Elucidation of Karaṇas related to Gati

The explanation and uses of karaṇas given in Abhinavabhāratī and Saṅgītaratnākara are almost same. The former is in prose format and the latter in poetry. The Nṛttaratnāvalī and the commentary on Saṅgītaratnākara also explain the uses vividly. The scholars refer the karaṇas for vākyārtha abhinaya. Therefore, these nṛtta karaṇas, which comprises of leg movements called cārīs, can be performed as movements or gaits in connection with the vākyārtha abhinaya.^[1]

1. Karaṇas depicting performance or dancing

-) Talapuṣpapuṭa is performed with adhyardhikā cārī and this can be used in the gait of offering flowers and withdrawing oneself.

upasaṃhāravākyārthābhinaye iyameva yuktaṃkaraṇam |^[2]

-) Samanakha is used for entering the stage—

tacca nṛttasya ādime praveśe prayojyam |^[3]

-) Diksvastika is the movement while singing:

prayogaścāsya gītaparivarteṣu |^[4]
tacca bhrāntaparivartane prayojyam |^[5]

-) Alata and lalita is used in graceful dancing—

tacca salalite nṛtte prayojyam |^[6]
tacca vilāsinīnṛtte prayojyam |^[7]

-) Daṇḍarecita is used in tāṇḍava and in joyful dance.

nṛtte pramodayukte'sya prayogastaṇḍave tathā |^[8]

-) Vikṣiptākṣiptaka this is used in between abhinaya pieces, in moving about, in course of cāris and sthānas, which are used while fighting and indicating to keep with the tāla.

yatra vākyārthābhinayaḥ tatra abhinayahastakāḥ prādhānyena nṛttamātratvena vidhīyante | ata īdṛśaṃ karaṇam, antarālasaṃdhāne; abhinayāntarasaṃbandhe gatīnāṃ parikrame, tathā yuddhādenāmavasthitacārīsthanakasaṃcāre, tālānusaṃdhāne ca prayojyamiti |^[9]

-) Svastika is used for depicting the vākyārtha abhinaya. Abhinava explains this in detail.

He says many karaṇas are used to depict the vākyārtha abhinaya.

karaṇārthibhiriti vākyārthābhinaya lakṣaṇā | nṛttaṅgahārarūpā gatiparikramādisvabhāvāśca kriyā ye'rthavanta iti madhye tena bhaṅgivacanena sarveṣāṃ karaṇānāṃ prayojanaṃ sūcitam | tatra yuktyā dveṣaṇaniṣedharahasye ca vākyārthe'bhinetavye'sya prayogaḥ |^[10]

2. Karaṇas depicting bhāvas

-) Vartita in which the gait will be in agratalasañcara pāda, and apaviddha performed in ākṣipta cārī is used in depicting anger and jealousy:

tacca kopāsūyayoryojyam |^[11]

-) Valitoruka is used in depicting the shyness of young girl:

asya mugdhastrīvrīḍite prayogaḥ^[12]

-) Līna is used in pleading the lover:

priyaprārthanāvākyārthābhinaye |^[13]

-) Vakṣaḥsvastika can be used for depicting sympathy and shyness:

lajjita jātānutāpapradhāne vākyārthe evāsya prayojanam |^[14]

-) Unmatta is used in pride born out of wealth:

tacca garvī saubhāgyādisamudbhave kāryam |^[15]

-) Bhujaṅgatrāsita is used in the gait of fear of snake:

nṛtta sarpatrāsāviṣṭasyeva gatisaṃvarte bhujaṅgatrāsitaṃ karaṇam |^[16]

-) Āvarta is performed in bhaya gati:

tacca bhayasarpaṇe prayojyam |^[17]
karau khyātāṃ tadāvartaṃ saṃtrāsādupasarpaṇe |^[18]

-) Upasṛtaka can be used in approaching with humility:

tadopasṛtamākhyātaṃ vinayenopasarpaṇe |^[19]

-) Svastikarecita is used in dancing and indicating great joy:

tacca praharṣādau prayojyam |^[20]

-) Udghaṭṭita is performed in rejoicing the happiness:

pramodaviṣayametat |^[21]

