Ashta Nayikas and Dance Forms (study)
by V. Dwaritha | 2013 | 71,711 words
This page relates ‘Portrayal of a Vasakasajjika on stage� of the study dealing with the Ashta-Nayikas—a classification of eight kinds of “Heroines� representing the eight emotional states (avastha) employed in the classical Indian dance and performing arts (otherwise known as Natya Shastra). These Ashtanayikas reflect the eight types of romantic relationships and have hence formed the expressive subject of many classical painting, poems and dramatic plays.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Part 3 - Portrayal of a Vāsakasajjikā on stage
Bharata gives a detailed description of the acts of a 첹 as follows:
नार्याप्यथ विशेषे� प्रमोदरससम्भवः �
वासोपचार� कर्तव्यो नायकागमन� प्रत� �
गन्धमाल्या� गृहीत्वा तु चूर्णवासस्थै� � �
स्थपयेन्नायककृते कुर्याच्चात्मप्रसाधनम् �
वासोपचार� नात्यर्थ� भूषणग्रहणं भवेत� �
रशनानूपुरप्राय� स्वरवच्च प्रशस्यत� �
नाम्बरग्रहणं रङ्गेन स्नानं � विलेपनम् �
नाञ्जन� नाङ्गरागश्� केशसंयमन� तथ� �
नापावृता नैकवस्त्रा � रागमधरस्� तु �
उत्तमा मध्यमा वापि कुर्वी� प्रमदा क्वचित� �nāryāpyatha viśeṣeṇa pramodarasasambhava� |
vāsopacāra� kartavyo nāyakāgamana� prati ||
gandhamālyā� gṛhītvā tu cūrṇavāsasthaiva ca |
sthapayennāyakakṛte kuryāccātmaprasādhanam ||
vāsopacāre nātyartha� bhūṣaṇagrahaṇa� bhavet |
raśanānūpuraprāya� svaravacca praśasyate ||
nāmbaragrahaṇa� raṅgena snāna� na vilepanam |
nāñjana� nāṅgarāgaśca keśasaṃyamana� tathā ||
nāpāvṛtā naikavastrā na rāgamadharasya tu |
uttamā madhyamā vāpi kurvīta pramadā kvacit ||[1]The heroine should act such that the lover who comes to her house feels delighted by the reception. She should decorate herself and arrange scents, garlands, clothes anointed with perfumes for his use. While too many ornaments should not be used, tinkling girdles and anklets are permitted. On the stage acts like-putting on clothes, taking bath; applying unguents, collyrium or fragrant pastes and tying disheveled hair, should not be done. A lady of the noble or middle type should neither appear on stage without clothes or wearing just one piece of cloth, nor should they apply lac juice on their lips.
अधमाना� भवेदेष सर्व एव विधि� सद� �
तासामप� ह्यसभ्यं यन्न तत्कार्य� प्रयोक्त� भि� �
प्रेष्यादीना� � नारीणा� नराणां चै� नाटक� �
भूषणग्रहणं कार्यं पुष्पग्रहणमे� � �
गृहीतमण्डन� चापि प्रतीक्षे� प्रियागमम् �
लीलय� मण्डित� वेषं कुर्याद्यन्न विरुध्यत� �
विधिवद� वासक� कुर्यान्नायिकानायकागमे �
प्रतीक्षमाण� � तत� नालिकाशब्दमादिशेत् �nā� bhavedeṣa sarva eva vidhi� sadā |
tāsāmapi hyasabhya� yanna tatkārya� prayokt� bhi� ||
preṣyādīnā� ca nārīṇāṃ narāṇāṃ caiva nāṭake |
bhūṣaṇagrahaṇa� kārya� puṣpagrahaṇameva ca ||
gṛhītamaṇḍanā cāpi pratīkṣeta priyāgamam |
līlayā maṇḍita� veṣa� kuryādyanna virudhyate ||
vidhivad vāsaka� kuryān⾱nāyakāgame |
pratīkṣamāṇ� ca tato nālikāśabdamādiśet ||[2]In the case of an whatever is prohibited earlier may happen. Even she should not exhibit anything that is not fit for a gathering. In ٲ첹 even the servants and other men and women must be represented as adorning ornaments and flowers. The women should wait for the arrival of the lover well dressed up with ornaments. While adorning one should take care not to use improper ornaments. On the arrival of the lady one should prepare the dwelling appropriately and waiting for him sometime she should represent as if she had heard the striking of the bell.
An example explaining a similar situation from 鲹첹
संप्राप्तनेपथ्यविधानशोभा केलीगृहे धूपवितानरम्य� �
उत्कण्ठय� द्वारिनिषण्णदृष्टि� प्रतीक्षत� त्वामसितायताक्षी �saṃprāptanepathyavidhānaśobhā kelīgṛhe dhūpavitānaramye |
utkaṇṭhayā dvāriniṣaṇṇadṛṣṭi� pratīkṣate tvāmasitāyatākṣ� ||[3]Having decorated herself with ornaments and having made the room ready with incense, the ⾱ eagerly with long dark eyes is looking at the door step awaiting you.
