Gati in Theory and Practice

by Dr. Sujatha Mohan | 2015 | 88,445 words

This page relates ‘Gati in Natyashastra with explanations from Abhinavabharati’ of the study on the Theory and Practice of Gati (“gait”) which refers to the “movement of a character on the stage”, commonly employed (as a Sanskrit technical term) in ancient Indian Theatrics and the Dramatic arts, also known as Natya-shastra. This thesis explores the history and evolution of Gati and also investigates how the various Gatis are employed in regional performance traditions.

Gati in Nāṭyaśāstra with explanations from Abhinavabhāratī

Bharata in the Nāṭyaśāstra has written a chapter on gatipracāra. This comes as the final chapter on āṅgika abhinaya. He deals with its varieties in an exhaustive manner, nearly twenty categories though he does not number them. Abhinavagupta, the author of Abhinavabhāratī, has explained it skillfully. Without his work, it would be very difficult to understand the nuances of the Nāṭyaśāstra.

Bharata gives various gaits to be followed by various types of characters, in different situations, portraying the nature, for enhancing various sentiments and for many other subjects. These can be performed only after having a basic knowledge of the chapters based on āṅgika abhinaya, which relates to the basic exercises of the movement of aṅgas and upāṅgas.

  1. Gaits for types of characters.
  2. Gaits according to theater.
  3. Gaits pertaining to conditions.
  4. Gaits as per the situations.
  5. Gaits relevant for sentiments.
  6. Gait of merchants and ministers.
  7. Gait of ascetics and Buddhist.
  8. Gait in darkness and vehicles.
  9. Gait in aerial sphere.
  10. Gait in ascending palace.
  11. Gait in river.
  12. Gait of an elephant rider.
  13. Gait of a horse rider.
  14. Gait of serpents.
  15. Gait of intoxicated persons.
  16. Gait of lunatic persons.
  17. Gait of lame, cripple and dwarf.
  18. Gait of Viduṣaka.
  19. Gait of low characters.
  20. Gait of animals and birds.

These gaits explained by Bharata in the Nāṭyaśāstra can be brought under five broad classifications.

  1. Gaits according to theater.
  2. Gaits for types of characters.
  3. Gaits relevant to sentiments.
  4. Gaits pertaining to circumstances.
  5. Gaits of animals and birds.

These gaits can be performed accordingly by the actors when they move around on stage portraying different characters. Bharata, in tāṇḍava lakṣaṇa-the fourth chapter of the Nāṭyaśāstra, has defined the karaṇas (combined movements of hands and legs) and in eleventh chapter the cārīs (movements of legs). He states the karaṇas and cārīs can be used for depicting the gati in dramas (nāṭya), but is not mentioned in the chapters of the karaṇa, cārī or in the gati about which cārī or karaṇa is to be used for the relevant gati. Abhinavagupta has explained all the cāris and karaṇas elaborately and has suggestions for the uses of the karaṇas in a particular gati. However, he has not elaborated about the uses of karaṇas in the gati chapter.

Bharata has enumerated a variety of gaits, which gives ample scope for the dancer and dramatist. The researcher feels that as these cārīs and karaṇas are given under nṛtta varieties, which can be used for portraying the gait in a dance drama. During Bharata’s period, nṛtta (dance) was a component of nāṭya (drama). However, now as drama has taken a separate form, these gaits given by Bharata can be performed in nāṭyadharmī -stylized way of using the cārīs and karaṇas. Moreover, a particular gait can be performed with one or more cārīs or karaṇas.

Therefore, gati can be performed through ceṣṭākṛta -actions or movements of the whole body, or cārīs-thirty-two specified movements of the legs, or maṇḍalas (combination of cārīs) -twenty specified movements of the legs used in fighting sequences or karaṇas-hundred and eight specified movements of the body or aṅgahāras -thirty-two combined movements of karaṇas either in drama or in dance.

Bharata says,

After the upavahana, instrumental music is played and the dhruvā song, appropriate to the place and sentiment, is sung. Then the curtain is removed and to the accompaniment of music, the characters enter exhibiting the theme and sentiments of the play.

tatropavahanaṃ kṛtvā bhāṇḍavādyapuraskṛtam |
yathāmārgarasopetaṃ prakṛtīnāṃ praveśane |
dhruvāyāṃ saṃprayuktāyāṃ paṭe chaivāpakarṣite |
kāryaḥ praveśaḥ pātrāṇāṃ nānārtharasasambhavaḥ ||[1]

Abhinavagupta explains thus:

“After upavahana—the humming of the tune, gati can be understood just with music.

tatrāpraviṣṭasya kā gatiriti prayogopakramaṃ sūcayati tatropavahanamiti |[2]

Upavahana is one of the components of the pūrvaraṅga, procedure in which the singers start humming the musical notes of the song.

upavahanamiti pāṭhe upohyate svaro yasmāttattūpavahanaṃ smṛtam'ityukta lakṣaṇaṃ pūrvagānam |[3]

After this the instrumental music is played in order to enhance the entry of the character. Gati thus introduces the sthāyī bhāva to the audience and intensifies the rasa. Gati, which is aṅgavikṣepa, transforms to aṅga abhinaya when the character is introduced. Dhruva songs describe the place, garden and characters, naṭī will enter, sing the season and call the character to the stage. Gati is thus used for entrance and actions on stage. Character should enter with a perfect sthāna, dṛṣṭi and mukharāga.[4]

Audience should understand the character and the rasa immediately. These sthānas are stances of the body from which the gati originates. The dṛṣṭi and mukharāga refers to eye and the mukhaja abhinaya or facial movements of the actor. Praveśa dhruva is sung along with puṣkaravādya when a character enters the stage. Praveśa or entry of a person cannot be done without the music and song. The full impact of music is got by gati and thus music is taken to audience by the exact gati and vice versa.

Hence, gati is performed for entering the stage, raṅgapraveśa along with the praveśa dhruva. This will be in madhya laya along with suṣkākṣara gāna. These suṣkākṣaras are meaningless syllables that are recited or sung like the solfa syllables or jathi solkattus of present parlance. Thus, the entry of a character should be with a proper gati. Gait, which is based on body movements, along with eye and facial expressions becomes sāttvika and thus is capable of strengthening the rasa. These praveśa dhruvas are now seen in dance forms in the name of praveśa daru and these songs introduces the characters.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Nāṭyaśāstra XII.2,3.

[2]:

Ibid.XII.com.p.93.

[3]:

Mālavikāgnimitra A-I. com.

[4]:

Nāṭyaśāstra XII.com.p.94.

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