-) Cakramaṇḍala is used in worshipping gods and in vigorous movement:

surāṇāṃ varivasyāyāṃ taduddhataparikrame |^[22]

3. Karaṇas used for depicting fight and vigourous movements

-) Prṣṭasvastika depicts negation and pursuing enemies and fighting movements:

ecca niṣedharābhasyaparānveṣaṇabhāṣaṇayuddhaparikrameṣu prayojyam |^[23]

-) Bhramara is used in moving about haughty:

tacca madoddhataparikrame prayojyam |^[24]

-) Krānta is used in vigorous movement:

tasyoddhataparikrame |^[25]

-) Vivṛtta and vinivṛtta is used in vigorous movement:

vivṛttaṃ syāttaccoddhataparikrame |^[26]

-) Daṇḍarecita is used in dancing in joy and also in vigorous movements:

pramodanṛttaviṣayaṃ tadā syāddaṇḍarecitam |
prayogamapare prāhurasyoddhataparikrame ||^[27]

-) Pārśvajānu can be used in fight:

budhairyuddhe niyuddhe ca viniyogo'sya kīrtitaḥ |^[28]

-) Siṃhavikrīḍita is used in raudra gati:

tacca raudragatau prayojyam |^[29]

4. Karaṇas depicting movement on stage

-) Atikrānta is used in gati parikrama:

gatiparikramādiviṣayameva |^[30]

-) Kaṭībhrānta is used for moving about on the stage:

asya tālāntaraleṣu yatīnāṃ paripūraṇe ||
prayogamāha niḥśaṅkastathā gatiparikrame |^[31]

-) Pārśvanikuṭṭaka is used in moving about repeatedly:

tatprakāśanasaṃcārābhyāse pārśvanikuṭṭakam |^[32]

-) Sambhrānta is used in hurried movement:

tacca sasaṃbhramaparikrame prayojyam |^[33]

5. Karaṇas depicting gait of characters

-) Kaṭīsama tacca sūtradhāreṇa

jarjarasyābhimantraṇe prayojyaṃ bhavati |^[34]

And Talavilāsita is used by the stage manager:

tacca sūtradhārāviṣaye prayogyam ||^[35]

-) Vidyudbrānta and vikṣipta can be used in the movement of haughty persons:

tacca uddhataparikrame prayojyam |^[36]

-) Pārśvakrānta is used for the terribile movement of Bhīma and others:

tadyojyaṃ bhīmasenāderraudraprāye parikrame |^[37]

-) Vyamsita is used to indicate the moving around gait of Hanuman:

tacca āñjaneyādimahākapi parikrame prayojyam |^[38]

-) Ākṣipta is used in the movement of Vidūṣaka:

tacca vidūṣakagatau prayojyam |^[39]

-) Argala is used in movement of monkey king like Aṅgada:

tacca aṅgadādīnāṃ parikrame prayojyam |^[40]

-) Catura is used by Vidūṣaka in the expression of surprise:

vidūṣakena saṃsūcye vismayābhinayādike |^[41]

-) Eḍakākrīḍita movement can be used by low type of creatures.

-) Viṣṇukrānta resembles the gait of Viṣṇu in trivikrama.

-) Śakatāsya can be used in the playful act of the children:

yatra tacchakaṭāsyaṃ syāttadṛśe bālakhelane |^[42]

-) Gaṅgāvataraṇa is the movement resembling the descent of Gaṅga to earth:

gaṅgādevyā avataraṇamiti nāmnaivāsya karaṇasya viṣayo darśitaḥ |^[43]

-) Gajakrīḍita is used in the movement of elephant, garuḍapluta in flight of garuda, hariṇapluta in leap of a deer, mayūralalita in graceful movement of peacock, siṃhākarṣita movement of lion.

