Sanskrit poetics is renowned for the Dhvani Theory: Rasa is the soul of poetry.

In addition, Pandita-raja Jagannatha proclaimed that the soul (jiva) is Rasa. This truth, reiterated by Baladeva Vidyabhusana, is the pinnacle of all philosphical research in the history of humankind.

The methodology and the impact of every major treatise on Sanskrit poetics are explained and illustrated here with the authors’ best examples. This book showcases the evolution of the theory of Rasa in the works of forty-three grandmasters and masters of poetic theory, from Bharata to Baladeva.