Gati in works on Nāṭya

Many writers in dramaturgy have dealt with gati in different ways. Though Bharata is considered the earliest writer on dramaturgy, it is surprising to know that no one has followed his way in describing the gaits, except Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa. Bharata elucidates the chapter on gati in a very elaborate manner, but some later scholars gave a different approach to the subject, though they follow him in other aspects of āṅgika abhinaya. Works on dance like Abhinayadarpaṇa just mention the gati as the gait of various animals and birds. Saṅgītaratnākara, which faithfully follows Bharata and even adds some deśī aspects of dance elements such as cāris and karaṇas, has not dealt with the aspect of gati in a separate topic. However, the viniyogas of karaṇas in the performance of the gait of various bhāvas, rasas, locales and situations are explained by Śārṅgadeva. The works on drama, such as Daśarūpaka and Nāṭyadarpaṇa, does not mention about gati. Saṅgītamakaranda has a manuscript, which deals with gaits.

Bālarāma Varma in his Bālarāma Bharata does not include the topic of gati but he defines gati in a stanza, which says:

vinayollāsa bhāvābhyāmaṅgavinyāsa pūrvakam |
tālānukaraṇaṃ kṛtvā gamane gatirucyate ||

Thus, he feels that the expression of the song performed followed by the rhythm and movement is gati. He also adds

vivartitagatau nāṭyepyatikrāntagatāvapi |
gajavad gamane cāpagatau ca viniyujyate ||^[1]

It is interesting to note that the importance of gati as in the Nāṭyaśāstra is neither thought-out by the works on drama nor works on dance which came after the Nāṭyaśāstra. An evolution has taken place and the concept of gati has taken a different form. However, Bharata’s demarcation seems to be unique and very useful to the theatre artists, the dancers and the actors.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Bālarāma-bharata 8, 9.