Nāṭyasiddhi (नाट्यसिद्धि)

2021

Strictly as per the compliance and regulations of: AbstractThe source of the Indian theory of drama is the Nātyaśāstra of the sage Bharata, an encyclopedic treatise on all the aspects of dramaturgy. Bharata the instaurator and codifier of the Indian tradition of drama postulates theories of drama, music, dance, and poetry, construction of stage, the concept of rasa and the mimetic role of drama, etc. While neither Aristotle nor Plato applies to any form of Western dance style, in India, everyone goes back to Nātyaśāstra to find the source of various styles of Indian classical and regional dances and music. Metaphysically, the Indian theory of drama is based on Karma unlike the Greek theory of drama based on fate. At the outset, the present paper shall explore and discuss the origin of the Nātyaśāstra, and will analyze some of its most significant aspects.

Theatre Street Journal, Volume 5, Number 1, 27 March 2021, ISSN 2456-754X, p.36-58 , 2021

Theatre has been one of the prominent forms of communication in ancient India and the Nāṭyaśāstra is considered to be the first documented form of rich and diverse theatre traditions present in India. It contains plenty of theatre principles guiding practitioners even in the modern times and helping them understand the art and science of theatre. The Nāṭyaśāstra is a highly versatile text, hence, provides umpteen opportunities to the scholars for exploring the nature of human communication. Also, the text allows us to understand and perceive the patterns of communication which is beyond the limitations of definitions. The investigation of Nāṭyaśāstra in the form of this research article provides many new insights for understanding verbal as well as non-verbal communication that may help in establishing the Indian as well as Asian parameters in the discipline of communication. Systematic and chapter-wise explanation in this article not only interprets the text of this classical book in easy-to-grasp language but also enlightens its readers with the communication perspectives present in this treatise.

2015

Natya or theatre is an ancient practice of entertainment in India. Surviving texts and treatises suggest that theatre existed in the Indian subcontinent prior to the vedic age. Both Gods and human beings were said to be connoisseurs of art. The golden period of Indian theatre, mostly in Sanskrit, is said to have lasted until the 5th centuryAD, soon after which the flow of Sanskrit drama waned 1. In spite of dramatic literature receding, performance traditions thrived through dancers, musicians, singers, and storytellers. The basic aesthetics of dramaturgy survived, morphed into various variants, through the traditional folk and classical forms. Paul Kurtz 2 suggests that the Rig Veda gives evidence that dramatic theatre in India came into being around the eighth century B.C. According to Kurtz, the Jataka stories illustrating Indian life between 600 B.C. and 300 B.C. contain evidences of theatre. Like its Greek counterpart Indian drama and theatre owes its origin to religion. The two great Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata have contributed vastly to performing arts in ancient times. Kurtz observes that, like the cult of Dionysus, Vedic religion also held the seeds of dramatic theatre in India. In the fourth century B.C, actors were employed to perform at temples in the honour of Gods. Also, some villages exhibited public performances in the form of Stree Preksha (women's drama) and Purusha Preksha (men's drama) (66). The Natyshastra of Bharata Muni brings out the evidence of theatre arts at festivals and public celebrations during the Maurya Dynasty, founded by King Chandragupta (reigned 321 B.C-297 B.C). The Maurya Dynasty ruled India for a long period. During this period, kings sent Buddhist missionaries to various places like Ceylon,

