For centuries, the concept of Sringara (the erotic sentiment) was considered one of the nine fundamental emotions ( rasas ) essential for classical poetry. Mastering this required deep knowledge of prosody ( Chandass ) and meter, a skill that distinguished a true poet from an amateur. Works like Bhartrihari's Sringarashataka (a compilation of 100 erotic verses) from the 7th century were crafted with such complexity that they required commentary to be understood fully.