Research Methodology

The methodology followed in this research is descriptive versus analytical. A survey is made on almost all the Sanskrit texts on nāṭya from 2nd century to the 19th century. After noting the gati and its relative elements in various texts, it is analysed and described. The evolution of gati during various centuries is understood from all these texts. After this the practical aspects of gati is observed from the prevailing forms of theatre.

1. Scope and limitations

The gatipracāra chapter of the Nāṭyaśāstra is very much appealing because the prayoga of nṛtta and abhinaya elements given in the Nāṭyaśāstra can be related to gati. This research will be explaining gati and will clarify how to present these gaits on stage with the help of cāris (leg movements), maṇḍalas (combination of cāris) and karaṇas (correlated movements of hands and legs). With the explanation of cāri and karaṇa given in the Nāṭyaśāstra and Saṅgītaratnākara, this research correlates the movements seen as gati. Thus, the prayoga of a cāri, maṇḍala or a karaṇa is in gati, the gait of the character. Bharata’s Nāṭyaśāstra has given a detailed description of gati, Abhinavabhāratī and Saṅgītaratnākara has explained the uses of karaṇas based on gatis. So, gati is explained based on these texts along with the performance description in Sanskrit dramas of famous authors like Bhāsa, Kālidāsa, and others. Thus, the gait of the actors becomes more stylized and beautiful in drama and dance.

Bharata has kept the topic of gati to the choreographer’s imaginations. The concept of gati has to encompass many of the aspects of āṅgika and sāttvika in it. So it is for the director of the play to collect the details spread in various chapters of the work and align it to the gait of the character. For eg. the bhāva aspects are explained in the seventh chapter; the eye movements according to rasa are given in eighth chapter; the hand gesture and the body movement for an action is given in ninth; the cāris or leg movements in tenth; maṇḍalas or fighting sequences in eleventh; karaṇa or the dance element of the whole body in fourth; and so on. All these aspects are to be brought together in the gait of a character. Therefore, there is a wide scope for improvisation and imagination. At the same time, it should hold good with the literary aspect described by the poet, as Bharata says that everything depends upon vācika or the words.^[1] These gaits can be performed accordingly in lokadharmī (realistic mode), by the actors. However, when dancers move around on stage portraying different characters they can perform these gaits in nāṭyadharmī (stylistic mode). Abhinavagupta, in his commentary for the Nāṭyaśāstra says that karaṇas can be used for gaits. He also adds, gati is not only the movement of the legs but the upper part of the body also, hands and face plays an important role in exhibiting the gati.^[2]

Thus, the aṅgas and upāṅgas are integral part of gati. Consequently, gati can be explained as an action of the whole body. These can be performed only after having a basic knowledge of the chapters based on āṅgika abhinaya. Hence, this research is done on the movements of gatis, based on cāris and karaṇas given in Nāṭyaśāstra, with explanations and viniyogas from Abhinavabhārati and Saṃgītaratnākara. Therefore, the cāri, karaṇa, mukhaja abhinaya, hasta and pāda karma which are to be used for a particular kind of gati can be well understood.

2. Research Problem

The Sanskrit dramas are said to have been in vogue until the 10th to 12th century. There are references to many literary and technical aspects of rūpaka or nāṭaka in its written commentaries. The commentators have not explained as how the gati was performed by the actors. Some of them like, Raghavabhatta, have elaborated on aspects of āṅgika abhinaya such as hastas, but not on cāri, karaṇa and gati. Though the visual aspects of Sanskrit dramas has not been recorded or written and saved, we have some architectural and sculptural sources taken from the temples, which give us the technical details of drama and dance elements seen in the Nāṭyaśāstra and other works. Inspired by the Nāṭyaśāstra the authors of drśya and śravya kāvyas have also described the variety of gaits through their works in a very stylized and beautiful manner. These have been the source of motivation for performers depicting the characters with their original movement and grandeur.

As the performance of Sanskrit dramas has been declined, it is difficult to prove how these gatis were performed in dramas originally. But traces of elements of gatis are found in many regional dramatic and dance forms like Bharatanāṭyam, Terukkūthu, Bhāgavatamela, Yakṣagāna, Kūdiāṭṭam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Chau, Āṅkianāt, Rāslīlā, and so on. However, the actual movements of gati as described in the Nāṭyaśāstra are not in vogue in the drama and dance forms nowadays. Depicting the gatis in performance of nāṭya adds to the visual beauty.

3. Aims and Objectives

Gatipracāra, the chapter on āṅgika abhinaya seems to be one of the prayoga of karaṇas in nāṭya. This research deals about the uses and presentation of karaṇas for the character’s gait in drama and dance. Moreover, the research will be concentrating on the aspects of gati and the dramatic performance based on gatis with examples from Sanskrit kāvyas. The aim of this research is to restructure the gatis. The tāṇḍava lakṣana and gatipracāra chapters of the Nāṭyaśāstra, the explanations from the commentary of Abhinavabhārati and Saṃgītaratnākara, the references from sculptures and the reconstruction of cāris and karaṇas by Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam are taken as the source for this research and thus, the performance of gati in nāṭya is explained vividly. This research is to establish the usage of gati and to propogate its riches through nṛtyanāṭakas.

4. Justification and likely benefits

Knowledge of the Nāṭyaśāstra is essential for the practical presentation of gatis. No other text has such a wide variety of āṅgika abhinaya. The concept of enacting the stories, which still prevails in Bharatanāṭyam and Nāṭṭiya-nāṭakam performances, can be performed effectively by studying the Nāṭyaśāstra and learning the gati pracāra movements. Though there are numerous works on the performance of Sanskrit drama, the practice of gatis are not explained.

Bharata has said in the Nāṭyaśāstra that the karaṇas can be used in various gatis and Abhinavagupta has added in his commentary that particular karaṇas can be used for a particular gati, but he has not enlisted the names of karaṇas for gatis in the gati chapter. This research tries to correlate the cāris, karaṇas and gatis. It is difficult to prove that the gaits were practiced in dramas, as there are no references in the commentaries about this. However, through the relevance between the terms used in dramas such as ‘rūpayati, nāṭayati, and so on’ we can infer that these were performed. The holistic knowledge of the Nāṭyaśāstra both lakṣaṇa and prayoga will be of great help in completing this research. Therefore, the Sanskrit dance dramas can be performed including elements of gati as in Nāṭyaśāstra.

5. Hypothesis

Gati should have been an integral part of Sanskrit drama and it continues to be in the prevailing regional art forms. Nāṭya gati is considered important in theatre presentations such as dance dramas and nṛtta and nṛtya gati is more seen in dance forms. Though the concept of gati has taken different forms and the technical terms connected with the performances of the regional styles are given different names, gati still prevails in practice of deśī forms. Gati is based on rhythm and it happens to be the cause for rasotpatti.

Thus, gati is the form of energy.

gatimaṇḍalavaicitryamāsūtrayati yā sadā |
tathā nediṣṭanirmātrī śaktiṃvande maheśituḥ ||
svalpe'pi pāṭhye na tyajyaḥ ko'dhyāyo mayā yataḥ |
vibhoviśvātmanaḥ stotraṃ mukhyamanyatprasaṅgataḥ ||^[3]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Nāṭyaśāstra: Parimal Publications. XIV.3.

[2]:

Nāṭyaśāstra: Parimal Publications. XII.com.p.94.

[3]:

Nāṭyaśāstra Com. Abhinava-bhāratī XI.p.86.