Emotions As Explained in
the Indian psychology
In the ancient Indian
literature emotions is described in the context the rasa theory
of Indian aesthetics. The word rasa refers to the different
sentiments invoked by a work of art, for example a piece of music. However,
this reference of rasa focuses on the emotions in Indian philosophical thinking
outside the territory of aesthetics. Even though any exact word which is
equivalent to the term “emotion” is not found in Sanskrit, the concept
nevertheless plays an important role. Sanskrit uses the terms vedanā (feeling)
and bhāva (expressed emotions) to describe emotions. The description of individual emotions raga (love) dveṣa (hatred)
harṣa (joy) bhaya (fear) and Soka (sorrow) are also
available in these scriptures.
One of the reasons why
emotions are given its due value is its relationship with cognition. Understanding
the relationship between emotion and cognition is important for any explanation
of reason and rationality. The importance of the role of emotions in rational
deliberation and decision-making has also been acknowledged in contemporary
psychology.
Many philosophers
regard the emotions as an obstacle to rational thought because of the influence
of the non-representational feeling. Since feelings are abstract and do not
have a clear tangent structure it was inferred that they can interfere with
rational thought. According to these views, rational thought, is
representational and object-directed, while feelings are subject-directed and
hence it can lead to disturbing interference in the thought process. The
feelings by themselves, are non-rational because they arise due to imbalance of
the various “humours” which happens in the physical constitution of the body. This
imbalance can negatively influence rational thought.
The conception of
Emotions happens in the context of the ego (ahamkara) and the true self
(atman). It is an experience that indicates the nature of relationship between
the ego and the outside world. Emotions arises from desires and they are viewed
as involuntary reactions which is bi-polar in nature the sukha and dukha
(pleasure and pain).
Emotions are related
to the Manomaya kosa , the sheath of mind. But it influences both the annamaya
kosha, the food sheath and the pranamaya koshas the air sheath which is evident
from the physiological reactions accompanying emotions. Emotions and their
affective experiences are also influenced by the intellect or the Vignanamaya
kosa based on the cognitive appraisal, as well as the Anandamaya kosa, the
bliss sheath which is purely an internal
the experiential aspect.
According to Indian
philosophical context all emotions spring from desires. These and desire is
caused by a sense of imperfection, incompleteness or non-fulfillment felt
within oneself. The intensity of desire , decides the intensity of emotions experienced.
When a desire is not fulfilled or when it is thwarted, it becomes the reason
for rise in anger (Krodha), jealousy (Asuya), unhappiness (Dukha), and
suffering. Whenever a desire is fulfilled it leads to the experiencing of happiness
(Sukha) and enjoyment. But at the same time there are also the possibilities that
fulfillment of a desire can and most often leads to greed (Lobha) which can
result in the person craving for more and more of it. There is a yearning for
larger possession and greater enjoyment which when entertained, may lead to the
development of arrogance (Mada) and envy (Matsarya). It also adds another
emotional experience the fear (Bhaya) of losing one’s possessions. These
emotions has the tendency to cloud a person’s intellectual discrimination and
lead them to a state of emotional and mental disturbance. However, not all
emotions are considered detrimental. They are also seen as virtue. However allowing
them to interfere with one's judgment and awareness is considered a weakness.
Nyaya-Vaiseṣika school
uses a general term saṃvedana which means “feeling”, for
example sukha-saṃvedana (feeling of pleasure). But it clearly distinguishes
cognition (jñāna) from other mental phenomena that include a feeling,
such as love or attraction (rāga) and aversion (dveṣa). They accept the existence of the physical substances
(dravya) related to the permanent immaterial self (ātman) that
possess several qualities (guṇas), such as cognition, desire, effort,
aversion, pleasure and pain. But the individual emotions, of attachment and
aversion are regarded as defects (doṣas)
or impurities (upadhā). These defects occur out of ignorance (mithyajnana)
and they give rise to actions that can lead to the feeling of pleasure or pain.
The reason for regarding individual emotions of attachment or aversion as
negative is because the feeling of pleasure and pain which arises out of it is
responsible for increasing attachment to the worldly matters and, more
importantly, for our attachment to the self which becomes an obstacle to
liberation.
The Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika
schools distinguishes pleasure (sukha) and pain (duḥkha) on the
one hand and the experience of pleasure (sukha-pratyaya) and pain (duḥkha-pratyaya)
on the other hand. Pain and pleasure are regarded as the qualities of the soul.
But they need to be cognized by the self in order to experience it. This means
that cognition has a special status among the qualities of self, and no other emotions
can be experienced without cognition.
Another reason why
cognition is an important quality is because Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika believes that it
is not a defect. Whereas they believe that emotions are always defects and these defects
fall into 3 groups:
i)
Attraction (rāga) which includes love, selfishness and
greed.
ii)
Aversion (dveṣa) which includes anger, jealousy, envy,
malice and resentment.
iii)
Illusion (moha) which includes error, suspicion, pride
and negligence
These
groupings show that, according to the Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika, there are no positive
emotions. Even the emotion love, which is regarded as a positive emotion in
many cultures, is eventually a defect because all emotions lead to attachment
and error.
The Sāṃkhya-Yoga school
does not make a clear distinction between feelings and cognitions. This is
because the Sāṃkhya school focuses on the division between puruṣa and prakṛti.
Purusha which is pure consciousness does not contain any cognitions or feelings.
Prakṛti which is primordial matter has the three qualities (guṇas) sattva, rajas and tamas.
Accirding to Samkhya school the three gunas are aligned with the relevant feelings.
sattva is associated with pleasure (sukha), rajas with
pain (duḥkha) and tamas with confusion or illusion (moha).
The importance of this dualist structure
in relation to emotions is that, both
cognition and feeling belong to the domain of prakṛti which
means that they are material.
The Sāṃkhya school, states that the experiences of intellect,
ego, and mind, and the raw feelings such as frustration or satisfaction which is
considered to be “inherently private”, are just the subtle reflections of
primordial materiality. The primordial materiality undergoes continuous
transformation by means of its constituents unfolding as spontaneous activities,
reflective discriminations, and well defined formulation. Thus, sensations are
identical with certain brain processes” would have a specific counterpart in “awareness’
that are identical with certain guṇa modalities”
According to Patañjali
the difference between puruṣa and prakṛti can
be understood by practicing a series of exercises that aim at clearing the mind
of all of the disturbing influences, including the ones that are classified as
emotions by western philisophers. Patañjali emphasizes that the mind is
affected by infirmities or problems (kleśas) that prevents it from
understanding the difference between puruṣa and prakṛti.
Patañjali lists these infirmities as Ignorance (avidyā), egoism (asmitā),
attachment (rāga), aversion (dveṣa) and adherence to boring
existence (abhiniveśa). Pathanjali’s ashtanga yoga also differentiates
between emotional pleasure and rational happiness. It explains that the
emotional pleasure arises due to the gratification of desires and rational
happiness is acquired by the eradication of desires
The Buddhist
“psychology”, terms love and hatred as two infirmities (kleśas) that occur
in human beings and these infirmities needs to be removed in order to attain
liberation. The infirmities are love (rāga), hatred or enmity (pratigha),
false views related to the five skandhas (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), pride,
ignorance, doubt, bonding to extreme views, or incomplete views and attachment
to practices and rituals. These kleśas can result in
experiencing one or more of the five possible feelings which are pleasant
feeling (sukha), unpleasant feeling (duḥkha), neutral feeling (upekṣā),
happy mood (sau-manasya) or unhappy mood (daur-manasya).
In the Indian
tradition, the aesthetic theories associated with dance and drama, especially
the works of Bharathmuni (5th century), have contributed to the understanding
of emotional experiences in which there is a strong emphasis on the
experiential aspect of emotions. According to his natyasastra – the science of
dance rasa the aesthetic relish or the aesthetic mood is the core to
understanding affective experiences. Sage Bharata created the theory of rasa
and bhava in the context of drama and theatre. This was later extended to
poetry and other performing art forms.
