Abstract

The concept of rasa as Indian Poetics occupies a central position in Indian aesthetic theory and continues to shape artistic production, performative traditions, philosophical discourse, and cultural cognition. Across two millennia, rasa has evolved from a dramaturgical tool in Bharata’s Nāṭyaśāstra to a multidimensional philosophical construct interfacing with poetics, psychology, metaphysics, and spirituality. This paper examines the historical development of rasa, its reinterpretations across Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), and its contemporary relevance. By situating rasa within the matrix of Ayurveda, Yoga, Tantra, regional artistic traditions, and modern aesthetic theory, this study argues that rasa functions as an indigenous epistemology of emotion, experience, and consciousness. Reimagining rasa today enables both a reclaiming of India’s intellectual heritage and the development of cross-disciplinary frameworks applicable in modern pedagogy, cognitive studies, well-being sciences, and digital experience design.