation of Bhava or Rasa, because of its

gore:

Athey removes the wig, reveals his face, and starts to pull out from under his shaved

head's skin pre-placed pins and needles. Blood spurts immediately. In a kind of

downward dog pose, Athey lets his blood drip on two large rectangular glasses placed on

25
Raghavan, V. Splendours of Indian Dance. Dr. V. Raghavan Centre For Performing Arts, (2004): 150.
26
Gosh, Manomohan, editor and translator. Natyashastra: Ascribed to Bharata-Muni.
27
Ibid.

15
 the platform—a deeply corporeal variation of drip- and action-painting. After bleeding

and drip-painting with his blood, Athey starts to manipulate heavy panes of glass against

his shaved head and naked body, smudging blood on the glass.28

This does not mean “real emotions” cannot be portrayed using the Bhava-Rasa Theory, only that

in presenting sorrowful emotions beautifully, they become more comprehensive for the audience

member. We see this phenomenon often when a character in distress laments in a perfect,

melodious song in Musical Theatre.

Sanskrit dramatists, however, tend to be far more specific when it comes to aesthetic

values. The Natyashastra provides these seven detailed chapters on visual presentations:

Chapter II - Description of the Playhouse

Chapter V - Preliminaries of a Play

Chapter XXII - Styles

Chapter XXIII - Costumes and Makeup

Chapter XXIV - Harmonious Representation

Chapter XXVI - Varied Representations

Chapter XXVII - Success in Dramatic Representations29

28
Lepecki, André. “The Body as Archive: Will to Re-Enact and the Afterlives of Dances.” Dance
Research Journal 42, no. 2 (2010): 28–48.
29
Gosh, Manomohan, editor and translator. Natyashastra: Ascribed to Bharata-Muni.Volume I -
Volume II Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series, (2009): xiv - xv.

16
Bharata reiterates that Bhava can manifest from any and all of these visual presentations of the

play. One such example is in his reference to the use of color in drama. He analyzes black as the

color to represent fear, white as the color to represent mirth, red as the color to represent anger,

yellow as the color to represent wonder, blue as the color to represent disgust, green as the color

to represent love, orange as the color to represent pride, and gray as the color to represent sorrow.

When referencing costumes, stage sets, and props the Natyashastra suggests:

Skeleton frames of armours, shields, banner-staffs, hills, palaces, peaks of mountains,

horses, elephants, aerial carrs, and houses should first be made with pieces of sliced

bamboo, and then these should be given likeness of such objects related to psychological

states [Bhava] , by covering them with cloths of requisite color.30

In this fashion, Bhava is methodically intertwined into every visual aspect of a theatrical

production.

The Emotion of Body

Corporeal Bhava, which is somewhat integrated with Visual Bhava, is the emotional

outcomes of staged gestures and dance. Corporeal Bhava in Sanskrit literature is unique, specific,

and descriptive. The first literary resource that aids us in this pursuit is also the Natyashastra.

The following chapters address the body and its emotional capabilities:

Chapter VIII- Gestures of Minor Limbs

30
Gosh, Manomohan, editor and translator. Natyashastra: Ascribed to Bharata-Muni. 439.

17
 Chapter IX - Gestures of hands

Chapter X - Gestures of other Limbs

Chapter XI - Cārī movements

Chapter XII - Mandala Movements

Chapter XIII - Different Gaits31

These chapters provide the various ways in which the body can move on stage, and several of

these instructions are accompanied with definitive meaning. For example, the hand gesture

“Pataka” found in Chapter IX - Gestures of hands is a gesture formed on a single hand by

straightening and bringing all fingers together, with the thumb tucked in (see Figure 2).

Figure 2 (Hand Gesture Pathaka) 32

31
Gosh, Manomohan, editor and translator. Natyashastra: Ascribed to Bharata-Muni.Volume I -
Volume II Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series, (2009): Pg. xiv.
32
Srikanth, Varshaa. “Know the Single-Hand Bharatanatyam Mudras and Their Significance.”
Sulekha. Sulekha, (2016).

18
The flat hand pressed against the actor’s chest can “reference to one’s own self.”33 If

accompanying this motion with tears and heavy cries, the gesture can translate tragedy. If

holding the arms up, using Pathaka to shield one’s form, the gesture can translate fear or disgust.

The Abinayadharpana, composed centuries after the Natyashastra, adds numerous body

movements and gestures to Bharata’s original list. Ghosh surmises in his introduction that the

Abhinayadarpana served as a commentary to the Natyashastra and carried the Bhava-Rasa

Theory forward just as the number of theoretical works that preceded it. “The number of hand

gestures and rasas has increased in the medieval period...” Ghosh informs and naturally expands

the vocabulary of Corporeal Bhava. Nandikeshwara’s updated list of gestural vocabularies are

utilized to evoke Rasa by dancers of Bharatanatyam, Kuchupudi, Odissi, Mohiniattum, and

Manipuri of the present, but historically, we can presume, were also utilized to sculpt the actor’s

Bhavas during a traditional Sanskrit play. This gestural specificity orated by Nandikeshwara is

useful to understand the practical uses of the theory, but should not lead us to shun other ways of

physicalizing Bhavas. The following images demonstrate eminent scholar and dancer, Dr. Padma

Subrahmanyam’s work of re-staging 9th and 10th century temple sculptures into movements

titled: the Karanas. These stylized body postures demonstrate another way Corporeal Bhava may

have been visualized by Gupta Period dancer-actors.

33
Gosh, Manomohan, editor and translator. Natyashastra: Ascribed to Bharata-Muni.Volume I -
Volume II Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series, (2009): 174.

19
 Figure 3 (images of Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam demonstrating to 108 Karanas)

The Emotion of Language

Linguistic Bhava—the emotion vested in the prose, verse, and verbal deliveries of the

actors—is another important topic addressed in the Natyashastra. The following chapters

concern this topic:34

Chapter XV - Rules of Prosody

Chapter XVI - Metrical Patterns

Chapter XVII - Diction of a Play

Chapter XVIII - Rules on the Use of Languages

Chapter XIX - Modes of Address and Intonation

According to Sheldon Pollock, “...with Bhatta Lollata we can perceive the true commencement

of the extraordinary intense investigation into literary emotion that would make the next three

centuries in India the most fertile in the history of aesthetics anywhere before European

34
Gosh, Manomohan, editor and translator. Natyashastra: Ascribed to Bharata-Muni. xiv.

20
 modernity.”35 Here Pollock is careful to indicate, “literary emotion,” a characteristic that

identifies Lollata’s Bhava-Rasa theory as pertaining to Linguistic Bhava. Bhatta Lollata’s

contribution to literary emotion was prominent among Indian Rasa theory scholars. In this vein

of the Bhava-Rasa Theory discourse, the central question was: How does Rasa manifest through

script?

Bhatta Lollata, and his contemporaries often addressed the ways in which language

manifested Rasa. Historically, these scholars argued that Rasa should emerge from the

play-script, perhaps before the staging processes diluted the script’s literary prowess. According

to them, language can either be literal or figurative, but only when utilizing the “figurative” can

the Bhava-Rasa Theory be implemented. In Sanskrit drama, words woven together to awaken the

aesthetic consciousness are called Kavya, or poetry, and Kavya has what 10th century scholars

define as: Dhvani.

According to Anandavardana, the 8th century scholar known for his masterpiece, the

Dhvanyāloka (875 CE), Dhvani is the soul of poetry. The meaning conveyed and constructed

between the lines of the Kavya, and is often compared to Rasa in scholarship. As reiterated by

Dr. Priti Kanodia, “Dhvani Theory is basically a semantic theory and Rasa theory is an affective

theory,” and one subcategory titled “Rasa-dhvani” is a suggestion that appropriate, emotive

language is the only vehicle for Natya-Dharmi. Furthermore, Anandavardhana, who was an

advocate of Rasa, was also the greatest exponent of Dhvani.

35
Ibid.

21
 In “Rasa and Dhvani In Indian and Western Poetics and Poetry,” Roshni Rustomji

compares the Dhvani to sound waves produced by beating a drum:

When a drum is beaten with a stick there is produced a sound in the space nearest the

drum. It is not this that is heard, but it generates a succession of sound waves...and the

last of this succession of waves strikes the ear and it is this that is heard. These last

sounds that strike the ear are called Dhvani.36

Proponents of Dhvani sometimes denounce Rasa, and proponents of Rasa sometimes denounce

Dhvani, but K.K. Raja wisely points out that there is no conflict between the theories of Dhvani

and Rasa. He writes that “Dhvani deals with the method...and rasa with the final effect.”37

Acknowledging the existence of Dhvani led literary theorists to inquire about the

components of Kavya, particularly what language incites Dhvani. In response, Sanskrits divided

their discourse on language by analyzing three main topics: diction of the narrative,

ornamentation of the narrative, and intent of the author.

Sanskrit grammarians address diction by categorizing words as Vācaka, Laksinaika, and

Vyanjaka. Words categorized as Vācaka are direct. The Vācaka word possesses meaning that is

conventional, straightforward, and factual. Laksinika words possess meaning that can be either

literal or figurative. The third category of words is Vyanjaka. These are the suggestive,

emotional, and dynamic words that possess Rasa-Dhvani.

