Bharata’s Natyashastra

Introduction

The Natyashastra, which was penned by Bharata Muni sometime about 500 BC, is the very first piece of literature on singing and drama. The emphasis of Natyashastra was on dance and theatre, with music serving as a support. The words Natya and Shastra are combined to form the title. Here, Natya is the term for dance and theatre technique, while shastra is the term for science.

Description-Indian classical dance is an umbrella term for various performance arts rooted in Hindu musical theatre styles.

The supreme version specifies the director-audience relationship, play structure, acting skills, dress and make-up, melodies and percussion equipment to be utilised, stage dimensions and ornamentation with spotlights, and public sitting areas. Playwrights, directors, and producers all acknowledge how relevant plays are today.

The Theory of Rasa

Natyashastra's “rasa theory” claims that joy is natural and fundamental in man; it remains inside oneself and can be displayed through spiritual and creative methods. The goal of performance art is to enable man to first-hand experience or re-experience this rasa.

The goal of actors is to take the audience on an artistic trip. Rasa is made by combining and creatively expressing Vaibhav, Anubhav, and vyabhicharibhava. The book describes the utilisation of eight feelings, including sexual, funny, pitiful, awful, furious, ugly, and heroic, to emotionally engage the audience member.

Mudras, Symbolic Hand Gestures

The Indian classical dance is said to have its heart in its gestures, or mudra. The Natyashastra provides a list of 24 mudras, while the Abhinaya Darpana contains 28. These are the foundation for the terminology and meaning of mudra. Each mudra may be classified according to how the fingers are spread, curved, or stretched to create that particular mudra.

The Natyashastra states that specialists should employ mudras by common practices, and they should pay attention to their movement, objects, sphere, amount, appropriateness, and method when doing so. The Centre of expressiveness is the hand's palm. The wrist serves as a pivot point for all hand movements.

These gestures can also be divided into two categories: Asamyukta, which refers to motions made with just one hand, and Samyukta, which refers to gestures made with both hands. There are a few examples of mudras.

Asamyukta Mudras	Samyukta Mudras
Ardhapataka: a partial flag	Sankha: Conch shell
Ardhachandra: Half Moon	Pasa: Noose
Mayura: peacock	Shivalinga: Phallus
Ardhasuchi: half needle	Kilaka: Bond
Trisula: trident	Kartari swastika: Crossed scissors
Silimukha: crab face, the female frog	Kurma: tortoise
Bana: arrow	Garuda: eagle god
Pataka Hasta	Varaha: Boar

Patakahasta Mudra

Description- When all the fingers are kept close to each other with the thump finger kept bent this is pataka hasta.

Kurma hasta Mudra

Description-While the hands are in chakra hasta, bend all the fingers and hold the palms tight.

Abstract and Expressive Dance

Drama and dancing share a similar relationship in that both express the eight human emotions. Dance uses music and motions, whereas drama mostly uses words and movements. We can use the example of the lasya, a solo dance created by Parvati by which a part of the story could be portrayed in the drama. To express a story or thought by dance, there are thirteen positions of the head, 36 positions of the eyes, 9 positions of the neck, 37 locations of the hand, and 10 positions of the body are all classified by the Natya Shastra.

Indian dancers of today still do their movements by the "Natya Shastra" guidelines. As talked in the above lines about a solo dance, it is not any compulsion of solo type. The type of dance, solo, or group completely depends on the condition and need.

The Construction of Rasa

An original invention of Indian arts and rhetoric is the concept of rasa in play or poetry. The word “Rasa,” refers to a delight or sensation in the imagination of the hostile audience or reader, that's why it is very difficult to interpret. It is a unique sensation that is brought about through Bhava's expression. The following point makes it very clear for understanding.

• By expressing the Bhava, one can produce or advance the Rasa in the mind of a viewer. Rasa and Bhava are related because Rasa cannot exist without Bhava and Bhava cannot exist if Rasa is not advanced. Rasa can be viewed as Bhava's soul and Bhava as its physical body. Bhavas, without Rasa, feelings are meaningless.

• Bharata devotes a considerable amount of time to Rasa and Bhava. Bharata explains in his Natyashastra that the Rasa is created when the Vaibhav, Anubhav, and Vyabhichari Bhavas are combined. Rasa is created in the brains of sympathetic viewers because of the arrangement of determinants, consequences, and passing emotions. In spoken language, these are referred to as causes, effects, and auxiliaries.

• In the same way that food is enjoyed with a variety of spices, the subconscious emotion that becomes evident via all the mentioned factors is known as Rasa. Rasa combined with various Bhavas becomes the root of Ananda.

Conclusion

A comprehensive and unique philosophy of dramatic performance that permeates South Asian aesthetics is provided by the Natyashastra. Similar to Aristotle's Poetics of Greek Drama, Bharata's perception of how theatre affects spectators is based on his comprehension of the Sanskrit words bhava and rasa. His ideas continue to enlighten and challenge how we see what theatrical performances are capable of.

It is widely acknowledged that the Natyashastra, an ancient text on Indian dramaturgy, has given India's philosophy and practice of performing arts a solid basis and framework. The traditional form of play has been framed by Bharata's Natyashastra, much like Panini did for the Sanskrit language.

FAQs

Q1. When was Bharat Muni born?

Ans. There is no exact data regarding the birth of Bharat Muni. However, according to historic scripts, he is dated between 200 BCE to 200 CE.

Q2. How many types of Rasa?

Ans. According to Bharata's Natyashastra, there are a total of 8 types of Rasa. Moreover, these 8 rasas also have subdivisions.

Q3. How much content was written in Natyashastra by Bharat Muni?

Ans. The total amount of content written by Bharat Muni in Natyashstra was 6000 Shlokas which were distributed in 36 chapters.