Gati pertaining to conditions and situations

-) tataḥ praviśati kandukena krīḍa ntī padmāvatī saparivārā vāsavadattayā saha |^[1]

In Svapnavāsavadatta Vāsavadattā Padmāvatī and their friends are playing with the ball. Nṛttaratnāvalī refers to a dance called kanduka nṛtta. Jāya says delicate cārīs, gatis, pādas and lāsyaṅgas are seen in this dance. Movements like lotus, wavy line, snake, wheel, etc. and gaits like utplavana are performed.

-) mālavikāracitapallavāvataṃsā salīlamaśokāya pādaṃ prahiṇoti |^[2]

Mālavikā puts forth her foot to strike the tree. This can be performed by the karaṇa called vikṣiptākṣiptaka.

“The karaṇa called vikṣiptākṣiptaka consists of throwing or stretching the hands and legs forward and backward with a flourish.”

vikṣiptaṃ hastapādaṃ ca tasyaivākṣepaṇaṃ punaḥ |
yatra tat karaṇaṃ jñeyaṃ vikṣiptākṣiptakaṃ dvijāḥ ||^[3]

kisalamṛdorvilāsini kaṭhine nihitasya pādapaskandhe |
caraṇasya na te bādhā saṃprati vāmasya vāmoru ||^[4]

The king asks if her foot hurts because she kicked the aśoka tree. Here, Mālavikā can stand in the pose called aśvakrānta.

“In aśvakrāntā one foot is kept raised in the sūcī position and the other is made to rest on its forepart.

pādaḥsamutthitaścaikaekaścāgratalāñcitaḥ |
sūcīviddhamaviddhaṃ vā tadaśvakrāntamucyate ||^[5]

This is employed in hanging on to a bough of a tree.”^[6]

-) iti parijanasahitā latāgṛhaṃ parikrāmati |^[7]

The queen moves around in the garden.

This can be gesticulated by the karaṇa called parivṛtta.

“That karaṇa is known as Parivṛtta in which hands are raised high entwined together and held in the reverse direction, sacrum is turned round and feet transposed resting on the toe.”

ūrdhvāpaveṣṭitau hastau sūcīpādo'pavartitaḥ |
parivṛttaṃ trikaṃ caiva parivṛttaṃ taducyate ||^[8]

This movement can be performed by the queen to move about gently in the garden.

-) priyamācaritaṃ late tvayā me gamane'syāḥ kṣaṇavighnamācarantyā |
yadiyaṃ punarapyapāṅganetrā parivṛttardhamukhī mayā'dya dṛṣṭā ||^[9]

When Ūrvaśī delays her exit in the pretext of disentangling her pearl necklace from the creeper, the king describes her beauty. Āṅgika abhinaya of Ūrvaśī can be with her head movement parāvṛtta, and eye movements such as sācī and vivartana. Bharata refers to a variety of actions of the head called parāvṛtta.^[10] He also refers to the kinds of looks called sācī (sideways), in which the look askance when the pupils are in a triangular form coming within the eyelashes.^[11] He refers to the movement of pupils. The movement called vivartana (turning sideways) is the sidelong glance and it should be used in śṛṅgāra.^[12]

-) sarve sopānārohaṇaṃ nāṭayanti |^[13]

“All are ascending the stairs.” Bharata describes the movement of ascending and descending palaces, uneven places, and stairs and so on.

He says,

“While ascending a mansion the feet should be lifted up and the body should be held straight in the course of negotiating the steps of the stairs.”

This can be performed with udvāhita uras.

prasādārohaṇaṃ kāryamatikrāntaiḥ padairatha |
udavāhya gātraṃ pādaṃ ca nyaset sopānapaṅktiṣu ||^[14]

-) tataḥ praviśatyunmattakaḥ |^[15]

The entry of a mad man is referred. The author says he comes rushing like the rain water, speeding down in the street. He can enter performing the gaṅgāvataraṇam karaṇa.^[16]

-) avasthasadṛśaṃ parikramya |^[17]

Irāvati is in the state of intoxication. After walking around, she says that due to condition she cannot move her feet further.

Bharata says,

“In the case of intoxicated person, whose state of inebriatedness is slight or medium a staggering step with the feet swerving now and then should be adopted. The left and right foot should move in the opposite direction. When the intoxication is less the feet should falter and the body swerves.”

mattanāṃ tu gatiḥ kāryā made taruṇamadhyame |
vāmadakṣiṇapādābhyāṃ dhūrṇamānāpasarpaṇaiḥ ||
apakṛṣṭe made caiva hyanavasthitapādikā |
vighūrṇitaśarīrā ca padaiḥ praskhalitaistathā ||^[18]

Here, her gait can be in the karaṇa called mattalli.

