Open Access
Vol. 1, No. 2 (2026)
This article examines the concept of sādhāraṇīkaraṇa (generalization) as the indispensable condition for the experience of rasa in classical Indian poetics. While rasa is traditionally regarded as the soul of poetry, its realization requires the dissolution of specific spatial, temporal, and personal associations embedded in poetic elements such as vibhāva, anubhāva, vyabhicāribhāva, and sthāyibhāva. Through the process of generalization, these elements are freed from worldly limitations, allowing the sahṛdaya to experience emotions in a purified, universalized form. The study further argues that sādhāraṇīkaraṇa operates through a distinctive mode of aesthetic cognition that cannot be reduced to ordinary forms of knowledge such as illusion, doubt, or resemblance. By temporarily transcending self–other distinctions and worldly dualities, aesthetic experience approaches a Vedāntic state of non-duality and bliss. Thus, sādhāraṇīkaraṇa is shown to function not merely as a poetic mechanism but as a bridge between aesthetic enjoyment and metaphysical insight.
DOI: 10.63752/pijcace.0102W02
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Open Access
Vol. 1, No. 1 (2025)
This essay investigates the text Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra, examining a philosophical tension: “How does a tantra so deeply embedded in ritual coercion reconcile itself with the language of liberation?” The analysis of this issue is conducted through the central deity, Krodha Bhairava, interpreted as Ferocious Consciousness—an expression of Consciousness that subjugates not only spirits but also the fundamental structure of ‘otherness’ within awareness. An examination of the key practices described in the text, viewed through the lens of Trika doctrine, suggests that an effort is made to establish non-contradiction to non-dual liberation through the fierce realisation of Consciousness.
DOI: 10.63752/pijcace.vol.1.issue.01S.006
23 Downloads
1425 Views
Open Access
Vol. 1, No. 1 (2025)
The Low Country dance tradition of Sri Lanka, centred in the Southern and parts of the Western Province, features three stylistic schools: Matara, Benthara, and Raigama. Central to these traditions are ritual healing ceremonies (shantikarma) and popular folk dramas (Kolam), where masks play a vital role. These masks serve as powerful storytelling tools, generating humour and portraying a wide range of characters, thereby evoking strong emotional responses in audiences. Despite the cultural significance of Sri Lankan traditional masks, there is limited scholarly focus on how their colour symbolism influences psychological engagement and ritual effectiveness. This gap hinders a deeper understanding of how traditional performances impact mental states, emotions, and social cognition. The colours on these masks are not arbitrary; they psychologically stimulate the audience and convey messages about a character’s masculinity, social status, and moral orientation. This study adopts a qualitative methodology, incorporating interviews, observations, and literature reviews. Mask performers involved in shantikarma and Kolam drama were observed over one month, with in-depth interviews conducted over four months. Drawing from psychological theories of colour perception and cultural semiotics, the research highlights how colour choices in mask design are intentionally crafted to influence both performers and spectators. The study reveals that these colours enhance narrative impact and serve therapeutic purposes within ritual contexts. Thus, Sri Lankan masks, a profound element of the nation’s cultural heritage, demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of colour’s psychological effects, enriching both performance art and communal healing practices.
DOI: 10.63752/pijcace.vol.1.issue.01S.005
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Open Access
Vol. 1, No. 1 (2025)
In the Nadīstuti Sūktās of Vedic scriptures, Goddess Sarasvatī emerged as the divine river of consciousness and enlightenment, nourishing the genesis of Vedic Sanskrit civilisation. This study conducts an in-depth analysis of eleven Sarasvatī kṛtis composed by Saṅgīta Chūḍāmaṇi Prof. R. Visweswaran to examine their musical and lyrical intricacies. The research employs systematic musicological analysis to investigate the employment of rāgas ranging from mēḷa, auḍava, vakra, rakti, and Hindustānī classifications, alongside their corresponding tāḷās. Each composition is analysed for its structural elements, including rāga mudrās, svarākṣarās, chiṭṭe svarās, and madhyamakāla sāhityās, while examining the scholarly integration of the Sanskrit and Telugu languages. The study reveals how these compositions beautifully weave together Vedic philosophical concepts with contemporary musical expression, demonstrating Prof. Visweswaran's mastery in creating devotional music that bridges ancient wisdom with modern artistic sensibilities. The findings indicate that these kṛtis serve as vehicles for spiritual contemplation while showcasing sophisticated musical craftsmanship, offering contemporary artists profound scope for both devotional expression and technical exploration in Carnatic music performance.