2015

This thesis tests a newly developed model based on the Natyashastra, an Indian treatise on performing arts, and uses this for theatrical analysis in the contexts of British Asian theatre productions and contemporary Indian theatre in English. The study offers a tool that can provide an alternative model of analysis. By extending the existing analytical models, we can ask questions concerning the actors' emotional manifestation and their mental state while acting. This thesis attempts to interpret the actors' gestures and provides a structure to analyse them. In order to do that, this project uses the Natyashastra and rasa/bhava concepts as performance analysis tools, which might provide an alternate perspective to theatre analysis. The thesis reviews existing models of theatrical analysis and argues for an alternative model in Chapter One. It examines the analysis of theatre productions by scholars of British Asian theatre and contemporary Indian theatre in English in Chapter Two. Here, I review the ways in which scholars of British South Asian theatre have examined theatrical productions so far. Chapter Three tests the proposed model on four theatre productions, illustrating the ways in which theatre productions could be analysed, and identifies the model's limitations and advantages. Chapter Four discusses findings in the light of the results analysed in Chapter Three; it also outlines some questions which needs further investigation. By doing so, this thesis contributes to the field of performance analysis and theatre studies by developing strong links between the manifestation of the actors' bodymind, the directors' reception after their first reading of a play's text, and playwrights' initial emotions within the text, through production analysis. 9 A term coined by Zarrilli, which I will discuss later in the due course. 10 Prague School of Linguistics introduced semiotic theory to theatre and performance, see Jindrich Honzl's 'Dynamics of the Sign in the Theatre' and Jiri Veltrusky's 'Dramatic Text as a Component of Theatre. Chapter One: Existing Models of Theatre Analysis, the Natyashastra, and a Proposed Model Chapter Five, 'Preliminaries of a Play', deals with the concept of purvaranga (prologue), comprising dance compositions and song recitations to please gods and demons. The sutradhara (stage manager) adores Brahma 29 with dhurva songs, and in doing do announces the subject of the drama, sets the tone for the opening scene, and serves as a bridge between the audience and the world of the play. Chapters Six, 'Sentiments', and Seven, 'The Emotional and Other States', examine the fundamental emotional concepts and aesthetics of rasabhava. These two chapters are discussed separately later in this section. Chapters Eight, Nine, and Ten codify body language and hand gestures, while Chapters Eleven to Fourteen address movement and steps. Bharata provides an extensive repertoire of sitting postures and steps to suit gender, character, occasion, mood, and dramatic situation (Ibid., p. 68). Chapters Fifteen, Sixteen, and Nineteen set out the rules of prosody, metrical patterns, modes of address and intonation, respectively. Chapters Seventeen, Twenty, and Twenty-seven identify the marks of a good play, genres of plays, and success of plays in dramatic productions. Chapter Eighteen focuses on the rules for use of language, and the subject of chapter twenty-one is plot (see Table 44). Chapter Twenty-two addresses the different Vrtti (styles). Chapters Twenty-three and Twenty-four address the aharyaabhinaya 30 , and refer to the use of make-up, costume/adornment for males and females, property, masks, minimal set design, and special representation such as seasons, forest and animals. Chapter Twenty-five focuses on different kinds of representation, temperament, and emotions represented in different ways. Chapter Twenty-six describes dealing with courtesans (dancers in courts). Chapters Twenty-seven to Thirty-three deal with music, musical instruments, rhythm and metrical cycles, and the qualities, origins, and nature of songs. Bharata argues, "That which cannot be expressed through speech should not be expressed through song" (Bharata, 1950, p. 147). 29 According to the Hindu religion, Brahma is the Creator of the Universe, depicted as sitting on a lotus. 30 Literal translation acting with decorated body and stage and I will explain further in the due course.

The Vedic Path:Quarterly Journal of Vedic Indological & Scientific Research, 2019

The Natyashastra of Bharatamuni is an encyclopedic treatise on performing arts which has influenced dance, music and literary traditions in India. It is a vast treatise consisting of about six thousand poetic verses divided into thirty-six chapters. The only surviving commentary on the text is Abhinavabharati of eleventh century philosopher Abhinavagupta. The goal of performing arts, according to Natyashastra is ultimately to let the audience experience their own consciousness, then evaluate and feel the spiritual values innate in them, and rise to a higher level of consciousness. The present article discusses Bharata and Abhinavagupta’s vision regarding the audience of theatre. It goes into the discussion of various categories of audience and elaborates the structure of this differentiation. The second part of this article deals with Abhinavagupta’s idea regarding the audience of theatre. It elaborates the significance of a theatrical performance while considering the requirement of a receptive and connoisseur audience. Eventually, the article attempts to examine the logic behind this difference of opinion between two of the greatest thinkers of Indian tradition.

