Kohala in the Sanskrit textual tradition (Study)

by Padma Sugavanam | 2011 | 95,782 words

This page relates ‘Contents of Dattilakohaliyam’ of the thesis dealing with Kohala’s contribution to the Sanskrit textual tradition of ancient Indian performing arts. The study focuses specifically on music (Gita), dance (Nritya), and drama (Natya). Although Kohala’s original works have not been found, numerous references to him across Lakshana-Granthas (treatises) and works by modern scholars indicate his significance.

Go directly to: Footnotes.

Part 2.2 - Contents of Dattilakohalīyam

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The text begins with the following heading—

अथ श्री दत्तिलकोहलीये वीणावाद्यलक्षणम् ।

atha śrī dattilakohalīye vīṇāvādyalakṣaṇam |^[1]

This indicates that this is the beginning of a chapter or of a section of a chapter. But the portion on vīṇa comes much later on in the work.

Following this is a nāndī verse, an obeisance to Saṅgīta-brahman and then a verse which gives us the names of the authors of this work, and the chapters that would appear in the work.—

दत्तिलः कोहलश्चैव द्वौ सङ्गीतविशारदौ ।
ताभ्यां इदङ्कृतं शास्त्रं न्नृत्तलक्षणपूर्वकम् ॥
नृत्यनांल्लक्षणङ्किञ्च तालानांल्लक्षणन्तथा ।
वाद्यानांल्लक्षणं चैव क्रमादिह विरच्यते ॥

dattilaḥ kohalaścaiva dvau saṅgītaviśāradau |
tābhyāṃ idaṅkṛtaṃ śāstraṃ nnṛttalakṣaṇapūrvakam ||
nṛtyanāṃllakṣaṇaṅkiñca tālānāṃllakṣaṇantathā |
vādyānāṃllakṣaṇaṃ caiva kramādiha viracyate ||^[2]

This verse effectively gives us information that Dattila and Kohala are the authors of this work and that the following chapters will be dealt with.

nṛtta-lakṣaṇa;
nṛtya-lakṣaṇa;
tāla-lakṣaṇa;
vādya-lakṣaṇa;

Subsequently, there are verses of benediction to earlier authorities on nāṭya whose opinions were summarised in this work. This list in itself seems to be an interpolation from Saṅgītaratnākara.

Following are the names mentioned:

Pārvatīpati (Śiva);
Brahmā;
Bharata;
Kaśyapa;
Śakti;
Yāṣṭika;
Śārdūlaka;
Maṭaṅga;
Nandī;
Nārada;
Rambhā;
Tumburu;
Rāvana;
Vāyunandana (Āñjaneya);
Matṛgupta;
Taṇḍu;
Maghavān;
Kṣetrapālaka;
Kamvala;
Aśvatara;
Vāyu;
Viśvāvasu;
Viśākhila;
Ugrasena;
Arjuna;

It can be noted that many names in this list are mythological. The mention of Matṛgupta and Mataṅga gives some clues about the date of this work.

M. Ramakrishna Telang says,

“Matṛgupta who was a poet and writer on poetics, is believed to have lived about the first half of the 6th century being a contemporary of Śilāditya Pratāpaśīla of Mālva C.E. 550-600.”^[3]

So, this work could not be earlier than the 6th Century C.E. Also, there is a reference to Sage Mataṅga, who lived around the 8th Century C.E. This would suggest that Dattilakohalīyam was written sometime after the 8th Century C.E.

Subsequently the mythological account of the origin of nāṭya is described. According to this work, Bharata was handed this tradition by Brahma. Brahma, in turn taught it to the gāndharvas and apsarās. They presented this art in front of Lord Śambhu. He in turn, created some features and taught them to Bharata and Taṇḍu. Śiva then taught lāsya to Pārvati. And Bharata taught both tāṇḍava and lāsya to some sages on earth. Pārvatī taught the Saurāśṭra ladies. The portion which describes the paramparā of nāṭya and the story of how it came to Bhūloka is also mentioned in a similar way in Saṅgītaratnākara of Śārṅgadeva^[4].

The text then mentions that vādya, abhinaya, gīta and rasa came from Ṛg, Yajus, Sāma and Atharvaṇa Veda respectively.

A similar thought has been mentioned by Bharata in his Nāṭyaśāstra also.

जग्राह पाठ्यं ऋग्वेदात्सामभ्यो गीतमेव च ।
यजुर्वेदादभिनयान् रसानाथर्वणादपि ॥ १.१७ ॥

jagrāha pāṭhyaṃ ṛgvedātsāmabhyo gītameva ca |
yajurvedādabhinayān rasānātharvaṇādapi || 1.17 ||

—Nāṭyaśāstra of Bharatamuni: 1992: GOS Vol. I: p. 14

The occasions for viewing nāṭya and nṛtya such as Abhiṣeka of kings, birth of a child etc., three types of nāṭya, definition of rasa (Rasābhivyakti kāraṇam) are mentioned.

A definition of nāṭya (Nartanān-nāṭyam) is found subsequently. This definition of nāṭya makes it out to be a form which is danced. The view of nāṭya in the time of Bharata, was that it was a dramatic presentation. The tradition of Bharata prohibits over usage of gīta and nṛtya during a performance of nāṭya. Therefore this definition seems to belong to a period later than Bharata or perhaps, even Kohala.