The Natyasasthra which is the text of dramatic deals with all
three components, related to rasa (mood) and bhava (emotions). The physiological/behavioral,
the cognitive, and the feelings. Bharatha suggests nine aesthetic moods or
rasas corresponding to eight major emotions or bhavas. These moods are sringara
(love), hasya (joy), karuna (compassion), raudra (anger), vira (courage),
bhayanaka (fear), vibhasta (disgust), adbhuta (wonder), Shantha (peace). The emotions
corresponding to these moods are rati (erotic), hasa (laughter / delight), soka
(sorrow), krodha (anger), utsaha (energy), bhaya (fear), jugupsa (disgust),
vismaya (astonishment).
1. Sringara (Love) – love
is considered as the best emotion that heals anything because it frees the ego
and connects people to devotional love. This happens when we appreciate beauty which
connects people to the source of love. The ultimate purpose of a being in the
universe is to experience this divine love.
2. Hasya (Joy) – is the
sense of humor which we experience through laughter, happiness and contentment.
Laughter take us to a state of mind free from its usual workload of thoughts,
allows a person to be open, free and happy in that moment.
3. Karuna (Compassion) –
is the state in which a person experience another person’s sadness and reflect
it back. Compassion is the emotion that
connects all. Through compassion a person can relate deeply and honestly
with others creates a bridge and helps people understand and empathize with
others.
4. Raudra (Anger) – is a
state when the negative energy is arises with in a person with significant
force. When anger is not given adequate attention then it can bring up irritation,
violence and hatred. The best way to handle anger is to feel it, without taking
any action and letting it move through you .
5. Vira (Courage) – It is
strong and vibrant mood which can also be termed as bravery, confidence,
determination, self-assurance and valor. Vira is manifested when there is a
felt need to call upon the warrior within you.
6. Bhayanaka (Fear) – is
the state that which arises due doubt, worry, insecurity etc. that shuts down the
functional abilities of a person.
7. Vibhasta (Disgust) – is
the result of being judgmental with regard to self or others which can result
in Self pity, aversion and self hatred.
8. Adbhuta (Wonder) – is
the state of curiosity or mystery which occur when a person become fascinated
with the very idea of life. It is also the state playfulness and innocence where a person
enters into a state of complete appreciation and become an explorer or
adventurer.
9. Shanta (Peace) – is
the state reflected in deep calmness and relaxation, when a person become
still, quiet and at peace, the peace that arises within the person.
Bhava Theory
According to the Bhava theory of emotions there is a trigger, or a condition
which stimulates the affect. This trigger is known as the vibhāva. The vibhāva
is the cause (kāraṇa) which leads to the affect (bhāva). It comprises
of the stimulant (uddīpana) and the relevant perception (ālambana).
The affect is triggered by a stimulant and supported by the perceptual framework of the
individual. This affect experienced by the individual is the rasa. There
are nine basic affects. These basic affects can also collude with each other
leading to the development of all possible emotions. For example a mix of shame
and fear can lead to feelings of guilt, while hatred can be a mix of gloom and
disgust and Horror is a mix of fear, gloom and disgust.
The body also
experiences the physical changes due to the affects. There are eight variations
of these physical experiences described which are considered to indicate the
presence of affect (bhāva). The physical changes or experiences
described are inability to react, paralysis (stambha), sudden perspiration
(sveda), change in the hair follicle (romancha), change in voice
(svara-vikāra), shivering or trembling (vepathu), change in skin
tone (varṇavikāra), shedding tears (asru), and loss of sense or
consciousness, fainting (pralaya).
Bhāva
theory describes thirty-three mixed or distorted transient emotions
(vyabhicāri-bhāva) which stay for a while once it arises. They are moha (delusion),
mati (inaction), nirveda (despair), avega (agitation),
tarka (debate), unmada (madness), viṣada (depression),
utsuka (restlessness), autsukya (impatience),
capala (insensitive) glani (weakness), shanka (apprehension), Srama (fatigue),
dainya (misery), augrya or ugrata (cruelty), cinta (anxiety),
trasa (fright), irṣya (jealousy), asuya (envy), amarṣha (resentment),
garva (arrogance), smṛti (recollection), avahittha (dishonesty),
vyadhi (sickness), maraṇa (death), mada (intoxication), svapna (dreaming),
nidra (sleeping), prabodha (awakening), vriḍa (shame), apasmara (epilepsy),
alasata (idleness), and alasya (laziness).
