The rasa theory

a challenge for intercultural aesthetics

Rosa Fernández Gómez

pp. 105-117

in: Antoon van den Braembussche, Heinz Kimmerle, Nicole Note (eds), Intercultural aesthetics, Berlin, Springer, 2009

Abstract

The rasa theory is widely known as the major contribution of Indian aesthetics to the field of aesthetics in general. During the twentieth century, first under the scope of the colonial approach of comparativist enterprises undertaken by Westerners as well as by Indians, and more recently from various post-colonial perspectives, the reflection on rasa or "aesthetic pleasure" — the expression by which it has been popularized in Western languages — has been considered as one of the deepest legacies of Indian aesthetic tradition. However, the change of emphasis has been considerable and should not be underestimated: It ranges from the semi-idealized interpretations of the first scholars of the last century until the eighties to the more sociological readings from post-colonial perspectives, considering it as a typical product of the Sanskritized elite of the Brahmin caste.¹ Trying to remain in the middle ground between these two extreme positions, I shall be content with suggesting some possible contributions made by this aesthetic theory to our modern aesthetic debate. I shall focus my reflection entirely on the first authors of the Kashmiri tradition, particularly on Abhinavagupta, and not on the subsequent reflections that were made from devotional perspectives, although, to a certain degree, I shall take the latter into account on the final part of my essay.

Cited authors

Abhinavagupta