Kohala in the Sanskrit textual tradition (Study)
by Padma Sugavanam | 2011 | 95,782 words
This page relates ‘Kohala and Nritya (8): The concept of Nikuttaka-karana� of the thesis dealing with Kohala’s contribution to the Sanskrit textual tradition of ancient Indian performing arts. The study focuses specifically on music (Gita), dance (Nritya), and drama (Natya). Although Kohala’s original works have not been found, numerous references to him across Lakshana-Granthas (treatises) and works by modern scholars indicate his significance.
Kohala and Nṛtya (8): The concept of Nikuṭṭaka-첹ṇa
1 ṭṭԲ
(�) निकुट्टकम्
“उन्नमनं विनमनं स्यादङ्गस्� निकुट्टनम् ।�
इत� कोहल� �
ते� हस्तस्यालपल्लवस्� कनिष्ठाङ्गुलिपतनोत्पतनप्रकार� निकुट्टनम् �
इहाप� वक्ष्यते � अञ्चित इत� पादस्याप्युद्धट्टितरूपता �
“स्थितिव� पादतलाग्रे� पार्ष्णि� भूमौ निपातयेत� �
यस्य पादस्य करणे भवेदुद्धट्टितस्त� सः ॥Ũ�(ना.शा.�-२६�)(9) Ծṭṭ첹
�unnamana� vinamana� aṅgasya Ծṭṭnam |�
iti dz� |
tena hastasyālapallavasya kaniṣṭhāṅgulipatanotpatanaprakāro Ծṭṭnam |
ihāpi vakṣyate | ñٲ iti pādasyāpyuddhaṭṭitarūpatā |
�sthitivā pādatalāgreṇa ṣṇ� bhūmau nipātayet |
yasya pādasya karaṇe bhaveduddhaṭṭitastu sa� ||Ũ�(.ś.9-266)चकारेण मण्डलस्थनकमुच्यत� � स्वबाहुशिर� इत्येकवचनाद्धस्तावित� द्विवचनाच्� पर्यायेणाङ्गद्वयेन प्रयोग� � एवकाराद्दक्षिणेन प्रयोग� दक्षिण एव पादः वामे� वामः � ते� मण्डनस्थनक� स्थित्वा चातुरश्र्यादनन्तरमुद्वेष्टितकरणे� हस्त� नीत्वा स्कन्धशिरस� निकुट्टयेत� � तमेव पादमुद्धट्टितं कुर्यात् वामं तु हस्त� यथावस्थितं पुनराविद्धवक्रवर्तनतया तं हस्त� चतुरश्रीकुर्यात् � तत्समकाल� चोक्तविधिन� द्वितीयमङ्गं निकुट्टयेदित� योजन� �
cakāreṇa maṇḍalasthanakamucyate | svaś ityekavacaddhastāviti dvivacacca paryāyeṇāṅgadvayena Dz� | evakārāddakṣiṇena prayoge 岹ṣiṇa eva 岹� 峾Բ 峾� | tena maṇḍanasthanake ٳٱ ٳܰś岹ԲԳٲܻ屹ṣṭٲ첹ṇeԲ ٲ� īٱ skandhaśirasi Ծṭṭyet | tameva pādamuddhaṭṭita� kuryāt 峾� tu ٲ� yathāvasthita� punarāviddhavakravartanatayā ta� ٲ� caturaśrīkuryāt | tatsamakāla� coktavidhi dvitīyamaṅga� Ծṭṭyediti yoja |
�(Բī, Commentary on 4.69-71, GOS Vol. I, p.101)
This extract is a commentary in the Ծṭṭٲ 첹ṇa.