These are to be used as per their names:

prayogaścāsya nāmocita eva viṣaye |^[44]

6. Karaṇas depicting gait in intoxication

-) Mattalli is used to indicate intoxication:

tacca madavedane kāryam |^[45]

-) Ardhamattalli is used to indicate slight intoxication:

tacca taruṇe made prayojyam |

-) Nāgāpasarpita and madaskhalitaka is also used in slight intoxication^[46]

-) Sarpita is the sliding movement of intoxicated person:

sarpitaṃ tadbhavetpādakṛtamattagatāgate |^[47]

7. Karaṇas depicting aerial movement

-) Nikuñcita is to be used in the movement in sky such as Hanuman flying in the sky.

etaccākāśagamanonmukhavitarkapraṇidhānādipradhānavākyārthābhinaye | yathā-hanūmata |^[48]

-) Vṛścika is used in the aerial movement of airāvata:

etadairāvaṇādīnāṃ vyomayāne niyujyate |^[49]

Nivesa is used in mounting the elephant.

niveśo gajavāhane |^[50]

-) Vṛścika kuṭṭita is used in indicating wonder and aerial movement:

savismaye vyomayānavāñchādau viniyujyate^[51]

-) Vṛścikarecita is used in travelling in air:

tacca ākāśayāne prayogyam |^[52]

-) Latāvṛścika is used in jumping from the sky:

tallatāvṛścikaṃ yojyaṃ gaganotpatane budhaiḥ ||^[53]

-) Lalāṭatilaka is used in the movements of vidyādharas or celestials:

tadā lalāṭatilakaṃ vidyādharagatau matam |^[54]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ibid.IV.com.p.88.

[2]:

Nāṭyaśāstra Vol I.com.p.97.

[3]:

SR:VII.p.203

[4]:

Nāṭyaśāstra Vol I.com.p.106.

[5]:

SR:VII.p.200

[6]:

Ibid.VII.p.206

[7]:

Ibid.VII.p.210

[8]:

Nṛttaratnāvalī IV. 97.

[9]:

Nāṭyaśāstra IV.

[10]:

Ibid.Vol I.com.p.105.

[11]:

Saṅgīta-ratnāvalī:VII.p.202

[12]:

Ibid.VII.p.198

[13]:

Nāṭyaśāstra Vol I.com.p.100.

[14]:

Ibid.Vol I.com.p.104.

[15]:

Saṅgīta-ratnāvalī:VII.p.203

[16]:

Nāṭyaśāstra Vol I.com.p.108.

[17]:

Saṅgīta-ratnāvalī:VII.p.220

[18]:

Nṛttaratnāvalī IV.78.

[19]:

Ibid.IV.147.

[20]:

Saṅgīta-ratnāvalī:VII.p.204

[21]:

Nāṭyaśāstra Vol.I. com. p.136.

[22]:

Saṅgīta-ratnāvalī:VII.672

[23]:

Ibid.VII.p.201

[24]:

Ibid.VII.p.212

[25]:

Ibid.VII.657

[26]:

Ibid.VII. 678

[27]:

Ibid.VII.647

[28]:

Nṛttaratnāvalī IV.183.

[29]:

Saṅgīta-ratnāvalī:VII.p.232

[30]:

Nāṭyaśāstra Vol.I. com. p.124.

[31]:

Saṅgīta-ratnāvalī:VII.651

[32]:

Ibid.VII.670

[33]:

Ibid.VII.p.237

[34]:

Ibid.VII.p.205

[35]:

Ibid.VII.p.219

[36]:

Ibid.VII.p.223,224.

[37]:

Ibid.VII.681

[38]:

Ibid.VII.p.215

[39]:

Ibid.VII.p.218

[40]:

Ibid.VII.p.218

[41]:

Nṛttaratnāvalī IV.192.

[42]:

Saṅgīta-ratnāvalī:VII.742

[43]:

Nāṭyaśāstra Vol.I. com. p.138.

[44]:

Ibid.Vol.I. com. p.124.

[45]:

Saṅgīta-ratnāvalī:VII.p.209

[46]:

Ibid.VII.p.210

[47]:

Nṛttaratnāvalī IV.179.

[48]:

Nāṭyaśāstra Vol.I. com. p.110.

[49]:

Saṅgīta-ratnāvalī:VII.659

[50]:

Nṛttaratnāvalī IV.58.

[51]:

Saṅgīta-ratnāvalī:VII.661.

[52]:

Ibid.VII.p.217

[53]:

Ibid.VII.663

[54]:

Ibid.VII.669