Continued description from ṭyśٰ:
श्रुत्� तु नाडिकाशब्द� नायकागमविक्लबा �
विषण्ण� वेपमान� � गच्छेत� तोरणमे� � �
तोरण� वामहस्ते� कवाट� दक्षिणेन � �
गृहीत्वा तोरणाश्लिष्ट� संप्रतीक्षे� नायकम् �
शङ्कां चिन्ता� भय� चै� प्रकुर्यात� तोरणाश्रित� �
अदृष्ट्व� रमणं नारी विषण्ण� � क्षण� भवेत� �
दीर्घं चै� विनिःश्वस्� नयनाम्बु निपातयेत� �
मग्न� � हृदय� कृत्वा विसृजेदङ्गमासन� �śrutva tu nāḍikāśabda� nāyakāgamaviklabā |
viṣaṇṇā vepamānā ca gacchet toraṇameva ca ||
toraṇa� vāmahastena kavāṭa� dakṣiṇena ca |
gṛhītvā toraṇāśliṣṭā saṃpratīkṣeta nāyakam ||
śaṅkā� cintā� bhaya� caiva prakuryāt toraṇāśritā |
adṛṣṭvā ramaṇa� nārī viṣaṇṇā ca ṣaṇa� bhavet ||
dīrgha� caiva viniḥśvasya nayanāmbu nipātayet |
magna� ca hṛdaya� kṛtvā visṛjedaṅgamāsane ||[4]On hearing the bell, her anxiety is shown wherein she hastens to the door tremblingly. Holding the frame of the door with the left hand and the door board with the right, she should recline on the frame and await the hero. The woman should show fear, anxiety and apprehension while reclining on the frame. Without seeing the lover, she should feel sorrow. Sighing deeply she should shower tears from her eyes suggesting that the heart is sinking. Then she should drop down.
व्याक्षेपाद् विमृशेच्चापि नायकागमन� प्रत� �
तैस्तैर्विचारणैश्चाप� शुभाशुभसमुत्थितै� �
गुरुकार्ये� मित्रैर्वा मन्त्रिण� राज्यचिन्तया �
अनुबद्धः प्रियः कि� नु धृतो वल्लभयाप� वा �
उत्पातान� निर्दिशेच्चापि शुभाशुभसमुत्थितान् �
निमित्तैरात्मसंस्थैस्त� स्फुरितै� स्पन्दितैस्तथा �
शोभनेष� � कार्येषु निमित्तं वामत� स्त्रिया� �
अनिष्टेष� � कार्येषु निमित्तं दक्षिण� भवेत� �
सव्य� नेत्रं ललाट� � भ्रूनासोष्ठं तथैव � �
ऊरुबाहुस्तनं चै� स्फुरेद्यद� समागमः �vyākṣepād vimṛśeccāpi nāyakāgamana� prati |
taistairvicāraṇaiścāpi śubhāśubhasamutthitai� ||
gurukāryeṇa mitrairvā mantriṇ� rājyacintayā |
anubaddha� priya� ki� nu dhṛto vallabhayāpi vā ||
utpātān nirdiśeccāpi śubhāśubhasamutthitān |
nimittairātmasaṃsthaistu sphuritai� spanditaistathā ||
śobhaneṣu ca kāryeṣu nimitta� vāmata� striyā� |
aniṣṭeṣu ca kāryeṣu nimitta� dakṣiṇa� bhavet ||
ⲹ� Աٰ� ṭa� ca bhrūnāsoṣṭha� tathaiva ca |
ūrubāhustana� caiva sphuredyadi samāgama� ||[5]Worried to the core, she should ponder over the reason for the failure of the hero to arrive by looking for the signs of good and bad omens. ‘Was he held up due to some important matters or delayed by friends or ministers or even by political emergencies? Could it be because some favorite woman prevented him from coming? She should represent the occurrence of the signs of good or bad omen as also by the throbbing of her various limbs. The omen indicated by the limbs on the left side of the lady foretells favourable things where as that indicated by the right side will be unfavourable.
एतेषामन्यथाभाव� दुर्निमित्तं विनिर्दिशेत् �
दर्शने दुर्निमित्तस्य मोहं गच्छेत� क्षण� तत� �
अनागमे नायकस्� कार्यो गण्डाश्रयः कर� �
भूषण� चाप्यवज्ञानं रोदन� � समाचरेत् �
अथ चेत् शोभन� यत� स्यान्निमित्तं नायकागमे �
सुच्यो नायिकयासन्नो गन्धाघ्राणेन नायक� �
दृष्ट्वा चोत्था� संहृष्टा प्रत्युद्गच्छेद्यथाविध� �
तत� कान्तं निरीक्षे� प्रहर्षोत्फुल्ललोचना �eteṣāmanyathābhāve durnimitta� vinirdiśet |
darśane durnimittasya dz� gacchet ṣaṇa� ٲٲ� ||
anāgame nāyakasya kāryo gaṇḍāśraya� kara� |
bhūṣaṇe cāpyavajñāna� rodana� ca samācaret ||
atha cet śobhana� yat syānnimitta� nāyakāgame |
sucyo nāyikayāsanno gandhāghrāṇena nāyaka� ||
dṛṣṭvā cotthāya saṃhṛṣṭ� pratyudgacchedyathāvidhi |
ٲٲ� kānta� nirīkṣeta praharṣotphullalocanā ||[6]If such omens do not occur on the left side, it should be taken as unfavourable and she should lose consciousness at once. When the hero fails to turn up, she should place her hand on her cheek and show disregard to the ornaments besides weeping pitiably. In case the omen is good and suggestive of the arrival of the hero the lady should indicate it by smelling the proximity of the beloved. Having seen him she should get up and proceed to receive him in haste, looking at him with blooming eyes and beaming with happiness.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
ṭyśٰ, XXIV. ccxxxiii–ccxxxvii. 678�679.
[2]:
Ibid., XXIV. ccxxxviii–ccxli. 679.
[3]:
鲹첹, xxxix. 22.
[4]:
ṭyśٰ, XXIV. ccxlii–ccxlv. 680.
[5]:
Ibid., XXIV. ccxlvi–ccl. 680�681.
[6]:
Ibid., XXIV. ccli–ccliv. 681.