Jugupsa is the sthayi bhava (permanent psychological state) which gives rise to the bibhatsa rasa(odious sentiment), one of the eight rasas (sentiments) of Indian aesthetics. Jugupsa is caused by vibhavas (causal experience) such as experiencing sights and sounds that are unpleasant or distasteful. These defects in people or objects directly affect one’s sensory perceptions of smell, touch, sound, sight and hearing.
Dancers and actors express this emotion through anubhava (the physical manifestation of a state of mind) of body movements. These consist of actions like contracting or shrinking of the body, narrowing of the mouth, covering the nose with hands, and spitting.
Uddipana vibhava happens when the undesirable elements multiply in quantity or get exaggerated. This in turn leads to sattvika bhava (involuntary states of feelings) that are internalized by the person involved. They are manifested through immobility, horripilation, sweat, a fainting sensation, and trembling of the body.
According to Natya Shastra (an ancient Indian text by Bharata on dramaturgy and histrionics), a person in a state of jugupsa feels certain vyabhichari bhavas (transitory emotions) like agitation, despair, distraction and fright. Drishti bheda (movements of the eye) are especially used in detail to denote jugupsa. The character’s eyelids contract and partially cover the eyeballs, which shift sideways and draw away from the sight of discomfort.
The color representing jugupsa is blue. Gautama Buddha (one of the ten incarnations of Vishnu) experiences jugupsa for the materialistic, misery-laden world that surrounds him before he treads on the path of enlightenment.