Bharata has defined Ծṭṭٲ 첹ṇa thus:
निकुट्टितौ यद� हस्त� स्वबाहुशिरसोन्तर� � �.६९च्द् �
पादौ निकुट्टितौ चै� ज्ञेयं तत्त� निकुट्टकम् �
अञ्चित� बाहुशिरस� हस्तस्त्वभिमुखाङ्गुलिः � �.७० �
निकुञ्चितार्धयोगेन भवेदर्धनिकुट्टकम� � �.७१अब� �Ծṭṭٲu yadā hastau svabāhuśirasontare || 4.69cd ||
pādau Ծṭṭٲu caiva ñⲹ� tattu Ծṭṭ첹 ||
ñٲu bāhuśirasi hastastvabhimukhāṅguli� || 4.70 ||
nikuñcitārdhayogena bhavedardhaԾṭṭ첹 || 4.71ab ||
Bharata says that when the hands placed between the shoulder and the head in the Ծṭṭ movement, and the feet also in the same Ծṭṭ movement, that 첹ṇa is called Ծṭṭka. Though he gives such a definition, Bharata does not supply information as to what exactly this movement called �Ծṭṭna� is, and how it is to be represented.
In order to fill this gap, Abhinava presents Kohala’s definition of the act of Ծṭṭna. Kohala says�
उन्नमन� विनमनं स्याद् अङ्गस्� निकुट्टनम्.
In other words, when a limb is moved up and down, that movement is called Ծṭṭna.
When applied to the 첹ṇa called Ծṭṭka, the alapallava hasta is to be brought in between the shoulder and the head and the little finger is to be moved up and down. The word ñٲ has been used to indicate that the feet should also be in the ܻ岵ṭṭٲ movement. Abhinava also makes a cross reference from the ninth chapter of Nāṭyaśstra where the term ܻ岵ṭṭٲ has been defined. He says that when one stands on the toes and then brings the heels down, it is called ܻ岵ṭṭٲ.
First the dancer starts in the ṇḍٳԲ첹. The mention of the word �ś� in singular and �hastau� in the dual number, indicate that this movement is to be performed by both hands, one after the other. When the right leg is moved, correspondingly the right hand is also moved and with the left leg, the left hand is also moved. Abhinava then makes a reconstruction of the Ծṭṭka 첹ṇa. He says the dancer must stand in the ṇḍٳԲ첹 with ٳܰś ṛtٲ-ٲ. The right hand should start performing the Ծṭṭka 첹ṇa along with the right leg performing the ܻ岵ṭṭٲ. After this, the right hand will perform the āviddhavakravarta and come back to to ٳܰś hasta near the chest. This action is repeated with the left hand and leg.
Bharata’s definitions of the 첹ṇas are very brief and terse. Reconstructing the actual movements based only on this would prove very difficult. Abhinavagupta supplies much additional information that is required to practically be able to understand and present these movements. In this case of the Ծṭṭka 첹ṇa he supplies the Kohala’s definition of the action of �Ծṭṭna� on which this entire 첹ṇa is based. But for a clear understanding of the basic action of Ծṭṭna, it would be rather difficult to present the Ծṭṭka 첹ṇa.
2 Nikuṭṭaka Karaṇa (Nṛttaratvalī)
निकुट्टक� मुहुर्वाक्ये स्वस्य श्लाघा प्रधानके �
अलपद्मकनीयस्याः पतनोत्पतनात्मकम् �
निकुट्टकमि� ज्ञेयं स्कन्ध� कोहलसम्मतम� � ५१ � (निकुट्टकम्) (�)Ծṭṭka� muhurvākye svasya ślāghā pradhānake |
alapadmakanīyasyā� patanotpatatmakam |
Ծṭṭ첹iha ñⲹ� skandhe kohalasammatam || 51 || (Ծṭṭ첹) (9)�(Nṛttaratvalī, Chapter IV, p. 108)
ⲹ Sepati presents this definition of Ծṭṭka 첹ṇa and says that this has been accepted by Kohala.
The definition is mostly on the lines of Bharata, but does not mention the movement of the legs. On comparison of the sculptures of the Ծṭṭka 첹ṇa found in three temples in South India Բ�ṛhīś temple (Tanjore), Śṅgṇi temple (Kumbhakonam) and Śī ṭaᲹ temple (Chidambaram), V. Raghavan makes the following observations:
‘While Chidambaram and Tanjore agree on this, Kumbhakonam which bears the number 9 and name Ծṭṭka clearly, presents the hands differently; without both hands being Ծṭṭka in shoulder, the left is at chest as in the next 첹ṇa, with the right hand gracefully let loose as ḍo�.