Sthanaka

Sthanaka are the postures assumed at the beginning and end of an adavu. The Abhinaya Darpanam mentions 6 of these:

Aindram
Brahma
Ekapadam
Garuda
Nagabandha
Samapada

The Natya Shastra mentions:

Alidha
Mandala
Pratyalidham
Samapadam
Vaishaka
vaishnava

Natyotpatti

The Natyashastra, written between 2nd century BC- 2nd century AD, is probably one of the earliest and certainly one of the best Sanskrit treatises on Indian Dramaturgy. Traditionally, its authorship is ascribed to sage Bharata. But, according to Adya Rangacharya, it is believed to have been written by several scholars who wrote about the practices […]

September 2, 2024

Rasa Theories

All the writers who wrote about Rasa admit that Bharata’s Dictum or Sutra, “Vibhava anubhava vyabhichari samyogad rasanispattihi” defines the scope and nature of Rasa realisation. It is the pivot on which all the latter theories move but the terms Samyoga and Nishpatti, in the sutra were variously understood and interpreted by various later authors. […]

July 17, 2024

Western Art Theories

Art is one of the cultural activities of man through which the artiste brings his ideas, values, feelings, aspirations and reactions to life. The generic purpose of art is to provide aesthetic experience and enjoyment to the recipient. Art give outlet to the artist himself to reveal and express his innermost aspirations, feelings, sentiments and […]

June 24, 2024

DASARUPAKAS

In the 20th chapter of the Natyasastra, Bharata describes the 10 types of plays under the heading ‘Dasharupavikalpan’. Here, the term ‘Rupaka’ is used in the context of visual representation. Hence, in Bharatha’s theory, the term Rupaka is equivalent to drama and not to the current popular term ‘naatak’ which according to him is one […]

June 10, 2024

Atodhyas – Musical Instruments

“Atodhya Vadya,” as mentioned by Bharata in Chapter 28 of the Natya Shastra, categorizes musical instruments into four types: Tata (stringed), Avanaddha (percussion), Sushira (wind), and Ghana (solid resonators). This classification, based on acoustic principles, highlights the diverse and intricate nature of ancient Indian musical traditions. Tata– Included all stringed instruments, mentioned in Chapter 29 […]

May 20, 2024

Rasa, Bhava, Vibhava, Anubhav, Sanchari And Sthayi Bhava

ABHINAYA TECHNIQUES IN BHARATA’S NATYASHASTRA The Natyashastra of Bharata consists of thirty – six chapters, out of which chapters 6 and 7 relate to “rasas” (sentiments) and “bhavas” (emotions), 8 to 14 discuss Angigaabhinaya, 15 to 22 deal with Vachikaabhinaya and chapter 23 talks of Ahaaryaabhinaya. The Sanskrit word “rasa” fundamentally means ‘taste’ or ‘flavour’ […]

February 21, 2024

The Natyasastra

The art of Music and Dance, which was well developed during Vedic age itself, has been systematized by Bharata in his Natyashastra. He condensed and codified the necessary laws which govern music, dance and drama. Not only these three but all that are essential to the authors and actors like the knowledge of grammar, prosody, […]

February 8, 2024

Musical and Choreographical Analysis of Guru K J Govindarajan’s Hindolam Tillana

This research study by Ms. Rashmi Khanna was published in the UGC approved journal STOM in its 2024 special issue.

February 6, 2024

Banis or Styles in Bharatnatyam

All the different styles of Bharatnatyam stem from the Natya Sastra and follow the prescribed pattern of the Sadir Katcheri evolved in the 18th century starting with the Alaripu and concluding with the Tillana. The differences, if any, are very slight and purely regional in flavour depend upon the environmental conditioning of that particular area […]

January 24, 2024

Abhinaya Darpanam

“Abhinaya Darpanam” is a Sanskrit treatise dedicated to Indian classical dances, offering a comprehensive exploration of dance movements and expressions. The entire text is composed in a poetic form known as ‘padya,’ primarily employing meters such as ‘Anushtupa chhand,’ ‘Sragdhara,’ and ‘Shardulvikridit.’ This format facilitates the method of ‘memorizing and recitation’ for knowledge acquisition, aligning […]

January 15, 2024

The Importance of Dance in Kalidasa’s Works

Kalidasa, the renowned poet-dramatist of ancient India, left a lasting mark on the association between literature and dance. His many works offer exquisite insights into the art of dance, aligning perfectly with the principles of the Natyashastra. This introduction unveils Kalidasa’s deep understanding of dance, weaving together the elaborate relationship between his literary brilliance and […]

November 30, 2023

Hasta Lakshana Deepika

Hasta Lakshana Deepika is a text exploring the hand gestures used in dancing. The words “Hasta Lakshana Deepika” mean ‘The Lamp which shows the purpose of Hand Gestures’. Koodiyaatam, Kathakali, Mohiniattam and Kerala Natanam follow this as the manual of gestures or ‘mudras’. The Kerala tradition’s hand gestures are recognized to be from the scripture […]

November 20, 2023

Dance Therapy

By Rashmi Khanna (Collaborative Practice- Dance Movement Therapy) Theoretical dance in education or TDIE is the art and science of teaching dance to students with innovative teaching methods. It helps create ‘Temenos’, a Greek word meaning ‘sacred space’ where anything can happen and children can learn, respond, create, perform and appreciate dance. TDIE understands the […]

November 15, 2023

Samanya Abhinaya And Chitrabhinaya

The term ‘Abhinaya’ is usually interpreted as ‘acting’. According to Bharata, in the Natyasastra, this is incorrect, for ‘Abhi’ means ‘towards’ and ‘ni’ means ‘to carry’. This denotes the meaning of the play or act which is carried towards the audience. Therefore, the words (vachika), with physical gestures (angika) to suit the emotion (sattva), along […]

November 9, 2023

Bhanudatta’s “Rasamanjari”- An exploration of the Nayikas and Nayakas

Bhanudatta is the most famous Sanskrit poet – certainly the most famous Sanskrit poet of early modern India. Bhanudatta was from Vidéha (today’s Northern Bihar), a member of the highly learned Máithili Brahmin community, and the son of a poet named Ganéshvara (or Ganapati). No other Sanskrit poet exercised anything remotely approaching Bhanudatta’s influence on […]

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