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Bharatnatyam
SAMPADA LEVEL 1
| Term | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| Kathak | classical dance form from Northern and Western regions of India. The traditional centers where Kathak evolved are Dehli, Lucknow, Jaipur and Banares. | |
| Manipuri | from Manipur located in the eastern part of India | |
| Odissi | from Odisha located in the Eastern part of India | |
| Kuchipudi | from the Telugu regions in Southern India | |
| Bharatanatyam | from the Southern India- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra | |
| Kathakali | from Kerala located in the extreme South of India | |
| Mohiniattam | from Kerala located in the extreme South of India | |
| Sattriya | from Assam located in the Eastern part of India | |
| Chhau | from Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand- all located in the Eastern part of India | |
| Classical Dances | Kathak, Manipuri, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Mohiniattam, Sattriya, Chhau | |
| Angika Abhinayam | expression through various parts of the body | |
| Angas | major limbs | |
| Pratyangas | subsidiary limbs | |
| Upangas | minor limbs | |
| Shiras | Head | |
| Hasta | the two palms | |
| Vakshas | chest | (vix you put on your chest) -Vaksha (V) -Vix (V) |
| Parshwa | the two sides | |
| Kati | the two sides of the waist | |
| Paada | the two feet | |
| Some scholars consider this as an Anga | Griva | the neck |
| praNamya (complete it) | sirasaadevau pitaamaha maheSvarau naaTya Saastram pravakshyaami brahmaNaa yadudaahritam | |
| At the beginning of the Natya Sastra | Bharata thus offered reverent obesisance to Lord Brahma | |
| Lord Brahma | the creator of Natya | |
| Lord Siva | the creator of Dance | |
| and proceeded | to narrate the science of drama i.e, Natya Sastra as enunciated by Lord Brahma | |
| first chapter of Natya Sastra | birth of Natya | |
| fourth chapter of Natya Sastra | its production before Lord Siva | |
| last chapter of Natya Sastra | the first appearance of Natya on the earth | |
| How many Angas are there? | There are 6 Angas. Shiras, Hasta, Vakshas, Parshwa, Kati, Paada | according to Abhinaya Darpana |
| How many Pratyangas are there? | There are 6 Pratyangas. Skandha, Baahu, Prshtha,Udara, Uru, Jangha | according to Abhinaya Darpana |
| Skandha | the two shoulders | |
| Baahu | the two arms | |
| Prshtha | back | |
| Udara | stomach | |
| Uru | thighs | |
| Jangha | shanks | |
| Some scholars consider these as Pratyangas | Manibandha, Janu, Koorpara | Wrists, Knees, Elbows (same order) |
| How many Upangas are there? | There are 16 Upangas in total. | There are 12 Upangas in the Shiras (head) and 4 in the other angas or other parts of the body. |
| How many Upangas are there in the Shiras? | There are 12 Upangas. | |
| Drishti | eyes | |
| Bhru | eyebrows | |
| Puta | eye lids | |
| Taara | pupils | |
| Kapola | cheeks | |
| Naasika | nose | |
| Hanu | jaws | |
| Adhara | lower lips | |
| Dashana | teeth | |
| Jihwa | tongue | |
| Chubuka | chin | |
| Vadhana | face | |
| How many Upangas are in the other angas or other parts of the body? | There are 4 Upangas. | |
| Paarshni | Heels | |
| Gulpha | Ankles | |
| Karayoh Angulyah | the fingers | |
| Padayoh Tale | the soles | |
| Nritta Shloka | Bhaavaabhinayaheenanthu nritta mithyabhidheeyathe | |
| The word "Nritta" | is derived from the Sanskrit word "Nrit". | |
| Nritta is a | form of pure movements in dance, which is not intended to convey any particular idea. | |
| It is just the movements | of various limbs of the body based on Tala and Laya. | |
| What is this dance the combination of? | This dance is the combination of different kinds of footwork, body movements, hand, head and eye movements. | |
| The expression | of emotions is negligible here/ | |
| According to Bharata, | Nritta can be appreciated by all people and is performed because of its pure beauty. | |
| Nritya Shloka | Rasa-Bhaava vyanjanaadiyuktham nrithya mitheeryathe | |
| The word "Nritya" | is also derived from the root "Nrit" when the suffix "kyap" is added to it | |
| In Nritya | we find the artistic movements of hands and feet. | |
| It is an exposition of | Rasas, Bhavas, and other aspects. | |
| When Abhinaya (expressions of feelings and sentiments) | is blended with the physical movements of the body, it becomes Nritya. | |
| It is basically | the communication of meanings of the songs through abhinaya. | |