36
Rustomji, Roshni. “Rasa and Dhvani in Indian and Western Poetics and Poetry” Journal of South Asian
Literature 16, no. 1 (1981): 75–91.
37
Rustomji, Roshni. “Rasa and Dhvani in Indian and Western Poetics and Poetry” Journal of South Asian
Literature 16, no. 1 (1981): 75–91.

22
 When dealing with ornamentation of the narrative, writers tread a wary line between

over-narrating and under-narrating. Over-narrating discourages a reader’s imagination, a mistake

that costs the author the quintessential Rasa-dhvani, whereas under-narrating might read as dry

and undeveloped. Bhatta Lolatta discouraged detailed descriptions, finding them irrelevant to the

manifestation of Rasa. Hemachandra, an early 12th century literary commentator, reiterated

Lolatta’s commentary in his text, Rasavivarna, by saying: “Exertions in describing rivers,

mountains, oceans, and so on really just destroy the Rasa.” Both Bhatta Lolatta and

Hemachandra boldly claim that Rasa-Dhvani is “the core of the literary experience, so much so

that anything not contributing to it, let alone detracting from it, must be eliminated.”38

Above both diction of the narrative and ornamentation of the narrative, is the necessity to

maintain Rasa-Dhvani as the intent of the author. Rudrata, who made an addition to Bhamaha’s

Kavyalankara in 850 CE, differentiates literary work from “dry as dust” treatises, by clarifying,

‘one must take all possible care to endow a literary text with rasas. Otherwise such people will

recoil from it as from the treatises.’39

The Emotion of Melody

The Musical Bhava, which I earlier defined as the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic

emotional intents of both the composer and performer, is an extension of emotion expressed

through speech. In “Feelings Which Strike a Chord, and Chords Which Strike a Feeling,”

38
Rustomji, Roshni. “Rasa and Dhvani in Indian and Western Poetics and Poetry” Journal of South Asian
Literature 16, no. 1 (1981): 75–91.
39
Pollock, Sheldon I. A Rasa Reader: Classical Indian Aesthetics. New York, NY: Columbia
University Press, 2018. Pg. 85

23
Willimek and Willimek describe the nature of the same musical chord being played two different

ways:

The distinction here is the same as that between someone whispering the words “No

more!” or screaming them. When spoken softly, the words sound sad, but when spoken

loudly, the same words sound furious. The same thing is true of minor chords: a quiet

minor chord sounds sad, whereas a loud one sounds angry. 40

Here, Willimek and Willimek notice that pitch, volume, tempo, and intention of music translate

emotion, which is the effective purpose of Musical Bhava in Sanskrit drama. However, similar to

Visual or Corporeal Bhava, Musical Bhava requires an aesthetic frame. Interestingly, Indian

music theorists occupied a different scholarly habitat than dramatists, and still, the influence of

the Bhava-Rasa Theory in their work is undeniable. As was with the previous Bhava Realms, the

Natyashastra is the first to mention the importance of integrating the study of music with the

study of dramatic emotion. Bharata assigns an emotional nature to certain pitches, arrangement

of pitches, and musical instruments. In Chapter Twenty-nine, for example, Bharata gives detailed

examples of how to use specific pitches41 that are meant to amplify certain Bhavas and Rasas:42

40
Willimek, B. and Willimek, D. “Feelings Which Strike a Chord, and Chords Which Strike a Feeling.”
Open Journal of Acoustics, (2017): 10-17.
41
The seven musical pitches of Classical Indian Music are
● Sa – Shadjama (Tonic)
● Ri – Rishabha.
● Ga – Gandhara.
● Ma – Madhyama.
● Pa – Panchama (Perfect Fifth)
● Da - Dhaivata.
● Ni – Nishada.
42
Gosh, Manomohan, editor and translator. Natyashastra: Ascribed to Bharata-Muni. 31.

24
 1. The Sadjodicyavati and the Shadjamadhya should be applied in the Erotic and the Comic

sentiments respectively because Madhyama and Panchama are amplified in them.

2. The Shadji and the Arsabhi should be applied in the Heroic, the Furious and the

Marvellous Sentiments after making [respectively] Shadja and Rsabha their Graha note.

3. The Naishadi with Nisada as its Amsa note, and Sadjakaisiki with Gandhara should be

the Jati sung by expert singers in the Pathetic Sentiment

4. The Dhaivati with Dhaivata as the Amsa note in the odious and the terrible. The Dhaivata

is applicable in the pathetic sentiment and the sadjamadhya is to be applied in connection

with madness.

The chapter also addresses the Varnās or classification of note production as “...Ascending

(Ārohin), Descending (Avarohin), Monotonic (sthāyin), and Mixed (Samchārin).” According to

Bharata, if at least two of these Varnās are utilized in song, the song will give way to a stronger

Rasa in the spectator. Texts that explored melody after the proliferation of the Natyashastra are

Sarangadeva’s Sangitaratnakarā (1200 CE), Somanātha’s Rāgavibodha (1609 CE), and

Damodara’s Sangitadarpana (1700 CE). While these texts are mainly concerned with music

theory and practice, they contain a few separate verses on the precise ways to express and

receive music.

The Raga system is a significant evolution mirroring the aesthetic essence of

Natya-dharmi. Each Raga, or melodic scale, possesses a unique identity, complete with name and

25
melodic identity. According to Jonothan Katz’s article, “Music and Aesthetics: An Early Indian

Perspective:”

The beauty of the rasa theory lies perhaps not so much in its assumption of precisely

classifiable and nameable modes of human emotion as in its implied model of the

interdependence between art and receiver. It is a model of 'recognition', in which a 'pre-

discursive' entity is apprehended behind, or in, the specific example...43

In essence, by utilizing the methods of classification in different melodic structures, the Indian

music theorist is able to trace the emotional intents and outcomes of each melodic phrase. Some

Ragas, along with their carefully crafted deliveries, are able to convey romance, while others are

reserved for tragedy.

The Bhava-Rasa Theory and its uses have been debated for centuries. This fact lends to

its malleability. Ghosh comments, “Publication of [these commentaries] as well as the very

useful work done by a number of modern scholars has considerably reduced the initial difficulty

of studying with profit the contents of the [Natyashastra].”44 The “profit” for this thesis being the

Bhava Rasa Theory’s utility on the Western stage. Indeed, ever since scholars gained access to

Sanskrit drama and its oral traditions through transliteration, they started writing historical,

43
Katz, Jonathan. “Music and Aesthetics: An Early Indian Perspective.” Early Music 24, no. 3 (1996):
407–20.

44
Gosh, Manomohan. Natyashastra: Ascribed to Bharata-Muni.Volume I- Volume II, Chowkhamba
Sanskrit Series, (2009): xix.

26
critical, and transnational work on the subject. At the heart of their endeavor is their fascination

with the possibility that the Bhava-Rasa Theory could have universal application.

Commentaries, primarily inside the Indian framework, utilize the Bhava-Rasa technique

to practice classical Indian art forms. But the vast number of interpretations the theory lends

itself to makes it apparent that the Rasas are elicited in the spectator regardless of linguistic or

cultural frames. The theory naturally expands past Indian contexts. As I presented through my

analysis of Linguistic Bhava, Musical Bhava, Visual Bhava and Corporeal Bhava: In visual art,

color, texture, and shape can illustrate the Bhava of the artist eliciting Rasa in the viewer; In

dance, various gestures and postures can produce Rasa in the viewer; In language, a poet

concocts Rasa by carefully crafting grammar, diction, and narrative. In music, a musician can

evoke Bhava through melody, eliciting Rasa in the listener through Raga. Drama is the

confluence of these separate emotional contexts, bringing together the highest order of emotion

to the spectator.

As spoken by Indian dramatist Rajika Puri, the Bhava-Rasa Theory is “...several steps

removed from the passions or natural feelings.”45 In this vein, Scheherezad Cooper, in “The

Alchemy of Rasa in the Performer–Spectator Interaction,” suggests that the Bhava-Rasa Theory

“dwells on human sentiments as an essential part of any…work. The objective…is to help man

transcend human wail to attain quietude.”46 Scholars emphasizing the unique quality of the

45
Puri, Rajika. “Bharatanatyam Performed: A Typical Recital.” Visual Anthropology, 17(1), (2004):
45-68.
46
Cooper, Scheherazaad. “The Alchemy of Rasa in the Performer–Spectator Interaction.” New
Theatre Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 4, (2013): 336–348.

27
Bhava-Rasa Theory also highlight how beneficial it is to have a vocabulary that engages solely

with the emotions of the stage. Pravas Jivan Chaudhary articulates:

Emotions, as felt in life, are like uninterrupted images and sensations. They are

uninformed by thought and are therefore blindly and passively undergone. But

as enjoyed in drama, they are contemplated, thought upon, and their meanings

are revealed to the mind which, therefore, while experiencing them in a way,

escapes them in significant sense...people cry and laugh as they do in life, but

they feel these urges not as real urges but as symbols, charged with meanings.47

By detaching worldly connotations to our emotions, and visualizing performance not as a literal

display of the world around us, but a sensational one, we are able to examine performance for

what it is, a performance. Therefore, when we recognize Bhavas and Rasas on stage, we

recognize the sensational, and are able to display, analyze, criticize and applaud the sensational.

