Transcript study of natyashastra session 2013

Deptt. Of Dance
Ms. Charu Handa
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The Natya Shastra is an ancient Indian treatise on the
performing arts, encompassing theatre, dance and
music. It was written during the period between 200
BCE and 200 CE in classical India and is traditionally
attributed to the Sage Bharata.
The Natya Shastra is incredibly wide in its scope and
influences music, classical Indian dance, and literature
as well. It covers stage design, music, dance, makeup,
and virtually every other aspect of stagecraft.The most
authoritative commentary on the Natya Shastra is
Abhinavabharati by Abhinavagupta.
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Bharata Muni, is acknowledged to be a legendary
author of the Natyashastra, the first Sanskrit work
on dramaturgy.
The treatise says that Bharata was the one who
popularized the Natyaveda, created by Brahm, on
the earth.
He is also said to have collected all the material of
earlier acharyas (ancient teachers) like Tumburu,
Narada and Nandi and gave the Nayashastra a
complete coherence by making additions,
alterations and adaptations according to the
requirements of time and space.
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Origin of drama
Description of the playhouse
Puja (offering) to the Gods of the stage
Preliminaries of a play
Sentiments (rasas)
Emotional and other states
Gestures of Head and parts of face
Gestures of hands
Gestures of torso and limbs
Chari movements
Diction of a play
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Ten kinds of plays
Costumes and make-up
Harmonious performance
Varied performances
Success in dramatic performances
Instrumental music
Stringed instruments
Time measure
Dhruva songs
Covered instruments
Types of character
Distribution of roles
Descent of drama on the Earth
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The available text, which is based on the manuscript of
the Abhinavabharati, a commentary of Abhinavagupta
(11th century C.E.), is divided into thirty-six chapters
having the following major contents:
Origins of Natyaveda (science of dramatic
performance), and the concept of anukarana
(imitation)of life for dramatic presentation.
Three kinds of theatre buildings and their ritual
consecration by the sponsor, a rich person or a king.
Purvaranga (preliminary performance) in nineteen
parts to please the gods and the audience, definition of
eight Rasas.
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Four kinds of abhinayas (acting/expression)—
angika abhinaya , vacika abhinaya,aharya
abhinaya ,sattvika abhinaya .
Two kinds of dharmis—lokadharmi and
natyadharmi.
Four kinds of vrittis (modes of productions)—
bharati,kaishiki,sattvati and arabhati
Pravrittis—avanti, dakshinatya, panchali and
magadhi
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Dasarupakas (the ten types of plays extending
from one act play to ten act plays.)
Itivritta (structure of the dramatic plot), the
stages of action, the nature of episodes and the
interconnected emotional states of the hero .
Nayakas (heroes) and nayikas (heroines).
Svaras (musical notes) gramas (musical scales)
and atodyavidhi (ways of playinmusical
instruments like the strings, flutes, drums and
cymbals
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The Nayashastra known as Natyaveda or the fifth
Veda, is a classical manual on the theory and practice
of Indian aesthetics— theatre, music, dance, poetics,
gestures and many other allied arts— given by Bharat
Muni.
The Nayashastra primarily aims at giving the
necessary directions to actors so as to enable them
creditably to acquit themselves in acting out their
parts; and to the dramatists to enable them to write
flawless dramas.
It also aims at helping the aesthete, who is eager to
enjoy the beautiful and afraid of the study of the Vedas
and Puranas,which show the ways of realization of the
main objectives of human life.