1. Paper Name : LITERARY THEORY AND CRITICISM
Presentation Topic: Introduction of Natyashastra
Sem : 2
Name: Solanki Pintu V
Roll No : 31
Enrollment No: PG15101037
Email: solankipintu1991@gmail.com
Submitted to :
M.K.BHAVNAGAR UNIVERSUTY
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
2. How Natyashastra came into
existence
Natya, the art of theatre (including
dance), was the work of God Brahma,
the creator, who was asked to give
mankind a fifth Veda, which, unlike the
four earlier Vedas, could be understood
by everyone, even those who did not
know Sanskrit.
Thus Brahma created the Natya
Veda, with the assistance of other gods.
3. Bharata and his Natyashastra
Natya was then taught by God Brahma to the
mythic sage Bharata, who is said to have recorded
this teaching in the Natyashastra.
The origin of the book is thus shrouded in
mythology, but the work itself is indeed living reality.
The Natyashastra is probably the world’s largest
and most comprehensive theatre and dance manual,
and it still forms the foundation of the classical forms
of theatre and dance in India.
4. Natyashastra’s 36 chapters give instructions on almost
all aspects of theatre and dance:
The theatre building,
The stage,
The theory of poetry,
The use of the voice,
Make-up,
Costume,
Acting styles,
Dance techniques,
and even theatre criticism.
5. The Natyashastra introduced the theory of bhava and
rasa, so central to Indian aesthetics.
It had a profound effect on most of the traditional art
forms of India.
Bhava means an emotional state or mood, portrayed by
the dancer-actor.
Rasa, “taste” or “essence”, refers to the sentiment
that the bhava, manifested by the actor, should evoke in
the audience.
The rasas were originally eight in number, but the post-
Natyashastra tradition added a ninth one.
The Theory of Rasa
6. 1. The Erotic (SHRINGARA ),
2. The Comic (HASYA),
3. The Pathetic (KARUNYA),
4. The Furious (RAUDRA),
5. The Heroic (VEERA),
6. The Terrible
(BHAYANAKA),
7. The Odious (BEEBHATSA),
8. The Marvelous
(ADBHUTA) and
9. The Tranquil (SHANTA).
Nava Rasa (the nine moods)
7. Abhinaya, the Physical Storytelling
The whole complicated process of
conveying the rasa through the natya
technique is crystallized in the
famous dictum:
Where the hand goes, eyes
follow.
Where the eye goes, there the
mood follows.
Where the mind goes, there
arises the sentiment.
The Construction of Rasa
8. If all goes well, the spectator then receives
these various signals, which awake the
particular sentiment in question in his or her
mind.
However, not everyone is able to experience
it.
In order to be able to recognize or receive
the rasa, or the“essence”, the spectator
should be a sensitive and cultivated person, a
rasika.
9. Body Language and its Sub-techniques
The classical Indian dance technique
described in the Natyashastra is one of
the most detailed and complex in the
world.
It includes 108 karanas or basic dance
units,
four ways of standing,
32 movements of the feet and hips,
nine neck movements,
seven movements for eyebrows,
36 types of gaze,
and symbolic hand gestures,
24 for one hand and 13 for both hands
etc.
10. The Textual Level
Bharata points out that the word or text is the basis
of theatre.
The Natyashastra thus gives much space to the
construction of a play.
The Natyashastra gives four different styles of natya
or stylized acting:
(1) the graceful,
(2) the energetic,
(3) the grand,
(4) the verbal.
The last one is probably is the nearest equivalent to
Western spoken theatre.
11. Mudras, Symbolic Hand Gestures
The use of mudra (also hasta), the
symbolic hand gestures, is especially
characteristic of Indian dance and
theatrical expression.
The mudras most probably developed
from the magic gestures of the ancient
Veda rituals.
In Indian theatre and dance, various
combinations of mudras permit the
dancer-actor to express himself or
herself with distinct and nuanced
language of gestures.
12. The Actor’s Tools
According to the Natyashastra the actor has
four principal “toolboxes” to aid the
acting process.
1. aharya or costumes and make-up
2. vacika or spoken or sung words,
3. angika or the various aspects of the
actual body language, and
4. sattvika or the expression of inner
emotions.