The difficulty of accurately translating the 50+ Bhavas and 8+ Rasas into English

remains one of the challenging tasks. Many find the rules and regulations restrictive. But I argue

that the scope of the Bhava-Rasa Theory allows for adjustment. An adjustment that would

facilitate appropriate applications to the Western Canon. Richard Schechner’s “Rasaboxes”48 is

one of the popular examples. Schechner developed the Rasaboxes exercises in the 1980s and

based his premise on the nine pure Rasas mentioned in the Abhinavabarati. They are Shringara

47
Quote of Pravas Jivan Chaudhary in: Dace, Wallace. “The Concept of ‘Rasa’ in Sanskrit Dramatic
Theory.” Educational Theatre Journal, vol. 15, no. 3, (1963): 249–254.
48
Rasaboxes. Rasaboxes.org, (2008).

28
(Pleasure), Hasya (Joy), Karuna (Compassion), Raudra (Fury), Veera (Pride), Bhayanaka (Fear),

Bibhatsa (Disgust), and Adhbutha (Wonder), and Shanti (Lack of Emotion). The exercise divides

the floor into nine physical boxes, each representing a single Rasa that the actor can move in and

out of. The actor can use the “flavor” they are standing in to inform lines, character,

physicalization, and scene work. Practices used in Schechner’s method range from “very

simple...personal expression of each Rasa individually by means of drawing, breathing,

gesturing, acting, and vocalizing to complex combinations of Rasa performed by several people

simultaneously.”49 But in my interpretation of Rasa, I define it not as the emotion expressed by

the performer, but the emotion expressed by the spectator—hence my naming it the

“Bhava”Rasa theory.

The interchangeable use of Bhava and Rasa is not, however, unique to Schechner. In a

symposium at Ithaca College titled “Rasa: In Theory, Practice and Performance,”50 which took

place in 2012, scholars discussed the theory and its utility. This event featured several

workshops, some of which included Schechner’s RasaBoxes. Other activities included dancers

being prompted with one of the nine Rasas as an impetus for improvisation and choreography

and still others that applied the Rasas to the music of different cultures. Interesting discussions

coincided with varied interpretations of the theory. Here also, Rasa and Bhava were used

interchangeably.

49
Ibid.
50
“Rasa in Theory Practice and Performance Symposium.” Ithaca College. Accessed March 25, 2022.

29
 Still other scholars extrapolate the theoretical aspects of Bhava and Rasa to fit their own

contexts. “Bhava is the root of all communication” stated Pallavi Nagesha, a practitioner and

teacher of Indian dance-theatre. Here, Nagesha might be referencing the commonality of staged

emotion and human connection. Indeed the term “Bhav” is commonplace in Hindi and is often

used to describe non-theatrical scenarios. The existence of Bhava and Rasa outside the theatrical

context is similar to the existence of “performance” outside the theatrical context, and the

creation of the burgeoning subject “Performance Studies.” Coming from a theoretical

interpretation, this broad application of Bhava and Rasa might be interesting and beneficial to

certain scholars. However, to better build a utility for the contemporary musical theatre actor, I

intend to focus on Bhava and Rasa as terms used for stage only.

Joshua M. Leukhardt offers a purely theatrical interpretation of Bhava and Rasa in his

dissertation, The Bhava Process: An Approach to Understanding the Process of Characterization

in the Natyasastra, and treats the Bhavas and Rasas with more differentiation than Schechner or

the Ithaca college symposium. Leukhardt explores the “Bhava Process'' as a performer’s tool and

uses it to analyze scenes in Western plays. He applies the facets of Bhava (Anubhava, Vibhava,

Vyabicharibhava, Sthayibhava) to elements of a character’s actions. For example, Leukhardt uses

the character of Nora in A Doll's House to examine how textual references encourage various

emotional states and gestures. Leukhardt’s utility of the Bhava-Rasa Theory lacks Indian

aesthetic context, yet it uses the concept with accuracy and purpose.

Eventually, Leukhardt connects his “Bhava Process” to the Rasas. He identifies the

relationship between the Bhavas and Rasas as cyclic. He concludes his extensive study with

30
pertinent charts and tables that display condensed information. One of the productive details of

Leukhardt’s work is defining the Bhavas as verbs and the Rasas as nouns. This emphasizes the

pathway from action to objective that would be useful to a practitioner of the theory. In the

following chart he presents the Bhavas and Rasas, with their respective translations, and

highlights their cause-and-effect relationship.51

Figure 4 (Bhava and Rasas with Translation)52

Grasping the Bhava-Rasa Theory and its nuanced practice can be an extensive process,

and the centuries of literature allow for numerous interpretations. However, this wide variety

allows for scope and detail. We can safely surmise that the theory allows for contemporary use..

R.B. Patankar articulated that Sanskrit drama researchers should "become molders and not

merely discoverers of critical concepts."53 So how will my research mold these basic concepts?

How will my work add to the scholarly application of the Bhava-Rasa Theory that exists?

51
Leukhardt, Joshua M. 2019. The Bhava Process: An Approach to Understanding the Process of
Characterization in the Natyasastra. University of Hawa’i at Manoa. (2019): 69.
52
Ibid.
53
Patankar, R. B. “Does the ‘Rasa’ Theory Have Any Modern Relevance?”

31
 Chapter Three: The Bhava-Rasa Theory in Sanskrit Drama

A number of Indian texts dictate the meaning of the Bhavas and Rasas, but evidence of

exactly how dramatists utilized the terms in staging Gupta-Era plays varies. Scholars presume,

however, that Sanskrit actors, directors, and designers utilized the Bhavas and Rasas often as

“Story and character are subordinated in the Indian dramaturgy to the sentiment or Rasa of which

they are vehicles.”54 Some dramatists may have encouraged precise identification of the Bhavas,

while others may have simply remarked upon the successful or unsuccessful Bhavas rendered in

the text. Another point of dissension is how naturalistic the Bhavas and Rasas were on the

historic Sanskrit stage. Many scholars hypothesize that the Bhavas were presented with

exaggerated vocal tones and physical gestures to further heighten the sentiments of the story.

Take for example, the continued practice of the Sanskrit-theatre style Koodiyattam.

Figure 5 (Kapila Venu performing the Mahishasuravadham)55

54
Raghavan, V. “Sanskrit Drama: Theory and Performance.” Comparative Drama 1, no. 1 (1967): 36–48.
55
“Kutiyattam - YouTube.” Accessed 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7CTbXGC4VE .

32
Figure 5 shows actress, Kapila Venu, performing the Mahishasuravadham. In the video

publication of this performance, the captions define this pictured moment as the scene when the

antagonist, Mahisha, becomes “very strong and arrogant.” In the context of the Bhava-Rasa

Theory, “strength” and “arrogance” can be translated to Utsaha Bhava. To display Utsaha in this

episode, Venu’s eyes open wide, her shoulders, elbows, and arms held in a stiff, flexed position,

and her fingers clench into tight fists. Some might say, she demonstrates Utsaha beyond worldly

recognition. To some, these stylistic choices separate Sanskrit dramatic techniques as nothing

more than ritualistic tradition. This however is contested by Sanskrit scholar, Sarachchandra. In

an interview published in 1971, Sarachchandra interjects naturalism and realism into the stylistic

palette of Sanskrit drama. He states, “…naturalism was thought of as a suitable mode for

conveying rasas like the hasya (“comic”)’56

I analyze two existing Sanskrit play-scripts: Abhijñānaśākuntalam and Mricchakatika,

with a liberal Bhava-Rasa process that allows for both surrealistic and realistic interpretation of

the Bhavas, Rasas, Anubhavas, Vyabicharibhavas, and Vibhavas. This application demonstrates

just one of the several ways in which the Bhava-Rasa Theory may have operated in the

6th-century Sanskrit playhouse.

Kalidasa's Abhijñānaśākuntalam (ca. 500 CE), often translated as, The Recognition of

Shakuntala, is one of the most celebrated Sanskrit plays in the Western world. The play tells the

story of a handsome hero, King Dushyanta, who while visiting a hermitage, spots Shakuntala.

56
Gunawardana, A. J., and E. R. Sarachchandra. “The Uses of Tradition. An Interview with E.
R. Sarachchandra.” The Drama Review: TDR 15, no. 2 (1971): 196.

33
Upon seeing the beautiful maid, he falls in love, giving her a signet ring to remind her of him.

They get married in secret, and soon Shakuntala becomes pregnant with his child. When King

Dushyanta leaves to journey back to his palace, Shakuntala becomes distraught, pining for her

dear Dushyanta. In her love-sick state, she unknowingly offends a visiting ascetic who becomes

enraged at her ignorance. The ascetic curses Shakuntala that the person she is so ardently

thinking of, will forget her. Due to Shakunatala's friends' pleas, however, the ascetic makes one

exception. If King Dushyantha is presented with the signet ring, he may recognize Shakuntala,

and love her once again. Unfortunately, Shakuntala loses the ring on her journey to Dushyantha’s

palace, and is shunned from his court. Six years pass, and after the chance discovery of the ring,

King Dushyanta finally remembers Shakuntala. The two unite tearfully near the end of the play.57

Kalidasa’s Abhijñānaśākuntalam, in accordance with other classical Sanskrit plays, is

acutely aware of its “performed” reality. Just as the Bhavas and Rasas recognize that emotions

felt within the theatre space are different from the emotion felt in life, Kalidasa’s script

acknowledges the characters as actors and actresses. For example, in Arthur W. Ryder’s

translation of Abhijñānaśākuntalam, the Director asks the Actress (who will later play

Shakuntala) to set the scene with a song about the "pleasant summer, which has just begun." She

narrates the situation her character is about to portray in detail.58

Another deliberate use of the Bhava-Rasa Theory in Abhijñānaśākuntalam is to identify

and analyze the dominant Bhavas of the play. Scholars agree that the dominant Bhavas in this

57
Kālidāsa, and Arthur W. Ryder. In Kalidasa: Translations of Shakuntala, and Other Works.
Charleston, SC: Biblio Bazaar, (2008)
58
Ibid.