India has the longest and the richest tradition in drama. The origin of Indian drama can be traced back to the Vedic Period. As a manifestation of our national sensibility Indian drama came into existence as a means of exploring and communicating the truth of things and was popularly known as the "Fifth Veda." During the age of the Vedic Aryans, drama was performed in a simple way. Different episodes from the Ramayana, the Mahabharta, and the Bhagavad-Gita were enacted out in front of people. Such type of performance is still very popular in India during the time of 'dussehra.' Bharata's Natyashastra in Sanskrit is the most pioneering work on Indian dance and drama. It discusses deftly all major aspects of drama, namely stage-setting, music, plot construction, characterization, dialogue and acting. Sanskrit drama flourished in its glory till the fifteenth century but thereafter Indian drama activity almost came to an end due to certain invasion on India. When Britishers came in India, the crippled Indian drama regained its strength. Thus, the western impact awakened Indian drama. However, K.R.Srinivasa Iyengar writes: Western education was as yet carrying all before it. It was the 'open sesame' to knowledge, freedom, power; it cut the old bonds of convention and tradition; it let in light into the old dark rooms of an obscurantist faith; and it made a new world and a new life possible for its beneficiaries.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR INNOVATIVE RESEARCH IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY FIELD, 2021

There is a saying about the Mahabharata-"yanna bharate tanna bharate" (Tripathi 86) which means this great epic contains everything encompassed by this vast country i.e Bharata (India). With a slight variation, the same can be applied to the Natyashastra of Bharatmuni. The Natyashastra encompasses everything that sustains and nourishes the Indian tradition of art and aesthetics. Bharatmuni is the Vyas of Indian theatric universe. The term Natya in Sanskrit refers to the art of drama and practice of theatre. Natyashastra, literally means a discourse on the discipline of Natya. It is the codification of a tradition in practise well before its time. It is composed in verse form and comprises around 6000 stanzas in 36 chapters.

Life is a long journey of our emotions, sentiments, happiness and grief. Our life hangs between love and joy on one hand and sorrow and pathos on the other. Modern Indian theatre is the real voice of mankind. It comprises not only art, literature, music and dance but also reflects our day to day life. If has a rich treatise since 2000 BC to the 4 th century A.D. the great playwright Bharat Muni pioneered the concept in his writing " Natyashastra ". India has the rich honour to give this treatise to the world. According to the historians Oscar Brockett and Franklin Hildy – " In a theatre rituals typically include elements that entertain or give pleasures, such as costumes and masks as well as skilled performers. As societies grew more complex, these spectacular elements began to be acted out under non-ritualistic conditions. As this occured the first step towards theatre as an autonomous activity were being taken. " (1) All the above said elements are keys to modern Indian theatre. It can easily be traced back to the religions and ritualism of the Aryans. From epic theatre (stories of the Ramayan and the Mahabharat) to the theatre of modern era it is a rich saga of a journey of modern Indian drama and theatre. The earliest form of Indian theatre was the Sanskrit theatre. (2) It gave a divine origin to the Indian theatre contributing it to the Natyaveda created by Lord Brahma. It emerged sometimes between 2 nd century BC and the I century AD and flourished between the I century and the 10 th , which was a period of relative peace in the history of India during with hundreds of plays were written. (03) According to the legends after defeating demons the gods performed their victory in dramatic art. Our rich ancient culture with multi-religions and rituals along with

Journal of Arts, 2023

This paper intends to explore the impact of the classical Indian dramaturgy over the making of early Hindi Cinema, with special reference to Bharata's Nāṭyaśāstra and a 10 th-century treatise on dramaturgy Daśarūpakam by Dhanaṁjaya. Dhanaṁjaya's book primarily takes Bharata's ideals forth by adding his own ideas to the concepts proposed in the Nāṭyaśāstra. However, the conceptions postulated in these two treatises formed the very foundation of Indian drama (Nātya) irrespective of genre and time. The journey of dramatic performance to the silver screen is basically from the stage; therefore, the notions which ran through the self of drama were apparently present in the whole being of Hindi Cinema. The rules propounded in the texts mentioned above governed the crucial features of the dramatic representation, which travelling through theatre reached the celluloid world, preparing the ground for the success as well as the failure of the Hindi cinema. Thus, this paper, evaluating the positive and negative aspects of the concepts of classical dramatic art that influenced Hindi cinema the most, concludes by putting forth the relation of the conceptions of classical dramatic art with the dramaturgy of early Hindi Cinema.

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