Rūpa on Bhakti-rasa, or: A Streetcar Named Vibhāva

Abstract

The article "Rupa on Bhaktirasa Or: A Streetcar Named Vibhava" by David Mason argues that Rupa Gosvami's significant contribution to rasa theory was reorienting it back to performance rather than solely textual interpretation. The author contends that centuries of debate about rasa had distanced the theory from its original focus on live, embodied theatrical experience as presented in Bharata's Natyashastra. Mason uses the secular example of Tennessee Williams's play A Streetcar Named Desire to illustrate how audiences engage with and experience emotions through performance, emphasizing the role of "vibhava" (excitants) in stimulating feelings. He posits that Rupa, while ultimately focused on devotional bhaktirasa, understood that sensory experience and conscious engagement with performance are crucial for cultivating devotion and perceiving divine reality, much like a playgoer develops a relationship with the playwright through repeated engagement with their art.