SSC
Which rasa is considered best suited to express love?
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Answer: Option D — Shringara rasa
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Shringara rasa. Shringara is the rasa (aesthetic emotion) of love and beauty, and it is often called the "king of rasas" (rasaraja), because it is the most important and most widely used rasa in Indian art, poetry, music and dance. Its corresponding bhava (emotion) is rati, which means love or delight.
The theory of rasa was first described in the Natyashastra of Bharata Muni. According to this theory, a performer expresses a bhava (an emotion) through gestures, expressions, words and music, and this creates a rasa, an aesthetic experience or "flavour", in the minds of the audience. Shringara rasa has two main forms. Sambhoga Shringara is the love of union, when the lovers are together, and Vipralambha Shringara is the love of separation, when the lovers are apart and long for each other. Much of the poetry and dance of India, such as the stories of Radha and Krishna in the Gita Govinda, expresses both forms of Shringara. In Indian aesthetics, Shringara is associated with the colour light green (or dark blue) and with the god Vishnu.
The Natyashastra describes eight rasas: Shringara (love), Hasya (laughter), Karuna (compassion or sorrow), Raudra (anger), Veera (heroism), Bhayanaka (fear), Bibhatsa (disgust) and Adbhuta (wonder). Later scholars, especially Abhinavagupta, added Shanta (peace) as the ninth rasa, giving the familiar term navarasa (nine rasas).
About the other options:
- Karuna rasa is the rasa of compassion and sorrow, arising from grief (shoka).
- Veera rasa is the rasa of heroism, arising from energy and enthusiasm (utsaha).
- Adbhuta rasa is the rasa of wonder and amazement, arising from astonishment (vismaya).
💡 Exam tip
Learn the nine rasas with their meanings. Questions often ask which rasa expresses a given emotion, which rasa is called the king of rasas (Shringara), or which rasa was added later (Shanta).💬 Discussions on this question
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Ask a doubtMore Indian Dance Forms Questions
View all ›- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:
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- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:
Indian Dance Forms — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Indian Dance Forms, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
Indian dance forms are one of the most frequently tested areas of static GK. This topic covers the eight classical dances recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi (Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam and Sattriya), the folk and tribal dances of every state, and related terms such as mudra, abhinaya, lasya and tandava. Most questions ask which state a dance belongs to, which community performs it, or which feature identifies a classical style. Learn the classical dances with their state and one signature feature each, such as the face make-up of Kathakali or the brass plate of Kuchipudi. For folk dances, group them state by state, since exams often list three or four dances and ask for the common state. Watch for dances shared by more than one state, such as Chhau, which has three styles. Practise the Indian dance forms questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.