DOI: 10.63752/pijcace.vol.1.issue.01S.004
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Open Access
Vol. 1, No. 1 (2025)
This paper examines Bharata Muni through a traditional śāstrika lens, moving beyond historical debates to interpret him as a cosmic principle of performative knowledge (nāṭya-jñāna). Using Sanskrit philological analysis, the study unpacks the name Bharata as bharati-rāti-tanoti (sustains-offers-expands), revealing a microcosmic model of cosmic emanation functioning through icchā (will), jñāna (knowledge), and kriyā (action).
The analysis demonstrates how Bharata represents not merely an individual scholar but a community of artists—a sampradāya embodying the dharma of manifesting and offering theatrical knowledge for collective benefit. Drawing from the Nāṭyaśāstra, Abhinavabhāratī, Upanishads, and dharmaśāstra texts, the paper establishes connections between aesthetic theory and spiritual goals, positioning nāṭya as a means to transcend material existence and achieve Self-realization.
The study reveals how Bharata's system transforms both performers and spectators through rasa (aesthetic experience), leading from material engagement to spiritual awakening. This interpretation emphasizes nāṭya's role as dharmic practice rather than mere entertainment, offering a framework for understanding Indian performance traditions as vehicles for mokṣa (liberation) through the integration of artistic excellence with spiritual discipline.
DOI: 10.63752/pijcace.vol.1.issue.01S.001
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1836 Views
Open Access
Vol. 1, No. 1 (2025)
This study examines the moral contradictions and values of the Bengali middle class as portrayed in Mrinal Sen's acclaimed films Ek Din Pratidin (1979) and Kharij (1982). Through critical analysis of Sen's cinematic techniques and narrative choices, this research explores how the filmmaker exposed the hypocrisies, moral ambiguities, and social complicity embedded within middle-class life in post-Independence India. In Ek Din Pratidin, Sen interrogates patriarchal surveillance and the performative nature of middle-class morality through the story of a working woman's delayed return home. Kharij confronts issues of class privilege and structural violence through the tragic death of a child domestic worker. Both films demonstrate Sen's commitment to what this study terms "cinema of ethical interrogation"—a cinematic approach that avoids melodrama while exposing the normalized violence of social hierarchies. Rather than offering moral verdicts, Sen's realism compels audiences toward uncomfortable self-reflection. His unflinching critique reveals how middle-class virtue often masks systematic exclusion and selective empathy, making his work profoundly relevant to contemporary discussions of social justice and moral responsibility in South Asian cinema.
DOI: 10.63752/pijcace.vol.1.issue.01S.002
29 Downloads
1393 Views
Open Access
Vol. 1, No. 1 (2025)
This paper examines the theoretical divide between Walter Benjamin and André Bazin regarding cinema's relationship to reality, using Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) as a case study to bridge their seemingly contradictory positions. Benjamin's "The Work of Art in the Age of its Technological Reproducibility" (1935) conceptualizes cinema through the metaphor of a surgeon penetrating reality with mechanical instruments, emphasizing montage and editing as fundamental to cinematic meaning. Conversely, Bazin's "Ontology of the Photographic Image" (1945) advocates for cinema's capacity to maintain distance from reality, allowing the medium's indexical relationship to the pro-filmic world to emerge naturally without excessive intervention. Through close analysis of the infamous shower sequence in Psycho, this study argues that these two theoretical approaches are not mutually exclusive but complementary. The sequence demonstrates Benjamin's penetrative metaphor through its voyeuristic camera work and violent imagery, while simultaneously exploiting Bazin's notion of photography's ontological connection to reality to achieve its lasting shock value. This analysis suggests that cinema's power lies in its dual capacity to both penetrate and preserve reality, offering a framework for reconciling these foundational film theory perspectives.
DOI: 10.63752/pijcace.vol.1.issue.01S.003
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Open Access
Vol. 1, No. 1 (2025)
This review examines Arjun Bharadwaj's Indian Perspective of Truth and Beauty in Homer's Epics, a comparative literary study that applies Indian aesthetic philosophy to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Bharadwaj employs millennia-old Indian aesthetic theories from scholars like Ānandavardhana and Abhinavagupta to explore universal principles of truth and beauty in Western epic literature. Rather than examining Greek influence on Indian civilization—the dominant scholarly discourse—this work reverses the trajectory by using Indian frameworks such as puruṣārthas (life goals) and rasa (aesthetic emotions) to analyze Greek epics. The author's methodology includes comparative analysis of the Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, Iliad, and Odyssey, examining their spatial-temporal constructs, character ethics, and divine-human relationships. Bharadwaj also analyzes Homer's use of arthālaṅkāras (figures of sense) through Indian poetic theory. The review suggests that Bharadwaj approaches Homer not merely as a scholar but as a poet seeking to discover the eternal aesthetic essence that transcends civilizational boundaries, creating a dialogue between Vālmīki, Vyāsa, and Homer across millennia.
DOI: 10.63752/pijcace.vol.1.issue.01S.007
30 Downloads
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