In Indian traditional approaches, distinction
is made between the basic emotions, and the accessory ones. The basic emotions which
are expressed regularly are the permanent emotional dispositions or sentiments
which is termed as sthayibhava. These are considered as the innate emotions
that transform other accessory emotions into themselves. The sthayibhavas are
considered as permanent mental traces (samskaras) within oneself. These permanent
emotions accompanied with source (vibhava), transitory emotions
(vyabhicaribhava), and expressions (anubhava) can give rise to rasa. Emotions
that are transitory are not innate. They disappear after the permanent emotions
show up. Transitory emotions represent the affect that is experienced in day-to-day
normal life where similar emotions are expressed and experienced in changing
situations. vyabhicaribhava or accessory
emotions are transitory states. They are subordinate to the permanent emotional
dispositions. Thus these theories have dealt with the conceptions of emotions
which also provide cues for managing heightened affect.
One of the ancient
tamil literature Tholkappiam which is assumed to have been written in 1st
century AD extensively deals with customs, habits, polity and grammar of the
olden days. It also describes in detail the psychophysiological aspects of
human emotions. Tholkappiam classifies Emotions into eight types which is Nagai
or Laughter, Azhugai meaning crying indication sadness, llivaral indicating dejection
with guilt and religious living, Maoitkail meaning Wonder, Achcham or Fear, Oovagai
meaning Jubilation, Veguli meaning Anger or Resentment and Perumidham
indicating buoyancy, or Elation. Tolkappiyam classifies the theory of rasa as
‘Meypaatiyal” which means physical expressions, or manifestations of the emotions
that are felt within oneself.
Ayurveda states that emotions
result from thought and are associated with mood, temperament, personality,
disposition and motivation in a person. Emotions are experienced due to the increase
in rajas and tamas gunas. They happen due to “decrease of intelligence”
(Pradnyaparadha) or willful lapse of wisdom which is one the main cause of diseases. Ayurveda classified
emotions into 13 types. They are Sukha /Ananda meaning joy Pleasure,
Cheerfulness, Eagerness, Contentment etc, Dukkha meaning Grief, Sorrow, Kama
denoting love, Affection, Attraction, Attachment, Infatuation, Longing,
forgiveness and compassion, Mada or Intoxicating mood, Lust and passion, Krodha
or anger Rage, Disgust, Annoyance, Matsarya meaning envy or Jealousy, Lobha or
greed, Vishada indicating sadness, suffering, disappointment, Shame and
neglect, Udvega or depression, Bhaya or fear, Chinta which indicates anxiety , Worry,
Nervousness, Irshya signifying Competitiveness,
Ascharya indicating Surprise, Frustration and irritation.
Ayurveda emphasized
that the emotions experienced by a person is related to the combination of a
persons predominant gunas Rajas, tamas and sattva and the tri dhosas the vada,
pitta and kapha. It also stated in detail how the negative emotions affect
different parts of the body based on the predominant guna and dhosa in the
person
The emotions
associated with the combinations are as follows
Ø Sattva and Vata : Joy,
Surprise
Ø Sattva and Pitta :
Longing.
Ø Sattva and Kapha:
Love, Affection, Attraction, Compassion, Forgiveness
Ø Rajas and Vata:
Hyperactivity, Nervousness, Fear, Anxiety.
Ø Rajas and Pitta:
Aggressive competitiveness. Intoxicating mood, lust, passion, disgust,
infatuation.
Ø Rajas and Kapha
:Attachment, Greed, Possessiveness.
Ø Tamas and Vata
:Confusion, Lack of direction, Indecisiveness, Sadness, Suffering, Shame, Grief
or sorrow, Neglect.
Ø Tamas and Pitta :
Anger, Rage, Hatred, Envy, Jealousy
Ø .Tamas and Kapha “
Confusion, Depression.
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