Shannon McLean, Southern Utah University
English
The classical Indian writers Amaru, Bhartrhari, and Kalidasa each used the srngara rasa, or erotic mood, in their works. The srngara rasa was considered to be one of the most important aesthetics in Indian literature, and the audience was encouraged to delight in the experience they received from the erotic depictions in the poetry or play. This is very different from the Western treatment of sexuality. Typically, the erotic was discouraged, and in some cases forbidden, to be discussed overtly in poetry, books, and plays, because it was believed to cause more harm than good. I investigated the portrayal of human sexuality in the works of these three authors in order to discover whether their use of the erotic mood encouraged their audience to pursue the benefits of physical love, or whether there existed a different interpretation for its use. Although the Indian writers mentioned above were more open and accepting of human sexuality in their writings than the Western tradition, they also depicted the negative consequences that can result from the indulgence of physical love.