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Gati in Theory and Practice

by Dr. Sujatha Mohan | 2015 | 88,445 words

This page relates ‘Literature review–Primary textual sources of study� of the study on the Theory and Practice of Gati (“gait�) which refers to the “movement of a character on the stage�, commonly employed (as a Sanskrit technical term) in ancient Indian Theatrics and the Dramatic arts, also known as Natya-shastra. This thesis explores the history and evolution of Gati and also investigates how the various Gatis are employed in regional performance traditions.

Literature review–Primary textual sources of study

ṭyśٰ of Bharata along with 󾱲Բپ, the commentary, is taken as the primary source of study, as this work deals with the aspects of gati in an elaborate and authentic manner, which will suit ṭy and ṛtٲ, drama and dance respectively. The details of gati, as referred in other post -Bharata works, are noted down and the similarities and differences between them are explained.

Though there are many works on ṭy, only few have dealt with the concept of gati. Most of them give importance to the aspects of ṅg첹 abhinaya, hand gestures, leg and body movements and those on drama have elaborated on , rasa and ū貹첹 aspects, which are very important dramatic elements.

Though Bharata is considered the earliest writer on dramaturgy, it is surprising to know that his successors have not followed him in describing the gati, though gati forms the base for dance and drama. This might be due to the evolution in the performance during centuries. վṣṇܻ󲹰dzٳٲ ܰṇa follows Bharata and works such as 󲹰ṇa, Saṅgītaratnākara, ṅgīٲܰ屹, ṛtٲٲ屹, 󾱲Բⲹ岹貹ṇa, etc. provide different ideas and information on gati. However, the varieties of śī , ī, utplutas, 첹ṇa and the like are useful in the performance of gati

In Tamil it is said, �naḍai uḍai 屹nai� decides the nature of a person and even here the physical appearance and stature comes first. Some texts on ṭy have dealt in detail with the gati aspects and some others have just mentioned about gati.

Bharata in the ṭyśٰ has allotted a whole chapter for gati . He deals with its varieties in an exhaustive manner. Abhinavagupta, the author of 󾱲Բī, a commentary on the ṭyśٰ has explained it skillfully. Without this commentary, it would have been very difficult to understand the nuances of the ṭyśٰ.

վṣṇܻ󲹰dzٳٲ Purāṇa provides a detailed description of gati and this is similar to that of ṭyśٰ. Ի徱ś in 󲹰ṇa deals with the aspect of gati in a different manner, which seems to be more appropriate for dance. In the chapter called śܻ ṭy, he describes the seven ṇḍ. Each ṇḍ is interspersed with gati, 첹ṇa, and DZܰ첹ṭṭ. Devanācārya, author of ṅgīٲܰ屹 deals with gati based on rasa and gati based on ṛtٲ. So, according to him gati can be seen in ṭy and ṛtٲ. ṛtٲٲ屹 has mentioned varieties of gati based on and . The 󾱲Բⲹ岹貹ṇa deals with seven varieties of gaits based on the movements of birds and animals. The concept of gati has been taking newer forms from around the 2C.E. to 18 C.E. Thus, the evolution of the gati can be noted.

In the ṭyśٰ, Bharata enlists various gaits to be followed by different types of characters, in different situations, in portraying the nature, for enhancing sentiments and many such things. He deals with gati in a very elaborate way, but other scholars had a different approach regarding gati, though they follow him in many aspects of ṅg첹 abhinaya. It could be because gati was not considered important, as the performance of Sanskrit dramas had declined during their period.

ṭyśٰ has influenced the dramatists like , , Śriharṣa and others. The verses and dramatic terms in those dramas have been studied and referred to wherever necessary. Some dance forms prevalent after the decline of Sanskrit dramas have used ś varieties for depicting the gait. The are the movements involving legs and they are found in some traditional forms of dance dramas. These can be used to depict the gait on stage. Bharata’s delineation of gati seems to be different but very useful for the theatre artists, the dancers and the actors.

Sources of study based on field-work

The study is based on the temples sculptures and the traditional practice of dance and drama. Scholars like C.Sivaramamurthi, V.Raghavan, T.N.Ramachandran, Kapila Vatsyayan, R.Nagaswamy, Padma Subrahmanyam and many others have done a detailed technical study of the sculptures of the temples mainly in and around India. The sculptures related to dance and dramas are analysed through which the practice of these arts can be ascertained. The sculptures are very much related to the text of the ṭyśٰ and the interpretations of Abhinavagupta, Śṅg𱹲, Jāyana and others. The movements of the dancers are skillfully sculpted in three-dimensional techniques, though the sculptures are static in nature. Thus, the gait was visually captured in sculptures.

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