The reason behind the creation of ragas was to evoke emotional responses in the performer and the audience. These emotions, which are evoked through the singing and playing of instruments, are called Rasas. The rasas have also been called the ‘aesthetic delight’ as they are consciously made to feel an emotion through someone else’s art, even though they are free from the limitations of personal feelings. Initially, there were eight rasas, but later another rasa called the ‘shanta’ rasa was added to make nine rasas or ‘Nauras’. These are:
Type of Rasa Mood it Evokes
Shringara Love
Haasya Humour/Laughter
Karuna Pathos
Roudra Anger
Bhayanak Horror
Veer Bravery
Adbhuta Wonder
Bibhatsa Disgust
Shant Peaceful or calm
However, after the 15th century, Bhakti or the rasa of devotion to God became widely accepted into the initial corpus of the nine rasas.
Some musicologists argue that Bhakti and Shant rasa were one and the same. Another intervention into what moods are evoked by different notes has been made in the Natyasastra. Bharata argues that different moods evoked by the notes are: Madhyam evokes humorous instincts; Pancham will evoke erotic feelings; Shadja notes would evoke heroic feelings and last the wrathful instincts are evoked by Rishabh notes.