34
work are Rati Bhava (to Desire) and Soka Bhava (to Sorrow), dictating Sringara (Love) and

Karunya (Compassion) to be the main Rasas present in the spectator. There are a variety of

specific dialogues in Kalidasa’s text that carefully craft Sringara and Karunya Rasas in the seated

spectator. For example, while watching Shakuntala from afar, King Dushyanta describes her

astounding beauty and grace in poetic couplets: “Beneath the barken dress, upon the shoulder

tied, in maiden loveliness, her young breasts seems to hide”59 The vivid imagery of her physical

features, dress, and ornamentations are written to arouse an erotic love in the spectator. Later,

when Shakuntala visits her husband, Soka Bhava is evoked in Shakuntala’s anguished cries.

Mricchakatika, translated to The Little Clay Cart, was written by Shudraka around the

3rd century CE. The play centers on the unrequited love between Charudatta, an impoverished

merchant, and Vasantasena, a beautiful courtesan. The antagonist, Samsthana—who is also

Vasantasena’s brother-in-law, forbids the two from marrying due to the variety of cultural and

caste differences they possess. Alongside this plot is a smaller subplot in which a group of men

battle a corrupt kingdom, valiantly fighting for “a more democratic and socially enlightened

state.” Eventually, the plots meet to aid in the union of Vasantasena and Charudatta.

While some scholars utilize the Bhava-Rasa Theory to analyze the dominant sentiments

of notable Sanskrit plays—as I offered for Abhijñānaśākuntalam— others take an interest in the

confluence of all the Bhavas and Rasas in each drama. This is one of the many remarkable

59
Ryder, W. Arthur. “Translations of Shakuntala & Other Works.” The Project Gutenberg eBook of
Translations of Shakuntala and Other Works, by Kalidasa. Accessed March 25, 2022.

35
qualities of Mricchakatika. A beautifully concise description of the distinct Rasas evoked by

Shudraka is provided by Sudipto Chatterjee in the forward to his translation of the play:

Even a cursory exploration of The Little Clay Cart reveals that, like a sumptuous meal

offering a range of tastes, it is capable of generating a wide variety of rasas. The

shirngara (erotic) rasa dominates the play, especially in the love scenes between

Charudatta and Vasantasena, whereas the hasya (comic) is invariably ascendant in the

scenes featuring Maitreya. Hasya combines with bhayanaka (fearful) and vibhatsa

(odious) when Samsthanaka and his foolish, sadistic humor are on stage, while karuna

(sorrowful) rules when we witness Charudatta’s poverty and when we anticipate his

execution in the final scene. Raudra (angry) and veera (heroic) combine in the characters

of Aryaka and Sharvilaka when the play’s political sublot comes to the fore. 60

Staging the monologue in the first scene of the first act with attention to Bhava-Rasa

Theory, the director would assign Charudatta’s main emotion, or Bhava as Soka “to despair.”

Charudatta begins this scene narrating: “Once swans and cranes came swooping down in

swarms, to snatch from my doorstep the gifts I threw; And now, on weed-grown steps, a few

wretched dry seeds lie ignored, waiting for worms…”61 He later relates, “...Prosperity after bad

luck is sheer joy, The light at the end of a dark night. But the one who’s poor after prosperity’s

joy, Is the living dead of the darkest night.”62

60
Chatterjee, Sudipto (translator), Shudraka (author), “The Little Clay Cart.” 428.
61
Chatterjee, Sudipto (translator), Shudraka (author), “The Little Clay Cart.” 429 - 489.
62
Chatterjee, Sudipto (translator), Shudraka (author), “The Little Clay Cart.” 429 - 489.

36
 The unfortunate predicament narrated by Charudatta would support the actor’s

Sthayibhava as Soka, because of his mention of poverty and hopelessness. When staging this

monologue the actor might use the Emotional Effects (Anubhava) of slow gestures, downcast

eyes, slow tears, and heavy sighs. His Transitioning Emotions (Vyabicharibhavas) could include

anxiety, recollection, and indignation. The precise choices of the actor and director in enforcing

Soka Bhava should translate the Karuna Rasa (Sorrow) in the audience member.

37
Figure 20 (Vocal Anubhavas for Wicked)
Text
 Chapter Five: The Bhava Cycle

This chapter explores my practice-based study of writing and directing The Bhava Cycle,

a contemporary musical theatre song cycle that demonstrates the Bhava-Rasa Technique. Each of

the eight songs allude to one of the eight Bhavas shaped through the careful crafting of

Vyabicharibhavas, Vibhavas, and Anubhavas. To compose the music with Bhava-Rasa Theory in

mind, I paid special attention to the melodies, rhythms, instrumentation, and how these elements

aid in inciting Rasa in the spectator. For each Bhava, I chose an Indian Carnatic Raga (melodic

scale/mode) that I felt appropriate to each Sthayibhava. I acknowledge that to create this method

of Bhava-Rasa practice, I concern myself with the subjective.

“Untied” is the opening song, and was written, composed, and staged to display Rati

Bhava. Working with actor Piper Keusch, I introduced the first question of the Bhava-Rasa

Technique: What do you want the spectator to feel? In “Untied,” the answer was generally

identified as Sringara (romance), but to offer Keusch more specificity, I provided this figure:

Figure 24 (Bhava/Rasa for “Untied”)

61
Keusch used the Vyabicharibhavas of Intoxication, Awakening, Recollection, and Anxiety as

transitory emotions throughout her song. For her Vibhava, we maintained Sanskrit aesthetic form

by staging “Untied,” about a character expressing their love —which Keusch further specified as

a ballad to her first love. We staged this song by a foggy window, at which she sang aloud her

newfound desire. To actionize the Sthayibhava, Keusch employed the Anubhavas of “smiles,

sweet words, motions of eyebrows...and glances''1 prescribed by the Natyashastra. Keusch also

integrated these physicalizations with her natural tendencies and often closed her eyes in reverie,

used her fingertips to brush her face and body gently, and vocalized in soft, persuasive tones.

The song that follows “Untied” is “Surprise,” which was performed by myself. When

employing the Bhava-Rasa Technique in my own practice, I was able to fine-tune my

methodology. I first identified the Adbhuta Rasa, the objective of my performance, as

“Astonishment” and the Bhava, or my most saturated emotion as “to awe.” In the following

figure, the yellow marks indicate this relationship:

Figure 25 (Bhava/Rasa for “Surprise”)

1
Gosh, Manomohan, editor and translator. Natyashastra: Ascribed to Bharata-Muni. 122.

62
Concurrent with the Natyashastra’s recommended Vibhava, I worked in the circumstance of a

character seeing her long-lost lover return. In this moment she is completely taken aback and

marvels at exciting and unknown newfound possibilities. My Vyabicharibhavas were: Agitation,

Apprehension, Awakening, Restlessness. In regard to Anubhava, I incorporated the

Natyashastra’s directions by utilizing “wide opening of the eyes, looking without winking of the

eyes, movement of the eyebrows, horripilation, moving the head to and fro, the cry of ‘Oh

My…”2 This song was staged in a bright room, shades of yellow displayed in the set and

costume. The sudden shouts and cries were made to surprise the spectator through the verses of

lyrics.

To stage the next song, “Control,” I worked with actor Miller Kraps to display the Rasa

Bhaya (Fear). We translated Bhayanaka as “Dread,” and Bhaya as “to terrify.” To offer Kraps a

visualization of this emotional play, I provided this figure:

Figure 26 (Bhava/Rasa for “Control”)

2
Gosh, Manomohan, editor and translator. Natyashastra: Ascribed to Bharata-Muni. 122.

63
Kraps used the Vyabicharibhavas of: Agitation, Aggressiveness, Intoxication, Weakness,

Arrogance, Cruelty, as transitory emotions throughout his song. In congruence with the

Natyashastra, we situated “Control” in an empty house on a dark rainy night. Kraps further

defined his Vibhava as “speaking to the anxiety within myself, fearing it, and trying to scare it

away.” To heighten the Rasa, we staged this song in a dark room, with harsh white up-lights and

flashes of red. Finally, Kraps employed the Anubhavas of: Licking the lips quickly, keeping the

eyes unsteady, letting the hands tremble and then lay loose and limp, and occasionally

whispering the melody line.

From flashes of fear emerged an unfathomable pain. In “Still,” rendered by me, I

expressed the emotions of “a lone character begging to be reunited with their recently deceased

partner.” I identified my desired Rasa as Grief, and the associated Bhava as “to agonize.” The

points on the following graphic display relationships.

