Description of Gati as in Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa

Gait of characters are described thus in Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa in the third kāṇḍa. The authorship of this work is unknown. The researcher feels that the author of this work should have been influenced by Bharata’s Nāṭyaśāstra, as almost all the aspects seen here are similar to that of the Nāṭyaśāstra. He has given the karaṇas as in the Nāṭyaśāstra and has not added any deśī forms. Therefore, this must be a work written before deśī forms had been popularized.

Svabhāvagati—

In natural gait, the knees should be raised up to the waist and in the gait for fighting the knees should be raised near the chest.

svabhāvīnottuṅgagatau kāryaṃ jānukaṭīsamam |
yuddhacārī pracāreṣu jānustanasamaṃ nyaset ||^[1]

Sthiragati—

The slow and steady gait is to be performed when one is suffering from fever, one is very hungry, is exhausted by penance, is suffering from any disease, in wonder, in dissimulation (avahittha), full of eagerness, in śṛṅgāra, in śoka and in walking at sweet will.

Śighragati—

quick gait is to be used when one is uneasy, trembling, in fear, in terror, in fury, in joy, in the actions to be done quickly, in hearing unpleasant things and in seeing wonderful things in urgent actions, in lurching the enemy, in perusing the guilty and chasing the beasts of prey.

Śṛṅgāriṇīgati—

The gait in the erotic sentiment should be adopted when there is a case of svasthakāmita not secret but open love.

In this gait, one is to be dressed in the handsome style and walk with rhythmic steps and the performance should make the movements of the arms in accordance with the legs.

gatiḥ śṛṅgāriṇī kāryāsvasthakāmitasambhavī ||
dūtīdarśitamārgastuthṛdyaveśaparikrame ||
sasauṣṭavasamāyuktairlayatālavaśonugaiḥ ||^[2]

The way should be shown by the female messenger the dūtī. In Pracchannakāmita, secret love while going to meet the lover, one is dressed black and should not wear many ornaments, walks with slow steps, is often suspicious at every sound, has a trembling body and falters repeatedly.

Raudragati—

Gait in terrible sentiment is said to be of three kinds: in aṅga (body/limbs), in svabhāva (nature) and in nepathya (makeup). In aṅga raudra the body is wet with blood and it carries part of intestines in the form of lotus. The raudra in which many weapons are carried is called raudra-nepathya. The raudra in which one is rough, speaks ferocious words and is cruel, is called svabhāva raudra. In these different forms of raudra, the stress in the gait is given on the steps four tālas wide.

Bībhatsagati—

The gait in the ground of cemetery or a battlefield on which one walks is unpleasant and when the feet close or wide apart the gait is bībhatsa.

Vīragati—

The heroic persons should adopt vikṣipta-pada-vikrama in the mood of wonder and joy. In this gait the footsteps are swift.

Karuṇagati—

In the pathetic sentiment the steps are steady. Sauṣṭava of the body need not be observed. In feeble gait of weakness, one should walk with stiff and the rolling body.

When one is severely wounded, one should walk with contracted body.

gatiḥ sthirapadā proktātathaiva karuṇārase ||
na tatra sauṣṭavaṃ kāryaṃ na pramāṇaṃ tathāvidham ||
vighūrṇitaśarīrā ca stabdhā ca śithilā gatiḥ ||^[3]

Bhayānakagati—

In the sentiment of terror the gait should become quick and stiff according to the purpose.

When a deformed creature is seen, one should walk with eyes wide open. The gait of the ascetics is slow. In the darkness, the gait is slow on account touching with hands like finding the way.

The gait of one sitting in the chariot should be shown by slow steps. The movement of the chariot should be shown by samapāda sthāna, in one hand the bow and in the other the pole of the chariot should be held. The charioteer should be shown as if holding the whip, which is the same as in the Nāṭyaśāstra.

The gait of one sitting in a celestial car should be joyful. Going up and coming down should be indicated by movements of upward and downward look respectively. Moreover, going through the sky should be shown by turning circularly. The descent from the sky should be indicated by straight and raised feet. Ascent to a high place should be shown by apakrānta cārī. The descent should be done with steps away from one another as if one is suspicious. The gait in the water should be shown by upward movement of the legs. The climbing of a tree should be shown by upwards movement of the hands. And the movement of an elephant should be shown by steps moving sideways and away from one another in the form of sūcīviddha and by holding the goad and in case of the horse by holding the reins. The movement of other animals should be depicted by holding the bit of a bridle. The gait of horse riding should be done by vaiśākhasthānaka.

The gait of the serpents should be shown by feet in svastika.

aśvayāne gatiḥ kāryā vaiśākhasthanakena ha ||
pannagānāṃ gatiḥ kāryā padaiḥ svastikasaṃyutaiḥ ||^[4]

The gait of Viṭa should be shown with graceful steps. viṭasyāpi tu kartavyā gatirlalitavikramā |^[5] The gait of Kañcuki should be unsteady, and stumbling. In the gait of a lean and weak person, the breath should be obstructed. The gait of a person seized with disease or one tired after penance should be also like that. The gait of one who has walked a long way should be shown by slow and weak steps. The gait of drunken person should be shown by stumbling on both the sides. The gait of a mad man should be shown by irregular steps. He would be talking irrelevantly and he should be dirty and shaggy. The gait of a crippled should be acted in accordance with his defects and purpose. The gait of a fat man should be shown as if dragging the body.

The gait of a vidūṣaka should be such as to cause laughter and he should hold a bent stick.

vidūṣakasya kartavyā gatirhāsyapradā tathā ||
svabhāvajātaṃ vinyasya kuṭilaṃ vāmakekare ||^[6]

In the gait of ceṭa the eyes would be crooked thinking of something.

The gaits of persons of different countries should be shown according to their natural peculiarities.

nānādeśasamudbhūtā puruṣāṇāṃ svabhāvataḥ ||^[7]

The gait of the beasts of prey and other animals also should be according to their nature and the gaits of the remaining should be acted in accordance with the meaning to be expressed. From this, it is understood that the gait should be according to the situation and theme of the story.

The gait of the persons of highest class should be slow and firm, of middle class middling and of the low class quick and frequent. The rhythm of these three should be acted according to their nature, vilambita, druta-vilambita and druta.

The movements of the steps on the stage should be always made looking to the area and the form of the stage.

raṃge vikṛtta tu nṛpapradhāna gatāgataiḥ pādagatipracāraḥ ||
kāryā vaśādeva gṛhassya nityaṃ samīkṣya raṅgaṃ tu yathānurūpam ||^[8]

The gait of women should be with graceful steps and of men should be steady or proud.

strīṇāṃ gatiḥ syāllalitapracārā dhīrā narāṇāṃ ca tathoddhatā syāt ||^[9]

Thus, the gaits should be exhibited in accordance with meaning, the dress should in accordance with the age, the gait should be in accordance with the dress, the recitation of speech should be according to the gait, and the acting should be in accordance with recitation.

vayonurūpaḥ prathamastu veśo veśānurūpaśca gatipracāraḥ ||
gatipracārānugataṃ ca nāṭyaṃ nāṭyānurūpo'bhinayaśca kāryaḥ ||^[10]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

VDP: III.29.1,2

[2]:

Ibid.III.29.7,8

[3]:

Ibid.III.29.15,16

[4]:

Ibid.III.29.27

[5]:

Ibid.III.29.28.

[6]:

Ibid.III.29.33.

[7]:

Ibid.III.29.34

[8]:

Ibid.III.29.37.

[9]:

Ibid.III.29.38.

[10]:

Ibid.III.29.39.