Keywords : Rasa Theory, Classical Indian Aesthetics, Textual Interpretation, Literary Criticism, Bhāva, Reader Response

Abstract : Rasa Theory, articulated in Bharata’s Nāṭyaśāstra and developed within the classical Indian aesthetic tradition, has conventionally been interpreted through a performative lens that privileges dramatic enactment and spectatorship in the realization of aesthetic experience. Such an orientation, while valuable for theatre studies, has constrained the application of Rasa Theory to literary texts that are primarily engaged through reading. This paper seeks to reassess rasa as a critical category for textual interpretation by shifting attention from performance to readerly engagement with language, narrative structure, and aesthetic suggestion. Adopting a theoretical and analytical approach, the study revisits key concepts such as rasa, bhāva, and aesthetic experience to examine their relevance within modern literary criticism. Rather than analysing specific texts, the paper argues for a reconceptualization of classical aesthetics that allows rasa to function as an interpretative framework grounded in close reading and imaginative participation. By foregrounding the textual dimension of rasa, the study positions classical Indian aesthetic theory as a viable and flexible critical tool for contemporary literary analysis.

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