The nine dramatic sentiments are borrowed from South Asian performance theory (nāṭyaśāstra), where they signify nine modes of performance that evoke the specific emotional responses from an audience. The traditional list of nine includes the erotic (sgeg pa, śrṅgāra), heroic (dpa’ ba, vīra), disgusting (mi sdug pa, bībhatsa), comical (dgod pa, hāsya), wrathful (drag zhul, raudra), terrifying (’jigs su rung ba, bhayānaka), compassionate (snying rje, karuṇā), wonderous (rngam pa, adbhūta), and peaceful (zhi ba, śānta) sentiments.