| Natya Shloka | Naatyam that naatakam chaiva poojyam poorvakathaayutham | |
| The word "Natya" | is derived from 'nat' meaning moving or acting. | |
| What does 'nat' mean? | moving or acting | |
| Natya means | dramatic representation or drama with music and dancing | |
| It is full of | ancient stories and is adorable. | |
| It is the presentation | of a play on the stage. | |
| Natya concentrates on | Vachikaabhinaya and Sattvikaabhinaya in addition to a well-knit plot. | |
| Adavu: | In the "Nritta" aspect of Bharatanatyam, Adavus are basic steps. | |
| Adavu is the | basic rhythmic unit of dance within a specific tempo and time structure that involves composite movements pertaining to Nritta. | |
| These are the movements | of the body with which pure dance is created. | Nritta |
| Looking at the origin of the word, | there is more than one version. | |
| The word 'aadu' means | means 'to dance' in Tamil language, so Adavu means a dance movement or step. | (Tamil) |
| In Telugu, the word 'aadu' | means to play and 'adagu' means steps and hence the word 'Adavu" has probably originated from there. | |
| What does the word 'aadu' mean in Tamil and similarly Adavu? | aadu - to dance Adavu - dance movement or step | |
| What does the word 'aadu' mean in Telugu and similarly Adagu? | aadu - to play adagu - steps | |
| How many speeds is all the Adavus practiced in? | 3 speeds | |
| There are 4 characteristics or | 'lakshanas' of Adavu and they are: | |
| How many characteristics of Adavu are there? | 4 'lakshanas' | |
| What are characteristics called? | 'lakshanas' | |
| Sthanaka | The basic standing posture. Usually in Bharatanatyam, the common technical posture is 'ardhamandi' or 'ardha mandi' or half sitting position. | |
| Nritta Hasta | The stylized hand gestures. There are 13 Nritta Hastas according to Abhinaya Darpana. | |
| Chari | The movements of the hands and feet. | |
| Hasta Kshetra | Specific positions and movements of the hands. | |
| There are a number of Adavus | which are to be practiced in three tempos and perfected before commencing the main items in the margam (repertoire). | |
| What does margam mean? | (repertoire) | |
| People at the beginning of the _________ | Tretaayuga | |
| were leading a mixed life of _________ and ___________ | misery and happiness | |
| subjecting themselves to the elemental passions of | lust, greed, rancor and miserliness | |
| This appalled who? | The Lokapaalas | |
| Who are lokapaalas? | the rulers of the universe | |
| who strove to inculcate into them | the spirit of adhering to the right way of life | |
| So, ______ and the other gods, | Indra | |
| Who did Indra and the other gods approach? | approached the creator of the universe, Brahma | |
| and requested him to create a fifth veda | pleasing both to the eye and the ear, instructive and enjoyable to all sections of people, since some of them are denied the privilege of learning the 4 Vedas. | |
| Brahma conceded and | went into meditation recollecting the 4 Vedas for creating a 5th veda, | |
| Brahma, in his meditation decided to name the 5th veda | as Natya Veda | |
| which is both | instructive and enjoyable, with stories from history and legendary | |
| providing intellectual advancement, leading people towards righteousness | delineating the proper order of living and finally bringing prestige to those who learn it | |
| Brahma took | words or speech from Rig Veda music from Sama Veda Bhavas or histrionic expression from Yajur Veda Rasas or sentiments from Atharvana Veda and thus created the fifth veda called Natyaveda. | |
| What did Brahma take from Rig Veda? | Words or Speech | |
| What did Brahma take from Sama Veda? | Music | |
| What did Brahma take from Yajur Veda? | Bhava or histrionic expression | |
| What did Brahma take from Atharvana Veda? | Rasa or sentiments | |
| As desired by Indra, | Brahma taught Natyaveda to Bharata who in turn taught his disciples who were also known as Bharatas or Bharataputras. | |
| What was Bharata's disciples called? | Bharatas or Bharataputras | |
| These Bharataputras were | intelligent, sharp, bold, industrious, steadfast | |
| and were endowed with the faculties of | reception, retention, absorption, and expression | |
| What are Vrittis? | modes of expression | |
| How many Vrittis are there? | There are 4 Vrittis | |
| Bharati | vocal expression | |
| Arabhati | virile expression | |
