1.3. Elements of Drama (c): Bodily Movements

The āṅgikābhinaya includes the histrionic representation of the limbs which is simply known as physical gestures. In the Nāṭyaśāstra, three kinds of physical gestures are accepted. The gestures expressed with major classification of the body parts are termed as śarīra i.e., physical expression, mukhaja i.e., facial expression and ceṣṭākṛta i.e., different movements of the entire body.^[1] The movements of the aṅgas fall in the śarīra type of gesture and the expressions of upāṅgas fall under the mukhaja type of gesture.

The aṅgas i.e., major classification of the body parts are six in numbers viz.,

1. head,
2. hands,
3. chest,
4. sides,
5. waist and
6. feet.

The upāṅgas denote different parts of the face. These are also six in numbers viz.,

1. eyes,
2. eyebrows,
3. nose,
4. lower lip,
5. cheeks and
6. chin.^[2]

The movements of limbs used to bear a great importance in dramatic representation. These are discussed in detail here.

i) Head Movements:

In the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, seven types of movements of the head are recorded. These are termed as:

1. ākasmika,
2. kampita,
3. udyuta,
4. vidhuta,
5. parivāhita,
6. udvāhita and
7. abadhuta.

Among those ākasmika denotes giving lecture, asking questions and natural talk.^[3] Kampita i.e., shivering head shows anger, threatening, arguing etc.^[4] Udyuta i.e., slowly shaken head shows grief, astonishment etc.^[5] Vidhuta type of movement expresses suffering by cold or old age or because of the consumption of liquor.^[6] Parivāhita type of movement shows achievement, joy and sportiveness.^[7] Udvāhita movements shows raised head with pride^[8] and abadhuta movement indicates massages, conversation etc. In the Nāṭyaśāstra also, similar types of opinion has been given.^[9] But in the Abhinayadarpaṇa nine kinds of head movements are accepted.^[10] In the Abhinayadarpaṇa the varieties viz., udvāhita, kampita and parivāhita are seen to be accepted like the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa.

ii) Chest Movements:

There are five kinds of chest movements accepted by the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa as well as the Nāṭyaśāstra^[11] .These are—

1. ābhugna,
2. nirbhugna,
3. prakampita,
4. udvāhita and
5. sama.^[12]

Different movements of chest indicate different situations in a Drama. The terms ābhugna and nirbhugna projects the word bhugna which means being crooked because of illness^[13] . The movement called ābhugna denotes the position in which someone acts to be killed by weapon or suffering from heart diseases. The Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa speaks that in this position the actor should hold the chest by hand.^[14] This posture can be observed even in modern theatrical performances. In the term nirbhugna, the word bhugna is preceded by the prefix nir, which is used to denote the opposite form.^[15] So, the opposite of the word bhugna is nirbhugna which means not crooked. Justifying the meaning of the term nirbhugna, the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa suggests that in the position of nirbhugna, the actor should slightly stiff the chest to show the status of pride. At the time of laughing, weeping or showing fear, the chest is thrown up and it is called prakampita movement.^[16] In the udvāhita movement, the cheast postion is kept slightly upward to show normal breathing and also yawning.^[17] Again when the chest is kept in a normal position with elegant posture it is called sama.^[18]

iii) Waist Movements:

The term kaṭi is used to denote the waist part in Sanskrit. This word is used in both masculine and feminine gender in Sanskrit.^[19] The Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa seems to take the word kaṭi in feminine gender and makes the divisions of waist movements in feminine gender.

Five types of waist movements are accepted here. These are—

1. prakampitā,
2. vicchinā,
3. nivṛttā,
4. recitā and
5. udvāhitā.

This book explains all these in a projected manner. Prakampitā i.e slightly shaking movement should be adopted in the walking of hunch backs, dwarfs and persons of short height.^[20] Recitā should be adopted in going for a walk and udvāhitā should be taken in sportive movement by uplifting the waist part in a certain way.^[21] In vicchinā movement, the middle portion of waist should be undulated and adopted to show doing exercise and looking over the shoulders.^[22] When someone turns back and the actor focus the back of that person, at that time the actor should take the nivṛttā movement.^[23]

iv) Side Movements:

There are five kinds of side movements accepted in the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa and these are—

1. samunnata,
2. nata,
3. prasārita,
4. vivartita and
5. apasṛta.

Samunnata movement should be adopted to show retreat. The term nata denotes the action of saluting someone.^[24] According to the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa nata movement is adopted in approaching someone. The prasārita movement shows triumph, happiness and joy. The term prasārita means expanded.^[25] Vivartita movement is taken to take circular movement and apasṛta movement is taken to show fear^[26] whereas the Nāṭyaśāstra suggests it as the movement adopted in returning.^[27] In the Nāṭyaśāstra, the side movement called unnata is mentioned which suggests the position of going backward.^[28] The side movement called samunnata is not accepted in the Nāṭyaśāstra.

v) Nose Movements:

In Sanskrit the term nāsikā is used to denote nose. Nāsikā is a feminine term and that is why in the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa as well as in the Nāṭyaśāstra, the varieties of nose movements have been mentioned in feminine gender.

