Gati performed in Dhruvā-gāna

Both vocal and instrumental are the two arts on which dance depend upon. Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa says that the art of dancing does not exist without instrumental music and the later does not exist without songs. The same idea is also present in Saṅgītadāmodara.

It says that from the song arises the instrumental music, from the instruments the tempo arises, and from the combination of tempo and rhythm dance arises.

geyāduttiṣṭate vādyaṃ vādyāduttiṣṭate layaḥ |
layatālasamārabdaṃ tato nṛtyaṃ pravartate ||

Bharata says dance should be performed along with music.

gītaprayogamāśritya nṛttametat pravartyatām |^[1]

Bharata considered such production inferior, bahya, and the one with music and dance, the germane art, abhyantara^[2] Thus, dhruvā songs play an important role in dramas. These are noted in the pūrvaraṅga, as well as the body of the drama.

Music forms the bedrock of drama.

śayyāṃ hi nāṭyasya vadanti gītam |

“The dhruvās, based on rasa and context, make the drama dazzle just as the heaven with the stars. As without colour, a drawing is not beautiful, so is drama not attractive without music”^[3]

The pāṭhya is to be sung properly, says Bharata.

“In all the daśarūpakas, the musical notes, duration, measure of time and tempo should be adopted by the performers.”^[4]

Bharata says that, what has not been said in the words of the play is to be embellished through music, the actions such as rūpayati, nāṭayati, and the like given in the text, should be elaborated along with actions and instrumental musical. There is to be no gap; song, instrument, word action should flow in one unbroken sequence.

Dr. Raghavan says,

‘Blossoming forth on the boughs of the dialogue like so many flowers, the verses of the Sanskrit drama would indeed appear to frustrate themselves if they are not to be sung and rendered in abhinaya.’^[5]

Dhruvā is that which has been used by Brāḥmanas, like Nārada, as the limbs of songs such as ṛks, pāṇikas, gāthās and the seven kinds of gitāṅgas with their specifications. A song of one vastu (theme) is called dhruvā, song with two vastus is parigītikā. The song with three vastus may be known as madraka, while that with four vastus is called catuṣpāda. The varṇas, alaṅkāras, yatis, pānis, layas which are often related, and hence they are called dhruvās. So, these are musical compositions interspersed in the dramas, in order to add beauty. They have lyrical value, lilting notes, rhythmic instrumental music, along with some actions of the actors. Dhruvā songs have specific tālas or time-measures and are melodic in nature. They were written based on the situation of the story. The tempo of the dhruvā was set to promote the rasa.

Instrumental music was played in the background for the movements of the actors in order to enhance the mood.

“Dhruvās are of five kinds. The names are related to the occasion of the song. They are praveśa (entrance), ākṣepa (diversion), prasādana (pacification) and antara (transition) and niṣkrāma (exit).”^[6]

Prāveśikī dhruvā is sung during the entrance of the characters, having different emotions and meanings suitable to the occasion. The song used at the end of an act, and when a character is leaving the stage is called naiṣkrāmikī dhruvā. The ākṣepikī dhruvā is used in druta laya, as also in vilambita laya, by changing the sequence. The prasādikī dhruvā is to pacify the emotion of the mind, which is subjected to a sudden change. The antara dhruvā is purported to fill up the gaps in-between various occasions like sorrow, loss of consciousness, giddiness, arranging of dress and ornaments and the like. These are the five dhruvās.

The dhruvā songs should be sung taking into consideration of the various elements like theme, performance, characters, sentiments, emotions, seasons, age, location, time, and mental conditions.^[7] The theme of dhruvā songs may be conceived based on appropriate standards of comparisons, such as movable and immovable objects. Those ideas that could not be revealed by the dramatic text should be conveyed by these songs.

The songs should be composed based on the peculiar features of gait of animals, birds, vehicles and so on.

gativibhramaṃ hi dṛṣṭvā kartavyā tu dhruvā tajjñaiḥ ||^[8]

When the movement is fast, short syllables can be used and when it is slow long syllables should be employed. Following this, music should be played and dance should be performed. A performance is the union of song, instrument and movement.^[9] Thus, everything relates to the gati.

The dhruvā songs, which are set in different meters, should reflect the meaning of the dramatic passage. Those ideas, which cannot be revealed by the texts, can be brought out through these songs. Dhruvā songs should be employed taking into consideration the intricacies of principles and the requirements of the sentiments and emotions, occasion, propriety and type of performance. The movement, related elements, can be used as comparison in prāveśikī, naiṣkrāmikī and even ākṣepikī dhruvās the theme can be movement related.

The dhruvā gānas provide extra information regarding the drama and the characters. They were composed in saṃskṛta, ardhasaṃskṛta (maṇipravāla) and other prakrts.^[10] They were sung by the persons in the kutapa (orchestra) and sometimes by the character themselves. These are composed and added by the stage artists, who enacted the dramas or by some contemporary composers. Bharata gives some examples for these dhruvā compositions in the Nāṭyaśāstra. He says dhruvās should be conceived based on the features of gait of a horse, elephant, deer, cow, palanquin and the aerial chariots. These songs had imaginary ideas about the situations, for example mad Pururavas, as the king of elephants restlessly roaming in the forest; the two friends of Ūrvaśī, as two female swans on the lake. They were symbolic and thus paved way for the choreography of gaits.

