Essay name: Hastalaksanadipika a critical edition and study
Author:
E. K. Sudha
Affiliation: Government Sanskrit College (Tripunithura) / Department of Sanskrit
This is an English study on the Hastalaksanadipika—a manual depicting the Mudras (gestures) of the Kerala theatre. It is a very popular text supposedly dating to the 10th century A.D. This study also touches the subject of Krsnanattam, Kathakali and Kutiyattam—some of India's oldest theatrical traditions in Kerala.
Chapter 2 - Bharata’s Dramaturgy
21 (of 56)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
SPECIAL ASPECT OF BHARATA'S DRAMATURGY THE COMMENDABLE USE OF SYMBOLISM : - The modernists theorise that dance, music and poetry are evolved from the gay abandon in which the primitive man enjoyed himself. Those that believe in this doctrine do not accept the divine nature attributed to Natya Veda or the NS. They have interpreted the divine nature of the NS as only a means of providing a respectable social status to the actors, musicians and dancers since they were at one time relegated to a very low order of the society. It also happened that Bharata did not mention, even as examples, the authors or their plays that were in existence before he wrote his NS, so that he could establish the divine nature of the NS. Whatever may be the background, the fact that this author or compiler is a profound scholar cannot be disputed. ON SYMBOLISM :- Bharata was a great dramatist who gave importance to a high level of symbolism. One can note this right through the NS. For example, in the first chapter there is a description of Indra along with the dikpālakas (the Lords of the Quarters) meeting Lord Brahma and requesting for the synthesis of a fifth Veda which should be entertaining. As per their own words. क्रीडनीयकमिच्छामो दृश्यं श्रव्य� � यत� भवेत� � � वेदव्यवहारोऽयं संश्राव्यः शूद्रजातिष� � � तस्मात� सृजापर� वेदं पञ्चमं सार्ववर्णिकम� ।। [krīḍanīyakamicchāmo dṛśya� śravya� ca yat bhavet | na vedavyavahāro'ya� saṃśrāvya� śūdrajātiṣu | | tasmāt sṛjāpara� veda� pañcama� sārvavarṇikam || ] 53
