Essay name: Arts in the Puranas (study)
Author:
Meena Devadatta Jeste
Affiliation: Savitribai Phule Pune University / Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute Pune
This essay studies the Arts in the Puranas by reconstructing the theory of six major fine arts—Music, Dance, Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, and Literature—from the Major and Minor Puranas. This thesis shows how ancient sages studied these arts within the context of cultural traditions of ancient India.
Chapter 1 - Music in the Puranas
30 (of 72)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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- 30 - (in the scale) is called Ascending. For example 'sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, dha, and ni. The varna in which the notes go down in the scale is called descending, for example - ni, dha, pa, ma, ga ri, sa. The monotonic varna is that in which notes are the same and are equal in pitch - Sā, Sā, sā or ma, ma, ma etc. and when the various notes come together they constitute what is called a mixed Varna Sā ri ga,ga ri sa, ri ga ma, ma ga 73 -
ri etc. These varnas relate to the quality of the three
voice registers (sthanani) mentioned above.
The text of the Vayu Purana is extremely corrupt.
Hence I am trying to explain the discussion of Alahkāras
with the help of the Natyasastra.
Matyasastra has discussed
the list of thirty-three Alankaras. We get some names of these
Alankaras in the Vayu Purana. First there is an omission of
the four important Alankaras viz. 'Prasannadi', 'Prasannant a',
'Prasannadyanta' and 'Prasannamadhya'. But it must be a
mistake of the copyist. Then Pramada and Apramada look like
the Alahkaras Prasvāra and Prasada in the Natya sastra which
are the sthayi (monotonic) Alankaras. When in a Kalā, notes
ascend gradually by one note, it is a Prasvara Alankara and
when in a Kalā notes descend gradually by one note, it will be
a Prasada Alankara. Avarta (Avartaka in the Natya sastra) in
which there are eight kalas of four consecutive notes ascending
and descending. It is also formed with two alternative notes.
In that case four Kalas will have ascending and descending
notes. Krama Alamkara is formed when successive kalas include
one, two, three, four, five, six and seven consecutive notes
