The feeling
The rasa of laughter — from a private smile to helpless, shared laughter.
The old word for it
Hāsya
What it means
The ancient meaning
The Nāṭyaśāstra treats laughter as a serious craft: it identifies distinct kinds, from a faint smile to the kind of laughing that leaves you unable to speak. Comic performance in Indian theatre was never considered lesser than tragedy — both required precision.
The modern feeling
It's the joke that only makes sense to two people. It's laughing so hard at something small that you can't remember what started it.
Have you ever laughed so suddenly that it surprised you before it surprised anyone else in the room?