Figure 27 (Bhava/Rasa for “Still”)

In my performance of “Still”, I layered Vyabicharibhavas of: Discouragement, Recollection,

Weakness, Weariness, Sickness, Despair, and Anxiety to strengthen the Bhava/Rasa. I integrated

64
Anubhavas of: paralysis, looseness of limbs, uneasiness, soft weeping, and shallow breathing.

The next composition was “Stand,” which displayed the Heroic Bhava. In this piece, I

worked with actor Averi Allison to stage Utsaha/Vira. We further specified the desired Rasa in

the spectator as Courage, and the Bhava she displayed as“to champion.” The following figure

displays this emotional interplay:

Figure 28 (Bhava/Rasa for “Stand”)

Allison heightened her performance using subtle Vyabicharibhavas of Arrogance, Awakening,

Assurance, Deliberation, and Impatience. During our staging process, she revealed her Vibhava

as: a character standing in front of a large dispirited crowd, giving a speech that will offer

strength and assurance to the individuals to keep moving forward. Finally when considering what

gestures/vocalisms would make the spectator feel Courageous? She employed: steadiness of the

body, broad shoulders, her head tilted slightly upward, her eyes steady and voice powerfully

strong.

Following this uplifting performance by Allison, Keusch returned to perform “Storm,”

the song associated with anger. Keusch and I worked together to identify Agitation as the main

65
 Rasa and “to seethe” as the main Bhava. The yellow markers show this particular

Bhava-Rasa relationship:

Figure 29 (Bhava/Rasa for “Storm”)

We chose a scenario in which a character confronts a weak enemy (a former bully) about his/her

actions. Keusch cries out in extended notes and employs the distinct gestures of: “knitting of

eyebrows, fierce look, bitten lips, hands clasping each other, and with threatening arms, shoulder

and chest.”3 She also employed subtler Vyabicharibhavas of Loathing, Intoxication, Awakening,

Recollection, Anxiety, and Fear.

After “Storm,” Allison returned to sing “Ferment.” In this piece, we recreated a scenario

in which a character confronts a “detestable” person. Specifically, a “power-hungry man, whom I

tried years to adjust to, but can no longer stand.” We identified the desired Rasa for the spectator

as Disgust and the emotion she would mainly display as “to disgust.” To offer Allison more

specificity, I provided this figure:

Pg. 124. Gosh, Manomohan, editor and translator. Natyashastra: Ascribed to Bharata-Muni.
3

66
 Figure 30 (Bhava/Rasa for “Ferment”)

Allison employed subtler Vyabicharibhavas of Agitation, Aggressiveness, Intoxication,

Cruelty, and Fear. Finally, Allison used the Anubhavas of: Contracting all the limbs, narrowing

down of the mouth, averting the body away and cowering, holding the Limbs up like a shield,

wailing, hissing, groaning, and spitting to heighten her performance.

The final piece of The Bhava Cycle is “High (Not on Drugs)” which displays

Hasa/Hasya. Miller Kraps and I worked to identify the specific Rasa as Comedy and the specific

Bhava as “to mock.” The following graphic visualizes this emotional interplay:

67
 Figure 31 (Bhava/Rasa for “High”)

The jaunty melody was layered with the subtler emotions of Arrogance, Dreaming, Distraction,

Awakening, and Recollection. We staged this song to display an exuberant man, waking up from

a long nap, feeling refreshed and a little hungry. As he decides upon his upcoming meal, he

mocks vegans, Opera singers, and cheese. For Anubhavas, Kraps employed a

smiling face, bright eyes, laughter, dance, and meaningless gibberish.

The first iteration of these eight songs were presented on April 12, 2021 in the Ohio State

University’s Lab Series. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, these songs were presented online.

Staging The Bhava Cycle using the Bhava Process was illuminating because, according to

Keusch, it offered her a “new way to approach musical theatre material,” an opinion later echoed

by the other participants.

68
 Untied.


from The Bhava Cycle
Raga: Charukeshi Composer/Lyricist: Shyama Iyer

 = 90      
Piano  
     
 
     
3 3


Violin


       


Flute  
 
              
              







   

    
Piano

          
     
    


  



   
            
7 3 3


Pno.


    
Floa ting Fly ing with the wings of a fee ling that's lift ing me through

Vln. 
    


Fl.  


         
        







 

 
Pno.

  



 

 
   


69
 
  
  
  
     
11

 
Pno.


   
the sky Mm fi re fl a

         



Vln.

 
 
Fl.           

   
      
         




  




 

 
 
Pno.

           


    





      
         
15 3 3


Pno.


mes of a fee ling that's ris ing and Rag ing in side The

 
    
3 3

   
Vln.

      
    


Fl.  


         
     

    
Pno.

   
   
 
 

70
2
 

                            
18

Pno.


way you un tie me the way you in hale me, the way you in vade all the

 
                   
Vln.


             


Fl.  
       
       
3 3

    
3

   
 
 
       
         
Pno.

          
 



                        

21

Pno.


  
life that's in side me mm mh The

Vln.            
 


                 
3

Fl.

                        
 


 

                     
   
Pno.




 

71

3
 

    
      
24

 
Pno.

 
  
way that you hold me the way you en close me the


             
Vln.

 
   


    
3 3

Fl.

  
           
   
   

     
           
Pno.


   



      
          
26

  
Pno.



way that you warm all the cold that's in side me mh mh mh

           
        
Vln.


               


3 3

Fl.


    
                     
   







 
Pno.












72

4
 

  
29


Pno.

 
Vln.    

           
   


Fl.

     
  
  
          
 
            
Pno.





  
    
31

Pno.

 
                     

          
Vln.

       
     


Fl.

 
             
 
 
        
Pno.

  
 

73

5
 
 
  
          
33

Pno.

       

Fi na ly I'm part of the Se cret the world kept

      
             
Vln.


   
 
            
Fl.

               
    
          
  
 


              
   
Pno.

                       






                  
36

Pno.

              

Tell me I'll stay part of the Se cret this world kept fold me up and

Vln.  
   


 
           
   
Fl.


                    
      




                   

                       
Pno.

74

6
 
 
                       
39

Pno.


       
hold me still in side this feel ing The way you un do me the

                  
    

Vln.

           


    
Fl. 

    
3

           
      








 
   
   
Pno.

      
 
 




                 
42

Pno.


way you have fooled me, the way that you move all the

 
                 
Vln.

        


Fl.  
       
   
3

   
3

  
 

      
      
Pno.

     


75

7
 

                        

44

Pno.

 
             
        
life that's in side me mm mh The

         
Vln.




                  
3

Fl.

                        
  


 

                     
   
Pno.


 



    
      
47

 
Pno.



way that you hold me the way you en close me the


                 
Vln.

 
    


   
3 3

Fl.

   
            
 
     
  
 
    
        
Pno.


  

76

8
 

            
       
49


Pno.


way that you warm all the cold that's in side me mh mh mh

            
           
3 3

Vln.


cresc.

               


3 3

Fl.


     
      
 
 
               
   







Pno.














  
                
52
Larghetto slow roll

Pno.

    
       
mh mh mh mh mh mh

Vln.

       
 


3 3

Fl.       

     
3

   
3

     
      






 
           
Pno.

     
 

 

77

9
 Surprise!
from The Bhava Cycle
 = 200

Raga: Behag Composer/Lyricist: Shyama Iyer

    
     

     

  
Piano

          
Oh! NO! acro ss the

 
 
Violin

                  
  
             
Flute

        
 

    
         
 

       
Piano

 
 

 
 

      
     
11


Pno.


          


Ro om who knew you'd be here

 
          
Vln.

    
   
  
     
    
 
Fl.

  


       
        
   

       
Pno. 

  
 

78
  
                   
17

Pno.

         
  
         
leav ing me breath less I can't be lieve that you're ab so lu tly real.

 
Vln.

        
     



Fl.

      


               
       

    
         
 

      
Pno.


    


 
    
       
23

Pno.

 
                      
what do I do? what do I say?

  

Vln.

              
 



      
Fl.

    
     


  
                  
  
Pno.     

 
    
 

79

2
  
            
  
29

Pno.

    
            
how do I act when you come my way I'm not we're not

       
Vln.

       

  
Fl.

          


     
 

    
Pno.

     



  
        
35

Pno.

   
    
this is not what I had in mind

     
Vln.

    
    
                   
  
Fl.

  



       


      


 
Pno.

   



80

3
        

41


Pno.

               
   
           
Vln.

      




                
Fl.




     
    
      

            
Pno. 

  
 

  
   
 

         
  
48

Pno.

    
      
 
  

Right Now Right Now Right now in this ve ry mo ment my heart is bur

    
    
Vln.

         
            
 

               

Fl.

      
     
       
           
   
Pno.  



81

4
     
       
 
53

Pno.

      
       
sting right out of it's cas ing right now

  
   
Vln.

           
     
        
Fl.

            
       

           
                     
  
Pno.   


  


   
            
 
58

Pno.


    
     
when you see me Will you re mem ber all the mom ments do Ilook


        
Vln.

 
             
               
Fl.

      
     
     
         

 
 
Pno.

   

82

5
  

                  
63

Pno.

             
      
fi ne am I rea lly rea dy will this rea lly be a hap py end ing


   
      
Vln.

       
    
       
Fl.

            
      
           
            
Pno.

   




       
         
67

Pno.

  
       
or the start of some thing dread ful dread ful who knew you'd

  
Vln.

         
 
 
Fl.

               
  

       
 




        
    

Pno.

 
  


83

6
 
             
72

         
Pno.

      
be here leav ing me nau seous I can't be lieve that you're

         
     
Vln.

