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
37 (of 56)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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the mental states other than those normaly assosciated with the character types: eg, the court jester (vidūṣaka) shown as behaving like the king, the queen speaking Sanskrit ( राज्ञ्या� संस्कृतम� ). सर्वालङ्कारसंयुक्त� [rājñyā� saṃskṛtam ). sarvālaṅkārasaṃyukta� ] = enunciating speeches with special intonation and use of language full of rhetorical ornaments (Abhi. Bha) or rendering dialogues and lyrics (ч) in a singing manner, in terms of musical notes (:) and musical phrases (RT). But in either sense, there is a deviation from the normal modes of speech. Other illustrations of theatrical practice cited are: males performing female roles and vice versa. The same person playing more than one role successively in the course of the same play; presenting abstract concepts in a corporeal form ( मूर्तिमत�), [ūپ), ] eg . तत� प्रविशति ब्रह्मशापः ( [tata� praviśati brahmaśāpa� (] 'Then enters the curse of Brahman / Brāhmaṇa'); hill, aerial vehicles, shield, weapons, the flag-mast made to appear on the stage in human form, when one does not hear words spoken in proximity and hears words that are not spoken, or hears voices from the sky (); or when a woman with whom marital relation is fobidden in actual life is made to play the role of a woman with whom such a relation is permitted in the story, or the reverse, eg. father and daughter enacting 'Siva and Parvati' or wife and husband enacting father and daughter; when one walks with graceful dance movements and rhythmic steps, or walks as if he is dancing, (T or generally when ordinary human nature is represented by special gestures, Natyadharmi is the style employed. Zonal division on 69