The following technical aspects on dance are dealt with.

i. Abhinaya—

Four types of abhinaya namely āṅgika, vācika, āhārya and sātvika are explained with definitions.

ii. Dharmi—

Lokadharmi and Nāṭyadharmi have been defined.

iii. Āṅgika—

Two types of āṅgika namely tāṇḍava and lāsya are cited. Tāṇḍava is a form which is used with gītas and dhruvas and gives importance to karaṇas and aṅgahāras. The Lāsya form is marked by soft and gentle body movements. Three types of Nṛtta viz. viṣamam, vikaṭam and laghu are described with definitions. Kunjunni Raja interprets these as follows—‘Of these, dancing round and round with ropes and the like is viṣama. That which is ludicrous in form, dress, and movement is considered to be vikaṭa. That which is constituted by añcita and other minor karaṇas is known as laghu’^[5].

iv. Āṅgikābhinaya—

The author states that only āṅgikābhinaya will be dealt with in this work. śākha, aṅkura and nṛtta are listed as the three aspects of āṅgikābhinaya and explained with definitions.

v. Aṅga —

Six aṅgas/ parts of the body are mentioned namely śira, hasta, vakṣa, pārśva, kaṭītaṭa and pāda. vi. Other technical aspects such as pratyaṅga-s, adhikas and upāṅgas are listed with their varieties.

vii. Lakṣaṇa—

Lakṣaṇas for pātra, upādhyāya, naṭa and sabhā have been explained.

viii. Śiro-lakṣaṇa—

There is a detailed explanation of the different types of head movements.

dhuta;
vidhuta;
adhūta;
avadhūta;
kampita;
ākampita;
udvāhita;
parivāhita;
uñcita;
nihañcita;
parāvṛtta;
utkṣipta;
adhomukha;
lolita;
tiryaṅmatonnata;
skandhentata;
ārātrika;
sama;
pārśvābhūmuka;

ix. Hasta-lakṣaṇa—

The different varieties of hand gestures/ movements are listed. These are further classified into saṃyuta hasta-s, Asaṃyuta hastas and nṛtta hastas

Asaṃyuta-hastas:

Saṃyuta-hastas:

While listing the saṃyuta-hastas, only five are found. Later on, while explaining the saṃyutahastas, details of ten can be seen.

But, the end of the saṃyuta-hasta section also bears the following statement—

इति दत्तिलकोहलीये त्रयोदश संयुतहस्ताः

iti dattilakohalīye trayodaśa saṃyutahastāḥ

Which implies that there are 13 saṃyuta hastas. Unfortunately, only ten of these are available in this work.

This section also bears a reference to Bhaṭṭa Abhinavagupta^[6]. This goes to prove that the work could not pre-date the 11th century C.E.

Following the subject of dance, tāla is dealt with in detail. This section begins with the definition of tāla.

तालस्तलप्रतिष्ठायामिति धातोर्ध विस्मृतः ।
गीतन्नृत्यन्तथा वाद्यन्त्रयन्ताले प्रतिष्ठितम् ॥

tālastalapratiṣṭhāyāmiti dhātordha vismṛtaḥ |
gītannṛtyantathā vādyantrayantāle pratiṣṭhitam ||^[7]

The same verse is seen in Saṅgītaratnākara. But the reading of the verse seen in Dattilakohalīyam appears to have many errors. This verse also finds place (with a few minor changes) in the text of Tālalakṣanam (R7979).

This is followed by a list 120 deśī tālas. Tāla is said to be of two types—mārga and deśī. Subsequently, the concept of kriyā is explained, giving the two classes namely saśabda and niśśabda along with their varieties and the manifestation of these kriyās.

Saśabda-kriyās—Āvāpa, Niṣkrāma, Nikṣepa, Candraveśaka;
Niśśabda-kriyās—Dhruva, Śamya, Tāla, Sannipāta;

In the list of saśabda kriyas, a nikṣepa and a candraveśaka are found. In Saṅgītaratnākara, these kriyās have been called vikṣepa and praveśaka respectively. Later lakṣaṇagranthas have also followed Śārṅgadeva’s terminology. These readings are perhaps the result of scribal errors and such like.

Next, the concept of mārga is defined and explained.

Mārga is of four types viz.

dhruva,
citra,
vārtika and
dakṣiṇa.

The number of mātras for each of the mārgas is given.

The deśī-kriyās have been enumerated after this. They are—

dhruvakā,
sarpiṇī,
kṛṣyā,
padminī,
vikṣiptā,
visarjitā,
patākā and
patitā.

The concept of kalā is dealt with in detail explaining the ekakala, dvikala and catuṣkala forms of the mārga tālas.

Varieties of [the following] are enumerated under the head mārgatāla-lakṣaṇa:

laya (vilamba, madhya and druta),
yati (samā, srotogatā and gopucchā) and
graha (sama, atīta and anāgata)

Next the concept of gītaka is described.

The [following] varieties of gītaka are explained followed by a description of ekakala madraka, namely—

madraka,
aparāntaka,
ullopya,
prakarṣa^[8],
oveṇaka,
rovindaka and
uttara

Dvikala and catuṣkala madraka are not to be found in this work.

The above section on tāla is followed by the portion on vādya. It is interesting to note that at the beginning of the text, the statement “Vīṇāvādyalakṣaṇam” is found. But the actual treatment of vādya is seen only towards the end of this manuscript after dealing with nṛtya and tāla. The classification of instruments into tata (string), suṣīra (wind), avanaddha (skin) and ghana (metal) is dealt with at the outset. The text gives a list of the names of instruments under each of these classes.

Yet another classification of instruments according to their application is found. These are—

śuṣka,
gītānuga,
nṛttānuga
and gītanṛttānuga.

The divine nature of instruments is then explained with details of their connections with celestial beings.

The next subject taken up is the lakṣaṇa of the structure of musical instruments. This has been treated in detail. Further, the playing technique of vīṇā has also been described elaborately.

The work concludes with the following colophon.—