Dr. Raghavan says that Kohala made much contribution to this study, an example of this is the entrance-dhruvā, which should be in madhyalaya, what Kohala would call valia or valantika, and Abhinavagupta, while explaining this part of Bharata; naturally quotes Kohala frequently.^[11] Abhinavagupta gives the actual rhythms on the drum for the gait of the parasite Śekharaka in the Nāgānandā, who comes reeling with the glass of drink in this hand: dha, dhak, tsuk, dhi according to a well understood measure in his time. He gives jambhalikā for pathos, khaṇḍadhārā composed of several quick steps with a long one at the end to depict movement by chariot as some examples to illustrate the musical treatment of gait.

The praveśa dhruvā is very important and is still seen in dance dramas in the name of pātra praveśa daru. This gives details of all the characters entering the stage.

Bharata says how to compose a dhruvā.

dratagamane laghuvarṇā vilaṃbitagate ca dīrghavarṇakṛtā |
evaṃsthitadrutānāṃ jñātvā bhāvaṃ dhruvā kāryā ||^[12]

The fourth act of this drama has some prākṛt verses as interpolations. Kālidāsa, who is well known for his similes, has beautifully described the lament of Purūravas in this act. From the stage directions mentioned, it can be noted that most of these verses are accompanied by music and dance. These are added here to cut the monotony of the king’s lament. The commentary of Ranganatha on Vikramorvaśīya, clearly mentions about the technical terms regarding music and dance given in the stage directions.

The following kinds of tālas, musical tunes and dance have been mentioned in this act. Dr. Raghavan opines that the musical fittings in this version are late and are in the technique as it evolved in the post-Bharata period through Kohala and other writers.^[13]

References of dhruvās from dramas

“Behind the scenes, an ākṣiptikā song introduces the sorrowful state of Sahajanya and Citralekha, the two friends, who are separated from the heroine Ūrvaśī.

nepathye sahajanyācitralekhayoḥ prāveśikyākṣiptikā |^[14]

On entering, they look at the quarters and this is performed with a dvipadikā. They are compared with two female swans in grief. This can be performed by the karaṇa diksvastika.^[15]

The laya aspect of dvipadikā is explained by Ranganatha.^[16]

“Behind the scenes, an ākṣiptika song is sung for the entry of the King Purūravas.”

nepathye purūravasaḥ prāveśikyākṣiptikā |^[17]

Kālidāsa says, after the song is sung they enter. The Ranganatha’s view is that, the entry of the character is suggested by the ākṣiptikā song. This song may be considered as a prāveśikī dhruvā, which introduces the entrance of a character. The hero Purūravas is compared with the great leader of the herd of elephants, exhibiting symptoms of madness caused by separation from its beloved female, entering the thicket of the forest.” Here the karaṇa called madaskalitaka,^[18] which relates to matta gajagati, which can be performed in a slow speed for his entry.

“Exit after a khaṇḍadhārā song.”

iti khaṇḍadhārayā niṣkrāntau |^[19]

The commentator says a khaṇḍadhāra song can be applied for naiṣkrāmikī dhruvā. Bharata views that this is to be sung at the end of an act when a character is leaving the stage. Other music and dance varieties like dvipadikā, jambhalikā, khaṇḍadhārā, carcarī, bhinnaka, khaṇḍaka, khuraka, kakubha, kuṭiliā a, mallaghaṭī, valantikā, and others are explained in the commentary. Besides these, some gestures and postures like caturaśraka, ardhacaturaśraka, sthānaka, and so on are also mentioned.

The commentator Ranganatha quotes these references from the work of Adi Bharata, a work that is not available now.

īṣadīṣaccumbitāni bhramaraiḥ sukumārakesaraśikhāni |
avataṃsayanti dayamānāḥ pramadāḥ śirīṣakusumāni ||^[20]

Naṭī sings a song, which describes the season. Rāghavabhaṭṭa says that, this song is in dvipadī laya.

He says dvipadī is that which has thirty mātras and two dalas.

ayam triṃśanmātrā daladvaya rūpo dvipadī nāma laya bhedaḥ |^[21]

In Mālatīmādhava, the lovelorn hero, Mādhava, enters with a leisurely gait.

gamanaṃ alasam |^[22]

Commentator Jagaddhara, says that Mādhava’s entry is in dvipadī-laya tempo, a slow rhythm which has long mātra, which is suited to the situation.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Nāṭyaśāstra IV. 272

[2]:

Ibid. XXIV. 70-72 Kasi edn.

[3]:

Ibid. XXXII.425.

[4]:

Ibid. XVII. 149.

[5]:

Sanskrit Drama–Its Aesthetics and Production. V. Raghavan

[6]:

Nāṭyaśāstra XXXII.27.

[7]:

Ibid,XXXII. 345.

[8]:

Ibid.XXXII.371.

[9]:

Ibid. XXXII.378.

[10]:

Ibid. XXXII.397.

[11]:

Sanskrit Drama–Its Aesthetics and Production. V. Raghavan p.32.

[12]:

Nāṭyaśāstra XXXII.374.

[13]:

Sanskrit Drama–Its Aesthetics and Production. V. Raghavan p.27

[14]:

Vik. A-IV. Appendix

[15]:

Nāṭyaśāstra IV.77.

[16]:

Vik.IV.Com. p.259

[17]:

Vik. A-IV. Appendix

[18]:

Nāṭyaśāstra IV.160.

[19]:

Vik. A-IV. Appendix

[20]:

Abh.Sāk.A-I.V-4.

[21]:

Abh.Sāk.com. p. 9.

[22]:

Mal.Mad.I.20