Finally, rasas are considered aesthetic ideals that are cultivated through artistic training and presentation, whereas raw bhavas may be chaotic or unrefined. In life, we experience emotions in a messy, personal manner; in art, those same emotions are heightened and purified into a rasa that gives aesthetic pleasure and insight. The Nāṭya Śāstra... See more

The word bhāva itself means 'that which becomes' – it is a dynamic state that develops into a rasa. By contrast, rasa is something to be tasted or enjoyed (the Sanskrit root ras means to savor). Rasa is the relished experience : it is the pleasure or emotional flavor that arises when the audience witnesses the portrayal of bhavas. One scholar... See more