15. The Rasa Dance

THE RASA DANCE - 104 The The Puranas like the Vismu Purana Bhagavata Purana, Brahmavaivarta Purana and the Harivamsha do not provide us euch echnical details about Indian Classical Dance but they describe the famous Rasa Dance of Srikrana. The earliest mention of the Rasa Dance is found in the Harivamsha. Visnu Purana gives many details; but it is very elaborately described in the Bhagavata Purana. The five chapters viz. 29-33 of the tenth Book of the Bhagavata Purana are known as the 'Rasapancadhyayi'. This is one of the principal incidents in the life of rsna on which innumerable poets of India have exhausted their skill and ingenuity. This has been recorded in several Puranas. The Rasa dance is danced by men and women, holding each others' hands and going round in a circle, singing the appropriate songs to which they dance. The basic word in the 'Rasa' is the Rasa (Sentiment). In this celestial dance only ons Rasa Srigara manifests itself into many other Rasas. The first reference to this Rasa dance is found in the Harivamsha by the name of HallIsaka. It is a circular dance formation. Banabhatta in his Harsacarita referred to the 'Mandalinrtys' or Rasa. Hallisaka is also a 'Mandal Inrtya'. In this HallIsaka, Krsna dances in the circle of Gopis. King Bhoja in his Sarasvati-Kanthabharana has described the dance of Srikrsna and Gopis in the HallIsaka. 39 In the Rasa dance eight, sixteen or thirtytwo persons

- 105 - dance in a circle, interlocking their hands or clapping each other's hands rhythmically. It is also called a 'Pindibandha'. Circular dance formation, interlocking the hands or clapping and the singing seems the essential features of the Rasa dance. Soft speeches and gentle looks (brubhanga viksita) also contribute in the effect of the dance. Different types of circle formations are mentioned in the Puranas. The type of Rasa described in the Bhagavata Purana is not a circle of women around one man as mentioned in the Harivamsha. But it is the mandala formed with one man and one woman (one Gopi and one Krsna.) It is mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana that Krsna multiplies himself and stands between two women. This suggests the mandala of couples. Except the Harivalsa, the other Puranas describe the beauty of Nature as the background of this Rasa Dance. 40 The Bhagavata Purana describes the Rasa dance very elaborately. "That night beautified by the autumnal moon, set in. The almighty Lord having seen the night rendered delightful with the blooming of autumnal jasmines, made up his mind to hold sport as promised with the Gopis. In that moonlight Arsna melodiously played songs on his flute to captivate the hearts of the Gopls. Having heard that music capable of exciting desire, they hastened to the place of Krsna. Every one of those damsels considered herself the best of all women and was thus elated with pride. Beholding that, Krsna instantly disappeared from that place. The Gopis suffered the pangs of

- 106 separation and search for Krsna. They prayed for Krsna's return. Krana appeared and began his famous Rasa dance with the Gopis who were greatly delighted and stood holding one another by the hand. Then having stationed himself between every two of these damsels, Krsna, the Lord of all Yoga, commenced in that circle of the Gopis the festive dance known as Rasalila. 41 Then that ring of dancers was filled with the sounds of bracelets, bangles and the linkinis of the damsels. To an appropriate song, the Gopis gesticulate with their hands to express various sentiments." In the subsequent description we get the suggestion of Abhinaya. "With their measured steps, with the movements of their hands, with their smile, with the graceful and amorous contraction of their eyebrows, with their dancing bodies, their moving locks of hair covering their foreheads with drops of perspiration trickling down their face and with the knots of their hair loosened, Gopis began to sing. The music of their song filled the universe." Dr. Kapila Vatsyayana observes that the most direct descendants of the REsa dances described in the Puranas are the Rasa dances from Manipura. The Maharasa in Manipur till today is danced to the verses of the Bhagavata. 42 The Visnu Purana, book 5, chapter 13 describes an elaborate Rasa dance of Srikrana with Gopis and their imitation and love of him. moon, Arsna observing the clear sky bright with the autumnal and the air perfumed with the fragrance of the wild