          


   
Fl.

        
       

     


       
Pno. 


 

     
       
  
77

Pno.

          

    
ab so lu tly real. Oh My God

 
    
Vln.

         


 
Fl.

           
   
  
        
        
  

   
Pno.

     
 


84

7
        

85


Pno.

            

            
Vln.

 


Fl.

            
 
     
               
      
  
Pno.








                   
90

Pno.

          
        
I wan na run I wan na hide I'm ter ro rized but E le ctri fied! when he

 
        
Vln.

        
        


 

Fl.

    

    

   


          
Pno.  

85

8
       
     
95

Pno.

 
           
    
walks in just act like you're sur prised

      
Vln.

           
       
 
Fl.

               

                                  
   
Pno.
  

  


  
            
101

Pno.

       
          
     
I'm not at home I'm not at home I'm not at home

                 
Vln.

    
      


   

  
Fl.

     

   
    
Pno.

86

9
        
       
106

Pno.

     
        
I'm not at home! till you leave I will hide!

 
        
Vln.

    
 
 
Fl.

           
  
             
 
Pno.

 
 

   
          
111

Pno.

              
   
        
who knew you'd be here leav ing me crz zy I can't be

       
Vln.

     

 
  
Fl.

            
     
 
    
    
  

 
Pno.

  
 




87

10
        
    

116

Pno.

        
      
lieve I can't I can't be leive my eyes!

  
       
Vln.

      
     
      
Fl.


         
     

     

         


  
Pno.

     


       
         
121


Pno.

     
no time to the o rize you

                         
Vln.

    

       
Fl.

                

    
      
     
     
  


Pno.

  
  

88

11
       
   
126

           
Pno.

     
 
took me by sur prise!

       
 
                  
Vln.

     


      
  
Fl.

       
               



           
            
 




 
   
Pno.

  
 


            
133

     
Pno.

   
              
You Took Me by sur prise!


             
Vln.

  


Fl.

        
          


       

              
    

  

   
Pno.


 
 
 

89

12
 Control.
from The Bhava Cycle
Raga: Panthuvarali Composer/Lyricist: Shyama Iyer

             
Piano      
    

it's com ing it's

Violin

     
 
   
Flute

              
 




  
           
    
Piano 

        



  
   

4

Pno.

 

com ing for me

Vln.

  
Fl. 


  

 
  
Pno. 



90
   
   
        
5

Pno.

   

I can feel it in fect ing the air

Vln.


Fl.    


        
   

 
 

 
 


   

          

     
Pno. 

   



   
8

Pno.


              
 
Vln.

  
 

 
Fl.

         
  


  
     
            
Pno.

   


91

2
  
  
         
10

Pno.


          
   
When will you find me when will you take me

     
Vln.

                
                  
 

Fl.

       
          
       
         
                   
   
  
 

       
Pno.

 

   
         
  

   
13

Pno.

    
              
 
when will you hold me down when will you trap me


       
Vln.

    
                           
 

             
Fl.

 
         
     
     
       
                       
      
Pno.

92

3
 
    
 
16

Pno.


 
when will you trick me

 
     
Vln.

        

    
Fl.

   
    
   

        
  
Pno.

 
   
     
         
17

Pno.

     
                
when will youcatch my soul I'm Lo o sing con

             
Vln.

                 
 
                 
Fl.

                   

           

      


                   


 
Pno.

          


93

4
  
  
 
20

Pno.


     
I'm

Vln.

 
  

   
Fl.

   


       
 
Pno. 




   
 = 80

        
   
21

Pno.

      
    
lo o sing con trol

   
 
Vln.

  
       
         
Fl.

       
 
 

         
    
        
    
                   
             


  
Pno.

        


94

5
     

25

Pno.


            
           
  
Vln.

                     

                    
Fl.

     
   
                     

     

Pno. 

               


   
 
29

Pno.

  
   
               
Vln.

                     


                  

Fl.

   
 
   
      
        
    
Pno.

      

95

6
      

31

Pno.

 
  
                  

                  
Vln.

  
 

                                
Fl.

  
      
 
  

                                    




Pno.

      
  
 

     

35

 
Pno.

        
           
 
    
Vln.

      
     
 

           
Fl.

                 
   
  
          
       


 
Pno.

96

7
  
   
   
40

 
Pno.

          
   
    
while you creep wi thin I


Vln.

  
Fl.        

         
   


  
  

Pno. 

                   
   




     
45

   
Pno.

   
     
leak be neath your skin I will find you

    

Vln.

 
Fl.            

             
     
    

        
Pno.  

              
    

97

8
   
   
       
50

Pno.

          
  
be fore you fi nd me

Vln.
      
   
                   

             
Fl.

      
      
   
            
     
  

           

Pno.

 
  

  
       
    
54

Pno.

   
     
 
you think its a game when


              
Vln.


                 

Fl.

     
         

 
       


           
Pno. 

       
   
 

98

9
 
      

    
57

Pno.

      
    
     
you are to bl ame so you want to

  
 
                                   
Vln.

 
 
Fl.

      
       

                       
 

 
Pno.

  


         
60

Pno.

      
   
play please come my

      
   
            
Vln.

            
Fl.  


      
   
 
      
      

   
Pno.



99

10
 
    
          
62

Pno.

        
                          
   
 
wa y Ill show you how I Lo o

 
                              
Vln.


       
 
 
     
Fl.


        
   
   
                       
     
Pno.





              
   
65

Pno.

   
                           
se con trol lo o se con trol

 
                  
Vln.

          
 

Fl.

          
 
               
        
       
                      
 

          
Pno.




 


100

11
 
        
  
68

Pno.


  
I'm look ing I'm Listen ing I

                
 
Vln.

     
   

    
Fl.

       
   

    





    
Pno.

 
 

    
    
    
71

Pno.


                       
Know You I'll find you when you least ex

       
Vln.

         
Fl.                 

   
       
     
   
    
Pno.

 

101

12
 
    

 

 

  
74

Pno.


                          
pect me to find you I'll show you I'll

Vln.

                        
Fl. 


          
    
 
       
Pno.

  

     
     
77 Slow down
Pno.



                       
   
show you I'll show you


    
Vln.

 
                  
     
Fl.
 
  
     
  
    
    
Pno. 

 


102

13
    

81

        
Pno.

        
          
                
Vln.

          
  
 
Fl.

         
 


           

Pno.

103

14
 Still.
From The Bhava Cycle
Raga: Kaanada Composer/Lyricist: Shyama Iyer


 = 75
        
     
       
Piano

      
 
All I Know is hea vi ness and it's drag ging me to your

Violin

     
Flute    

 
 
(Improvise)

           
              
      
Piano 

   
        
             
7


Pno.

      

door step I'm beg ging you to re lease me please let me go oh oh I'm

Vln.

     
Fl. 

  
         
 
   
           

Pno.

104
 
          
                 
12

Pno.

    

so clo se to emp ty so close to gone. all tha t is in me won't

Vln.

   
Fl. 


      

       

Pno.

   
                   
15

Pno.

   

let me go on My tears are so dry I scream and it's si lent My

Vln.

      
Fl.     

    
            



        
    
Pno.

105

2
   
                 
   
 
18

Pno.

     

bo dy is ach ing My soul is so qu iet and still hm hm an d still

Vln.


              

Fl.


         
    
      
   
 
Pno.


                      

    
23

Pno.

    

I lay at yourdoor step ev en though youwon't ev er be there to op en thedoor

Vln.

   
   

  
Fl.

  
  
     
  
Pno.

106

3
 
   
27

Pno.

    
Vln.      

            
                
 3

Fl.

    


            
              
Pno.

  
   
30

Pno.

 
         


     
Vln.

             

  


           
 
Fl.

      


            
   
Pno.

107

4
  
    
33

Pno.

   
           


             
Vln.

                
  
3

                

Fl.

     
  

         
       
Pno.

   
  
36


Pno.

 
   
I'm

   
3

   
Vln.

                        
 
           
 
Fl.

      


           
     
       
Pno.

108

5
    
                         
39

Pno.

  
  
ga ping I' m Pour ing till all of mespills. op en t the door and

       
    
Vln.

      
Fl.   


           

Pno.
              

  
         
          
42

Pno.

 
            

catch what is left This life is so dry The fut ure is si lent all I have left are the

     

Vln.

       
Fl. 

          
          


         
  
Pno.

10
8
6
     
                 

46

Pno.

       
  
memo ries of you I'm spil li ing is this e ven your door step I'm


    
Vln.

Fl.     


      
   


    




    
Pno. 





           
  
   
50


Pno.

  
   
dri pp ing try ing to find your door step I'm sea rch ing is

Vln.

  
 


Fl.

     
   










    
    
Pno.







110

7
         
         
53 Lento
Pno.

        
    
this e venyourdoor step I'm lost and still. so still

Vln.

   
 
              


Fl.

    
          


  





   


     


 
Pno.

     










111

8
 Stand.
from The Bhava Cycle

 = 80
Raga: Purna Chandrika Composer/Lyricist: Shyama Iyer

        
 
    
Piano

  
         

        
Violin

 
         
3 3 3


3
3

                           

Flute

               
      
                      
       
3 3


Piano 3 3 33
3
3

3
3
   

     
        
11
3
Pno.

 
  
              
I stand here see ing a brand new
3 3 3 3 3
Vln.