“Extend the left and right legs forward in a circular motion and draw them back and hold them together. Move hands entwined and extended across in the karaṇa called mattalli.”

vāmadakṣiṇapādābhyāṃ ghūrṇamānopasarpaṇaiḥ |
udveṣṭitāpavidvaiśca hastairmattallayudāhṛtam ||^[19]

Abhinavagupta recommends this karaṇa to represent the intoxicated gait.

Then she turns to all the directions in search of the king. So, when she moves around, the karaṇa called diksvastika can be performed.

“Transposing of hands and legs over each other to form svastika and doing it turning on all sides is the karaṇa called diksvastika.”

pārśvayoragrataścaiva yatra śliṣṭakṛto bhavet |
svastikohastapādābhyāṃ tad dik svastikamucyate ||^[20]

Abhinavagupta recommends this karaṇa for gati parivarta.

While she is struck and cannot move further the ardhamattallī karaṇa, in which the leg moves in a slow motion, can be performed.

“Keep apart the legs and slide in slowly. Hold the left hand extended across and the right hand is to be held at ease on the hip. This is how the karaṇa ardhamattallī is conceived.”

skhalitāpasṛtau pādau vāmahastaśca recitaḥ |
savyahastaḥ kaṭisthaḥ syādardhamattalli smṛtam ||^[21]

Abhinavagupta recommends this karaṇa for semi intoxication.

-) tataḥ praviśatyunmattaveṣo rājā |^[22]

The king enters like a mad man. Ūrvaśī had left him and so he is in a state of intoxication. Bharata describes the gait for a mad man.

“In the gait of a lunatic the steps should be irregular. He should move about in different cārīs.”

unmattasyāpi kartavyā gatistvaniyatakramā |
bahucārīsamāyuktālokānukaraṇāśrayā ||^[23]

Here, karaṇas such as unmatta and madaskhalita can be used.

“In the karaṇa called unmatta the foot is out-turned (añcita) and dropped in a particular stance and hands stretched forward on both the sides.”

añcitena tu pādena recitau tu karau yadā |
unmattaṃ karaṇaṃ tattu vijñeyaṃ nāṭyakovidaiḥ ||^[24]

“In the karaṇa known as madaskalitaka both the hands should be kept hanging down, head turned round and feet bent and entwined or transposed.”

karau pralambitau kāryau śiraśca parivāhitam |
pādau ca valitāviddhau madaskhalitakedvijāḥ ||^[25]

-) tataḥ praviśati yuktamadā irāvatī ceṭī ca |^[26]

Irāvatī enters the stage in the state of intoxication along with her ceṭī. Bharata says mada should be related to women and lower characters.

The representation of inebriation of women should be made by the gentle faltering of steps, hanging on to the sky, rolling the eye balls, incoherent speech and shivering of the limbs.

madāye'bhihitāḥ pūrvaṃ tān strīnīceṣu yojayet |
mṛdubhiḥ skhalitairnityamākāśasyāvalambanāt ||
netrāvadhūrṇanaiścaiva vilagnaiḥ kathitaistathā |
gātrāṇāṃ kampanaiścaiva madaḥ kāryo bhavet striyāḥ ||^[27]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

SV.II.p.148

[2]:

Mālavikāgnimitra A-III.

[3]:

Nāṭyaśāstra IV. 80.

[4]:

Mālavikāgnimitra A-III. V-18.

[5]:

Nāṭyaśāstra XIII 167.

[6]:

Infra.Ref.221.

[7]:

Vik. A-II.

[8]:

Nāṭyaśāstra IV.131.

[9]:

Vik. A-I.V-16.

[10]:

Nāṭyaśāstra VIII.33.

[11]:

Ibid.VIII.107.

[12]:

Ibid.VIII.100, 104.

[13]:

Vik. A-III.

[14]:

Nāṭyaśāstra XIII. 96.

[15]:

PY.III.p.67.

[16]:

Nāṭyaśāstra IV.168.

[17]:

Mālavikāgnimitra A-III

[18]:

Nāṭyaśāstra XIII. 120,121.

[19]:

Ibid. IV. 86.

[20]:

Ibid. IV. 76.

[21]:

Ibid. IV. 87.

[22]:

Vik. A-IV.

[23]:

Nāṭyaśāstra XIII. 122.

[24]:

Ibid.IV.73.

[25]:

Ibid.IV.158.

[26]:

Mālavikāgnimitra A-III.

[27]:

Nāṭyaśāstra XXVI. 62,63.