| Sattvati | emotional expressions | |
| Among the 4 Vrittis, Bharati, Arabhati, Sattvati | were the three employed by him in the production, but the result did not satisfy him. | In the original expression remember with each Vritti, it states the definition. |
| So, on request of Bharata, Brahma created 24 Apsaras or nymphs | to present Kaisiki Vritti or delicate expression | |
| Kaisiki Vritti | delicate expression | |
| He entrusted the instrumental music to | Sage Svati | |
| and the vocal music to | Sage Narada | |
| and other Gandharavas | the celestial musicians | |
| All of them joined and produced a play called | 'Asura Parajaya' (the defeat of the demons) | |
| in the open air at the time of | Indra's flag festival or 'Indra Dhvaja' festival | |
| The production 'Asura Parajaya offended the demons | since the play was pointing towards their destruction. | |
| They disappeared from the audience under the leadership of | Virupaksha, and saw to it that the speech and movement, and memory of the actors and actresses were paralyzed. | |
| Indra, angered at the discovery of the hand of the demons in disturbing the production | beat them with his Jarjara or flag-staff. | |
| What is a Jarjara? | flag-staff | |
| The production started again but the remainder of the demonss | started to frighten the actors and actresses with their cunning antics. | |
| Brahma then ordered Viswakarma, | the celestial architect to construct a Natyagruha or a theatre, so that admission could be restricted. | |
| Who is Viswakarma? | the celestial architect | |
| What is a Natyagruha? | a theatre | |
| Why did they want to build a Natyagruha? | so that admission could be restricted | |
| Viswakarma immediatly | brought into being an acoustically perfect theatre. | |
| In order to prevent any disturbance from the demons again, | various Gods were entrusted with duties of guarding the actors and actresses, the production material and the theatre. | |
| What were the Gods guarding? | Actors and actresses, the production material and the theatre | |
| Moon | Overall charge of the theatre | |
| Lokapaalas | guard the sides | |
| Mitra | in-charge of the green rooms | |
| Varuna | guard the sky | |
| Agni | guard the stage | |
| Megha | guard the instruments | |
| Brahma | guard acting area | |
| Indra | protect the hero | |
| Sarasvathi | protect the heroine | |
| Omkara | protect the clown | |
| Hara | guard the rest of the artists | |
| Brahma further stated that these Gods shall be called 'Ranga Devatas' | or the presiding deities of the theatre and hold supreme charge of those sections, and they should be worshipped before a production started | |
| What are Ranga Devatas | the presiding deities of the theatre and hold supreme charge of those sections | |
| The worship is included in the | 'Purvaranga Vidhi' or the pre-presentational rituals. | |
| Before the production started in the theatre constructed by Vishwakarma, | Brahma summoned the demos who had caused the disturbance | |
| and asked them | why they had been determined to disturb the play-production. | |
| Virupaksha answered that they were hurt | as equal treatment was not given and felt insulted | |
| as the first play | showed partiality towards the Devas and hence expressed their resentment. | |
| To this, Brahma explained to the demons, | the nature and purpose of Natya. | |
| What did Brahma explain to the demons? | The nature and purpose of Natya. | |
| He also told them that Natya depicts the | activities of Gods, demons, kings, saints and common men. | |
| The themes of Natya are taken from the narratives from | history, legends, Vedas and Sastras and are presented in a enjoyable way. | |
| In short, it can be stated that Natya is | one that presents the nature of the world in all its aspects, | |
| with all its pleasures and pains, | through the medium of the four types of abhinaya or histrionic expression | |
| When the nature and purpose of Natya was explained thus, | the demons were pacified and the production went on smoothly | |
| Pleased with the production, | the Gods and the demons gave presents to the actors and actresses. | |
| When the production attained perfection, | Brahma took them to Kailasa, the abode of Lord Shiva | |
| and against the back-drop of the | beautiful snow-capped mountains, presented two plays out of the ten major forms of drama - 'Amritha Manthana' and 'Tripuradaaha'. | |