  
        
              
Fl.

    
     
 
                           
             
Pno. 33 3
3 3 3

3 3

112
  
  
                 
18
3 3 3
Pno.

     
     
day hop ing you see it too canyou feel it in the air I know
3
Vln.

       
        
       3
      
Fl.

           
    
3

                     
3

       
33 33
Pno.

3    3 3


  
                 
26
3 3 3 3
Pno.


  
you you aere good and strong. you are what we need you've been the ans wer all a


             
3 3 3 3

   
   
Vln.

     

   
Fl.

          
         
  
3 3


3


              
     
       
Pno. 3 3 33

3 3   

113

2
  
          

33 3 3
Pno.

 
 
long Stand with me no w and lift yo ur

       
3 3 3

        
Vln.

  
Fl. 
          

3 3 3

                               
Pno.

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
3 3

  
                   

38 3
Pno.

  
3

    
3

         
voi ces be lieve you are some one and see howyou make the world

 
3 3

           
Vln.

  
    
3

  
Fl.

                

 
3 3
3

      
                

3
Pno. 3 3

3 3 3 3
3 3

114

3
  = 60     
    
43

Pno.

     
                       
ours

  
      
         
Vln.

     
Fl.     


                                    


                                     
Pno.


    
                
50

Pno.

    
  
    
There are times when I know you you are sca red But look all a round

  
Vln.

          


                 

Fl.

          

  
  
 
              
           
 

 

     
Pno.

115

4
 
         
        
57

Pno.

    


  
look all a round see how you stand! to ge ther to


Vln.

 
        

        
Fl.


                       
  
 
                   
         
Pno.

   
               
 
62

Pno.


          
ge ther we are to ge ther we stay to ge ther we de

                  
                
Vln.


              
Fl.

            
                  

  
            
        
  
Pno.

116

5
        
           
67

Pno.

     
   
  
fend and ov er come and stand ta ll

 
          
Vln.

 
     
               
Fl.

             
           
                       
 
Pno.

   
 = 80
 
        
      
73 3 3
Pno.

          
     
Stand with me no w and lift yo ur voi ces be
3 3

     
     
Vln.


 
3

     
         
Fl.

     
 
3 3

     
                                

Pno.

3 3 3 3 3 3
3 3

117

6
     
              

78 3
Pno.

 
3

           
lieve you are some one and how you Make Stand with me

 
3 3

    
Vln.


        
3

       

Fl.

       

   
3
3

        3  3
          
 
Pno. 3 3

3 3 3
3

      3         
        
  
83

Pno.

       
3 3 3


no w and lift yo ur voi ces be lieve you are some one and see how you make the world

Vln.

       


      

Fl.

 
           

               
             
Pno.

118

7
  
              
90 Lento
Pno.

  
        
3 3

  
wewill make the world wewill make the world ours

              
Vln.



3

                 

Fl.

        

3 3

        
3

          
Pno. 3

  
     

119

8
 Storm.
from The Bhava Cycle

 = 80 
Raga: Revati Composer/Lyricist: Shyama Iyer

   
 
  
Piano

         
     

       
Violin

         
         

 
Flute

 
                             
   

       
           
Piano 

   
 
      
6

Pno.

      
           
I am a white hot flame a

     
     
Vln.

        
      

      
Fl.

    
 
 
  
           
        
   
             
    
Pno.

120
  
       
            
11

Pno.

  
                 
  
flood of feel ing I'm rea dy to des troy. You are dumb

     
           
Vln.

        
 

             

Fl.

   
   


 
 

               
 
Pno.

 
    
             
16

Pno.

      

            
              
andlame a waste of time and a waste of space

            
Vln.

  
               

       
Fl.

     
         

 
 

               
 
Pno.

121

2
 
   
      
       
21

Pno.


          
I am a gust of wind a heav y cloud I'm wait ing to ex

                
             
Vln.


       

 
Fl.

                       
   

             
           
Pno.

 

 
         
          
25

Pno.


                
      
plode In light ning flash e lec tric shock straightthrough

 
     

Vln.

      
            
 
 
        
Fl.

               
  



  

                     
 


 
Pno.

122

3
  
             
30

Pno.

    
       
           
your soul ev ery thing that touch es you su rrounds you

         
Vln.

     
              

  
Fl.

     
                


             

       
Pno.

 

   
         
      
34

Pno.

             

  
       
I will burn ev ery thing that stands in my way ev ery

  
       
     
Vln.

        

  
Fl.

               
      
             
       
Pno.

 


123

4
  
   
            
38

Pno.

           
       
bit ev ery shred will be caught in fla mes caught in fla

     
  
   
Vln.

                  
 
                        
Fl.

     
   


 
               
     


 
Pno.

  
        
43

Pno.

  
                
      
mes what are you look ing at

 
       
              
Vln.

    

Fl.

                 
 

  
               
      
Pno.




124

5
  
     
    
       
47

Pno.

       
        
look ing at you think you es ca pe me ne ve er

         
Vln.

        

 
Fl.

     


  
       
             
  


   
Pno.





    
                 
50

Pno.

   
        
no one es capes from these flames that are bla z ing tear ing in side with a

       
Vln.

    

Fl.

     
      
 

           

               
    
Pno. 

125

6
  
                    
53

Pno.

   
  




     
strength that can sha tt er me like a force its a force of

 
    
Vln.

       
  

Fl.

           
         

      
         
       
Pno. 


  


     
          
    
56

Pno.

                   

na t ure get out of my way out of my way or you'll be caught in

     
    
  
Vln.

    
   

 
Fl.

        
       
  
      
                  
Pno.



126

7
  
  
    
60

Pno.

   
  
                
fla mes caught in flames

  
 
Vln.

                      
 

Fl.

    
                 
 

           
         
    
   



Pno.

 

     
        
66


Pno.

          
           
Don't say I did n't warn you


   
          
Vln.

 
 
  
 
Fl.

       
         
      
  
            
    
    
    


 
Pno.

 

127

8
  
             
71


Pno.

         

the cur rent it's get ting strong er

 
             
Vln.

 
          
         
Fl.

       
 
 
           
   
Pno.

   
        
75

   
Pno.

            
        
I can not stop this fi re

 
   
Vln.

            
 
         
Fl.

                
      

          


  
Pno.

      


128

9
 
       
79 Moderato
Pno.

                                  
   
I'm caught in Flames

                                   
Vln.


Fl. 

           
              


  


     
     
  
           
Pno.

   
 
84


Pno.

   


Vln.

   

    
Fl.

      
     
    
     
   
Pno.



129

10
 Ferment
from The Bhava Cycle
Raga: Ganamurthi Composer/Lyricist: Shyama Iyer

 = 65
     
Piano  

          


Violin                                 


      


Flute


      

      
Piano

   
  
5

 
Pno.

   
you make

    
     
 
Vln.

    



Fl.

       
    
 

                
 
      
               
                 
Pno.

130
  
  
      
   
9

Pno.

   
me want to scr eam Leave the


                               
 
Vln.



      
       


Fl.


           
       
                  
Pno.

          



   
 
13

      
Pno.


            
room find a space cold and dark where I can Fer

       
Vln.

    



Fl.

   
 
         
  


  
      
   
Pno.

  

131

2
    
 
17

    
Pno.

   
                                    
ment till all the pie

Vln.

  

         
       


Fl.


                 

                 
Pno.

      


  
21

          
Pno.


     
ces of me are old and hai ry wo rn and sti cky


           

Vln.

              
  


   
Fl.



                  

  
      
      
Pno.




132

3
   
   
25

     
Pno.


  
frank ly that is wh at you make me.

                    
 
 
Vln.

              



Fl.

      
            


          

    
Pno.

      
 

 
           
30

Pno.

 
    
Ho w you talk of gran d

Vln.
                          
            
  
     


Fl.

        
                    

 
               
Pno.

       

133

4
     
        
        
34

Pno.

     
          
uer sick and yel low de si re Ho

Vln.            

    
           


Fl.

     
               
         
 
  
                     
Pno.

    


   
                     
38

Pno.


       
w you sit there si lent Thick and sli my you make me

Vln.
     
  
    


Fl.

           
      

  
 
        
       
  
   
                         
Pno.

     

134

5
     
        


41

Pno.

      
                   
I am ach ing see thing fer ment ing


  
Vln.

 
          


Fl.

            
                  
      
    
    
                    
Pno.

        
   

     
     

45

Pno.


                             
While in this dark com part

Vln.
        

                           




Fl.

        

      

       
Pno.

         

135

6
     
              
 
49

Pno.


                  
ment trapped and tied from the in side out you pro ceed to flee find rea

Vln.
        

   


Fl.

   


    

Pno.

  


                   
52

Pno.

     
               
sons to de cieve nev er meet my eye al ways lie how you lie how you

Vln.     

     
  





 
Fl.


         
   


    
Pno.

  

136

7
  = 50
    
             
55

Pno.

             
cheat how you climb to the top! get a way far way

   
        
Vln.

    
   


Fl.
 
    
            
     
 
 

   

    

   
Pno.

 



                  
61

Pno.


 
now I'm fal ling back down back down back down to the cor ner where I sit

        
Vln.

  
   


Fl.

      
  
   

      
        
Pno.

    
     

137

8
 
              
64

      
Pno.


 
in the dark at the edge of a sti cky kind of liq uid that is ooz ing all a round

Vln.
       
