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 7 - Vacikabhinaya according to Bharata’s Natyasastra
25 (of 29)
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)
than three Pañcamas. Whatever is the case, Virapañcama cannot be omitted. This is used in many places in Anguliyanka. The rule goes: “Brumadrerat drug: In Anguliyanka, when raksasas like Khara challenge Rāma to fight with them, the situation of Rama is described in the nirvahanasloka beginning with - ' कपोल� जानक्याः करिक� भदन्तद्युत�... [kapole jānakyā� karikala bhadantadyuti...] ' Anguliyānka, Sagarotpatti- the slokas “¶¶¶¶¶¶¶…� and 'अम्भोधिं प्रमिवात्य वा... [ambhodhi� pramivātya vā... ] ' , These ślōkas are recited in Virapañcama. Some deviations from Natyakalpadruma are mentioned below: 1. The NKD says that in syngāra (and rati), Indala is also used. In Kūṭiyāṭṭom, character is supposed to use Indalam for śṛngāra. But it is established that this raga is used for heroes in normal situations (samāvasthā). Now, the example provided for Indala in sṛngāra “GJI , чà…�..' is not used in Indala, but in Veḷādhūḷi, on the stage. There is a reason for this: seeing that the heroine is going to hang herself, the maid shouts for help and Jimūtavāhana rushes to the scene. The kriya is 'Satvaramupasṛtya latāpāśamākṣipan'. Here the occasion is one of alarm, and according to rule, Veḷādhūḷi is used, There is not even the depiction of mudrā for this ślōka; the hero just goes and unties the noose around the heroine's neck. This scene is not sṛngāra oriented, nor it is sung in Indaḷa. 233