| Lord Shiva, pleased with the production, appreciated the same | and also asked him to incorporate Nritta or pure dance with Karanas and Angaharas in the representational rituals. | |
| Saint Tandu, ordained by Lord Shiva | taught Nritta to Bharata, comprising of Karana, Angaharas, and Recakas. | |
| This Nritta is called ‘Tandava’ | since Saint Tandu first explained it. | |
| Lord Shiva then told them to learn | Lasya from Goddess Parvathi. | |
| Goddess Parvathi taught Lasya to Usha (daughter of Banasura), who, after marrying Anirudh ( son of Lord Krishna) | went to Dwaraka, and taught the same to her maidens in Dwaraka. | |
| That’s how this art form spread | to the women of Sourashtra and other regions making it extremely popular. | |
| Who is Usha? | daughter of Banasura | |
| Who is Anirudh? | son of Lord Krishna | |
| In Sanskrit, the word Abhinaya can be split as | ‘Abhi+ni’ that is ‘towards+ to lead’ or say ‘leading the audience towards’. | |
| of expression. | ||
| Through Abhinaya, the meanings or essence | of the words of the song or a poem in a play is communicated to the audience. | |
| According to Bharata’s Natya Sastra, Abhinaya is | four-fold and hence called Chaturvidha Abhinayam. | |
| nin | convey or communicate something | |
| Abhi | towards | |
| ni | to lead | |
| Abhi+ni | leaning the audience towards | |
| The suffix ‘Abhi’ is added to the word | ‘nin’, it means to convey or communicate something. | |
| The four kinds of Abhinaya are as follows: | Angika Abhinaya, Vachika Abhinaya, Aharya Abhinaya, Sattvika Abhinaya | |
| Angika Abhinaya | is the expression through body and its limbs. | |
| This includes the usage of | Angas (major limbs), Pratyangas (subsidiary limbs), and Upangas (minor limbs) to communicate the meaning. | |
| Vachika Abhinaya | is expression through voice and speech | |
| This is seen in both theatre as well as | in some of the Classical dances like Kuchipudi. | |
| Aharya Abhinaya | is conveying or expressing through decorating the body with costumes, makeup, jewelry etc. | |
| This plays an important role in bringing life | to the characters of the play by making them look realistic. | |
| Sattvika Abhinaya | is the expression through Sattvika Bhavas or the innermost subtle feelings | |
| ‘Sathva’ | is something that originates in the mind and hence Sattvika abhinaya is communicating through the inner emotions. | |
| Utplavanas: | The movements involving jumps and leaps in dance are known as Utplavana. | |
| How many Utplavanas are there? | There are 5 types. | |
| All the Utplavanas are as follows: | Alaga, Kartari, Ashva, Motita, Kripalaya | |
| Alaga | Keeping both hands with ‘Shikhara’ hastas on hips, jump forward with both feet. | |
| Kartari | Having both hands with ‘Kartarimukha’ hastas behind the left foot, a jump is executed on the big toes and the ‘Shikhara' hand is kept on the hip. | |
| Ashva | leaping with both feet, they are kept together with hands in ‘Tripathaka' | |
| Motita | leaping on both sides alternately. | |
| Kripalaya | The heels of both feet are touched to the hips alternately and the hands are in Ardhachandra. | |
| Bhramari | Bhramari is the movement of the body in a whirling manner. At the same time, the movements are required to be graceful and easily performed. Based on the technique of performance they are classified into seven. | |
| How many Bhramari are there? | There are 7 Bhramaris. | |
| All the Bhramari are as follows: | Utpluta, Chakra, Garuda, Ekapada, Kunchita, Akasha, Anga | |
| Utpluta | Standing in ‘Sampada Sthanaka’, the whole body is rotated round. | |
| Chakra | Having ‘Tripathaka’ hands, turning round rapidly in a circle. | |
| Garuda | Keeping one foot across in front of another, the knee is placed on the ground and then moved rapidly with hands stretched. | |
| Ekapada | moving alternately round with one foot after another. | |
| Kunchita | With knees bent, the body is moved round. | |
| Akasha | Jumping with the feet stretched and the whole body is turned round. | |
| Anga | After jumping with legs half a cubit apart, the body is kept still. | |
| Tandava | uddhatham Taandavam Viduh | |
| The vigorous movement of the limbs without any Bhava | is called Tandava. | |
| Tandava is | the divine dance performed by Lord Shiva. | |
| It is considered to be the source | of the cosmic cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. |
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