107 water-lily, in whose buds the clustering bees were murmuring their songs, felt inclined to join with the Gopis in sport. Accordingly he and Rama commenced singing sweet low strains in various measures. As soon as the Gopis heard the melody gathered there..... Many of the Gopis imitated the different actions of arsna. As each of the Gopis, however attempted to keep in one place, close to the side of Krsna, the circle of the dance could not be constructed and he therefore took each by the hand and when their eyelids were shut by the effects of ,,43 such a touch, the circle was formed." This statement is made clear by the commentator. In the words of Wilson, "Krsna, it is said in order to form the circle, takes each damsel by the hand and leads her to her place. There he quits her : but the effect of the contact is such that it deprives her of the power of perception and she contentendly takes the hand of her female neighbour thinking it to be Krena's." Brahmavaivarta Purana, Sriranajanmakhanda, chapter 17, verses 163-176, describes the Rasa dance. But the Rasamandala described in this Purana is not the usual circular dance formation but a circular space. It is surrounded by jewelled wall. There are beautiful gardans on all its sides. The beaded lamps and the golden pitchers have enhanced the beauty of the Rasamandala. Here we find the artificial decoration for the dance. This Rasamandala is also called the Rasasthala. Krsna danced in the centre of the Rasamandala with his

- 108 favourite kadha. At the Rasamandala of Brahmavaivarta, Radha is accompanied by thirtysix of her most chosen friends amongst the Gopis, but they are each attended by thousands of inferior persons and none of them is left without male multiple of Krena. The only mysticism hinted at is that they are all one with Krsna. Arana sang the strain that was appropriate to the dance. When Krsna led, the CopIs followed him when he returned, they encountered him, and whether he went forward or backward they ever attended on his steps. In the incident of killing the snake Kaliya (Brahmavaivarta, V. 7. 45-46) Krsna danced wonderfully on Aaliya's head. Here the expressions are 'Krsnasya Recakaih' and 'Dandapatanipatena'. Recake and Dandapata are said to be different dispositions of the feet in dancing, variations of the 'bhrama' or pirouette; the latter is the descent. It is also read 'Dandapadanipata', the falling of the feet, like that of a club. The Harivamsha is supposed to be a rich source of dance and drama. The term 'HallIsaka' is specially used in the Harivamsha for the performance of a Rasa dance of Srikrisna which is elaborately described. The other Vaisnava Puranas do not use this word HallIsaka for the 'Rasakrida' of Srikrsna with the Gopis of Vindavana. The life of Srikrsna is minutely described in the Harivamsha and the 'Rasa' is the important aspect of it. It is the mixed entertainment of singing and

- 100 - 44 dancing. Nilakantha in his commentary explains the term Rasa as the Krida of one man with many women. And according to Nilakantha HallIsaka is the circular dance formation of Gopis. 45 The Rasa dance is accompanied by the musical recital of Krana carita. Krsna resides among the circle of Gopis. The circle formation is the main feature of Rasa dance. This circle can be of two types. In the first type the women only join the hands with each other and in the second type men and women in couples form a circle. The spiritual aspect of the Rasa in the Vaisnva Puranas appears briefly in a primary stage in the Harivamsha. We do not get the description of nature on the occasion of the Rasakrida in the Harivamsha which is common in the Vaisnava Puranas. Laya and tala play an important role and instrumental music and vocal music are an integral part of this Rasa dance. The Chalikya Gandharva is described only by the Harivamsha. It is the musical performance accompanied by the various musical instruments and also adorned with acting or gesticulations as in the Nrtya. This typical music produces wonderful effect. There is a reference of the 'Chalika' drama in the Malavikagnimitra of Kalidasa. Here the nature of this drama is the dance and acting (Abhinayapurna Nrtya)." The Chalikya 46

- 110 is regarded as the favourite composition of music and opera of the Yadavas in the Harivamsha. The Yadavas are often described as artists and Narada joins with his vina on which he plays different ragas. Here we find a description of the acting of Narada with various gestures in the Chalikya Krida of Arsna and Yadavas. The Apsaras join in with Nrtya and Abhinaya. Krsna organizes a party of dancers and actors. Pradyumna, Samba and Gada with other Yadavas enter the city Vajrapur. Nata by his dance entertained the citizens. Pradyumna leads this party with special performance of nata Bhadra. They acted some episodes in the Ramayana and a drama named as 'Rambhabhisara Kaubera'. The phrase 'Natakan nanrtuh' This drama 47 is used for the demonstration of this drama. seems to be a combination of dance and acting. At the end of this drama we find a mention that the demons were pleased by the 'Padoddhara, Abhinaya and Nrtya'. These are the dance dramas. 48 In the Harivamsha the root Nrt is used for the acting in the drama. The derivation of the word Nata implies that Nata should be an actor as well as a dancer. Drama was regarded as the combination of Nrtya and Abhinaya.