   



Fl.

                 
 

       
Pno.

  
    
   

  
  
        
67

      
Pno.

   
me a yel low kind of sick ness that is spread ing all a round me


        
Vln.

                   
        


Fl.

                 
 
       
Pno.

     


138

9
  
   
 

 
70

   
Pno.


 
a deep swea ty scent co llect ing

    
Vln.

             
  


Fl.

     
       
     
Pno.

   

 = 40

         
72

              
Pno.

   
 
all a round me I'm shi ver ing I'm thi cken ing fer ment ing.


          
Vln.

 
              


Fl.

         
       

   
Pno.

    

139

10
   
   
76

Pno.


Vln.      


     


Fl.

     
 

 
Pno.

 


140

11
 High. (Not on drugs)
from The Bhava Cycle

 = 65
Raga: Mohanam Composer/Lyricist: Shyama Iyer

   
   
                            
Piano

          
There'sa

 
Violin

 
 
 
Flute

 
 
       
          
      
Piano




           
3

Pno.


  

pep in my step. and you can't catch me cause I'm


Vln.



    
Fl.

        

   
 
   



  


 
 
Pno.

  


141
    
     
   
4

 
Pno.


High er than High can be no drugs


Vln.



     
Fl.

       

   
      
        
  
Pno.

 

   
    
    
5


Pno.

      
                  
Just me There's a



Vln.

 

        
Fl.

                

       
    
            
 
        
   
Pno.

   

142

2
    
                
    
7

Pno.

  
   

light in my heart and it'sbright and ea sy it's fill ing me up a gain. a gain


Vln.

 

         
Fl.

               

       
   
   
   
 
       
     
Pno.

  
   
    
9

Pno.

 

a gain I'm free


Vln.



     
Fl.

       

   
     





 
Pno.

143

3
  
  

10

 
  
Pno.

   
           


Vln.

 

               
Fl.

          

       
       
        
        
Pno.

  

 

12

 
Pno.

 
  
   
Vln.

   
   


Fl.

        

fluteimprovisation

       
    
             
Pno.

   

144

4
 
 
             
13


Pno.



May be you won der why I'm fee lng this way why I'm

  
 
Vln.


 
Fl.

 
    
         
Pno.


         
 
14

Pno.


        
skip pin right ov er the clouds but

    
     
Vln.

 
   



  
Fl.

    
    

         

Pno.

145

5
    
          
15

Pno.

        
    
  
I could n't tell youhow I got here who kno


 
Vln.


  
Fl.

                    
       
      
Pno.


           
 
16

 
Pno.

    
         

ws it could have been lit tle

         
Vln.

   

                 
Fl.

  

      
          
Pno.

146

6
  
     
  
17
3


Pno.

         
    

won der ful mom ments! the



       
Vln.

 
 
  
Fl.

                     
      
         
Pno.

    
      
                   
18
3
Pno.

  
        
    
sug ary end of this cup of tea the way its warm ing my be ll y the

 
          
Vln.

  
 
 
  
          
Fl.

          
       
           
         
         
Pno.

147

7
  
               
20
3
Pno.

           
peice of pie that I left in the fridge the

           
(hum)

 
Vln.

    

            
Fl.

           
        
         
       
            
Pno.

  
     
                
22

Pno.

               
     
fact that it's made with no milk or eggs cause I ama ve gan yes

 
    
Vln.

 
     

             

Fl.

     
    
   
     
  
                
   
Pno.

148

8
         
         
24 go ahead and give me a hand Slow Down

Pno.

         
           
I am a ve gan yes I am a ve gan ex

         
Vln.

           

         
Fl.

               
       
   
                 
   
Pno.

   

       
  
26

Pno.

            
     
cept when it comes to my cheese


 
   
         
Vln.

   

     
Fl.

             

      


      

  
          
Pno.


149

9
    
          
 = 65

        
28

Pno.

   
      
cheese on my sand which cheese in my pas ta cheese onmy piz

  
    
3

    
Vln.

   
 


   
Fl.

    
           
   
             
      
Pno.

 

   
  
   
31


Pno.

       
  
za oh piz za


   
 
Vln.

  
       
    
Fl.

   
 
        

  

         

Pno.

    

150

10
    
           

33

 
Pno.

 
               
light and cris py crust with some spi cy sauc y sauce

 
          
Vln.

 
   
      
 
Fl.

       
  


  
    
 
   


       
Pno.

 
 


           
  
   
35

  
Pno.

       
       
you make me feel so good so full the thought of

  
       
    
Vln.

    
         
    
         
Fl.

  


 

    
         

Pno.




151

11
            
 
37

Pno.


       
   
you brought me ab ove the clouds! I pro mise

   
  
     
Vln.

    

      
Fl.

    
  
     
                    
  


            
Pno.

  


         

39

 
Pno.

    
  
I swear I am not on drugs

 
Vln.

            

 
Fl.

  



              
   



Pno.




152

12
  Speed up -  = 65
    
42


Pno.

       
now I

               
Vln.


            
  



            
Fl.

            

    
 
         
 
      

      
Pno.

  
                
    
44 3
3
Pno.

                   
    
know that I want what I want for lunch I can't wait to door dash it yes there's a


                   
Vln.

    
3


         
Fl.

               

3

       
 
     

  
 
   

 


      
Pno.

153

13
 
                   
     
46 3

Pno.

                       
pep in my step. and you can't catch me cause I'm goi ing to getsome pizza for me

 
                      
Vln.

 
3


          
Fl.

              

3

     
 
        
 
    
 
 
      
Pno.

     
 
48

  
Pno.

           
                  
just me

       
  
Vln.


             


              
        
     
Fl.

                    

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Pno.

 

154

14
  
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Pno.

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Vln.

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Fl.

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 
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Pno.


155

15
 Chapter Six: Conclusions

The Bhava-Rasa Theory is among the most detailed theories on staged emotion in the

world. It has sculpted generations of Indian performance practice, and now, in our increasingly

globalized performance context, can pertain to the contemporary musical theatre stage.

Scheherezad Cooper, in “The Alchemy of Rasa in the Performer–Spectator Interaction,” suggests

that the Bhava-Rasa Theory “dwells on human sentiments as an essential part of any…work.”81 My

practice-based study provides an example of how scholars can diversify dramaturgical

techniques in the modern age and more carefully craft the emotions of a performer and

performance spectator. Furthermore, this practice-based study offers a comprehensive process

that adds emotional intention by drawing attention to the spectator while also giving practitioners

the freedom to integrate other dramaturgical methods.

In this thesis project, I use historiographic methods to examine the Bhava-Rasa Theory in

existing Sanskrit literature, then provide new and more relevant utilities of the theory by

re-translating, introducing, and expanding Bhava-Rasa terminology. Some of my original

contributions include the Bhava Realms, the Bhava Spectrums, and—most notably— the

Bhava-Rasa Technique.

I introduce the Bhava-Rasa Technique as a dramaturgical process that can aid actors,

directors, and designers in building strong emotional intent in their work and use it to analyze

significant scenes in the contemporary musical theatre productions: Wicked and Caroline, Or

Change. I also utilize the Bhava-Rasa Technique in the creation and staging of my new musical

theatre song cycle: The Bhava Cycle.

81
Cooper, Scheherazaad. “The Alchemy of Rasa in the Performer–Spectator Interaction.” 336–348.

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 This thesis project surmises that the Bhava-Rasa Theory has a strong and beneficial use

in contemporary musical theatre. For the performer, the Bhava-Rasa practice provides a new

process to approach musical theatre repertoire. For the spectator, it offers new and stage-specific

vocabulary to address the emotions they perceive. Some may find adding structure to the

spontaneous, messy, ever-changing quality of feeling in musical theatre excessive and irrelevant.

Perhaps the magic of live theatre dims when its magic is over-analyzed. I, however, argue that

the implementation of the Bhava-Rasa Technique offers certain performers an avenue to access

an element of their performance previously ignored.

Most revealing to my thesis project was the participant interviews conducted after staging

The Bhava Cycle. Rebecca Willenbrink, a writer and actor working in Spain, commented on the

selfless nature of acting within the methods of the Bhava-Rasa Technique. This observation is

echoed by scholars like Pravas Jivan Chaudury, who writes: “Rasa is realized when…the self

loses its egoistic, pragmatic aspect and assumes an impersonal contemplative attitude, which is

said to be one of its higher modes of being.”82 These realizations may come from the fact that

when creating performance with Rasa in mind, we hold the spectator at the center of our

work—rather than ourselves. While acting methodologies of the present often ask the writer,

director, designer, and actor to peer inwards and create new work based on how they as an

individual feel, the Bhava-Rasa Theory asks us: what is the audience going to feel? How is what

I want to create relate to the world outside? And what is the emotional intent of my work?

Utilizing the Bhava-Rasa Theory in contemporary musical theatre begs us to reexamine the

purpose of our work.

82
Chaudhury, Pravas Jivan. “The Theory of Rasa.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 24, no. 1
(1965): 145–49.

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 While references to emotion are present in musical theatre, no technique attempts to

discuss the topic in the detail the Bhava-Rasa Theory offers. In the pursuit of poignant,

thoughtful, and purposeful feelings, musical theatre educators, creators, and performers can

harness the Bhava-Rasa Technique, and see where the outcomes lead.

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