Six kinds of nose movements are accepted in the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa^[29] as well as in the Nāṭyaśāstra.^[30] These are—

1. natā,
2. mandā,
3. vikṛṣṭā,
4. socchvāsā,
5. vikūṇitā and
6. svābhāvikī.

If a person feels good smell by taking long breath with his nose, the movement is called socchvāsā and if the smell is pungent than the nostrils automatically become contracted upward and this position is called vikṛṣṭa movement.^[31] Likewise natā i.e., bent nostrils denote pleasant state, mandā i.e., lowered nostrils denote the unpleasant state, vikūṇitā i.e., nostrils drawn together shows disgust and svābhāvikī denotes nose in normal position.^[32] In this context the Nāṭyaśāstra explains the positions of nose as—in natā position, the lobes of the nose should cling for a while.^[33] In mandā, the lobes should be in rest position. Rest of the positions is explained by the Nāṭyaśāstra as it is found in the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa.^[34]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

trividhastvāṅgiko dṛṣṭaḥ śārīro mukhajastathā/ tathā ceṣṭākṛtaścaiva śākhāṅgopāṅgasaṃyutaḥ// Nāṭyaśāstra, 8.11

[2]:

tasya śirohastoraḥpārśvakaṭīpādataḥ ṣaḍaṅgāni/ netrabhrūnāsādharakapolacibukānyupāṅāni// Ibid., 8.13

[3]:

svabhāvādṛjunorvāmakṣepeṇākasmikaṃ sakṛt/ Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, 3.24.1

[4]:

bahuśaḥ kathitaṃ yacca tadā kampitamiṣyate/ roṣatarjanatarkeṣu pratijñāsu ca dṛśyate// Ibid., 3.24.2-3

[5]:

śiraso recanaṃ yattu śanaistadyutamiṣyate/ Ibid., 3.24.3

[6]:

vidhutaṃ nāmataḥ proktaṃ tathā pārścavikampanaiḥ/ śītagraste jvarārte ca matte ca jvarite bhavet// Ibid., 3.24.4-5.

[7]:

parirārhitaṃ sādhane vismaye harṣe līlāyāṃca tadiṣyate/ Ibid., 3.24.6

[8]:

sakṛdudvāhitaṃ cordhaṃ tadudvāhitamiṣyate/ ucchrāye darśane garve tattathordhvanirīkṣaṇe// Ibid., 3.24.1-7.

[9]:

Nāṭyaśāstra, 8. 17-29

[10]:

samamudvāhitamadhomukhamālolitaṃ dhutaṃ/ kampitaṃ ca parāvṛttamutkṣiptaṃ parivāhitaṃ// Abhinayadarpaṇa, 49.

[11]:

Nāṭyaśāstra, 10.1

[12]:

Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, 3.24.25

[13]:

bhugnaḥ…rogādinā kuṭilīkṛtaḥ/ Śabdakalpadruma, Vol.3. p.518

[14]:

śastakṣate vighāte ca hṛdroge ca tadiṣyate/ Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, 3.24.27

[15]:

nir…pratilomyam/ Nirukta, 1.3

[16]:

Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, 3.24.27-28

[17]:

udvāhitaṃ yadūrdhvaṃ tu tadudvāhitamucyate/ ūrdhvaṃ nigamite kāryaṃ jṛmbhiteṣu prayogataḥ/ Ibid., 3.24.29-30

[18]:

samaṃ nāma vijñeyaṃ sauṣṭhaveṣu tat/ Ibid., 3.24.30

[19]:

kaṭiḥ, puṃ, strī… abdakalpadrumaŚ, Vol.2, p.9

[20]:

niścitodvāhanāccaiva tathaivaodvāhitā matā/ nīca vāmanakubjānāṃ gatau kāryāṃ pakampitā// Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, 3.24.41

[21]:

recitā recite kāryā anyā līlāgate tridhā/ Ibid., 3.24.43

[22]:

vyāyāme tvatha samprāpte vyāvṛttaprekṣiteṣu ca/
chinnā kāryā kaṭistajajñairnivṛttā vartiteṣu ca// Ibid.3.24.42

[23]:

paraṅgmukhasyābhimukhī nivṛttā parikīrtitā/ Ibid., 3.24.40

[24]:

Monier Monier Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary, p.525

[25]:

V.S Apte, The Student’s Sanskrit English Dictionary, p.766

[26]:

asya caivopagamanādbhavedapasṛtaṃ punaḥ/ nataṃ tvapasṛte kāryaṃ connataṃ tūpasarpite// prasārite praharṣādau trāse cāpasṛte punaḥ// Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, 3.40.34

[27]:

……..vinivṛte tvapasṛtaṃ…./ Nāṭyaśāstra, 10.17

[28]:

…….unnataṃ cāpasarpaṇe/ Ibid., 10.16

[29]:

natā mandā vikṛṣṭā ca socchvāsā kūṇitānatā/ svābhāvike ca kartavyā prayoge nāsikā budhaiḥ// Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, 3.25.62-63

[30]:

Nāṭyaśāstra, 8.126-127

[31]:

vikṛṣṭā kuñcitā cordhvaṃ socchāsā bāyupūritā/ Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, 3.25.64

[32]:

natā tu rucite kāryā mandā śoke vidhīyate/ vikūṇitā jugupsāyāṃ śeṣā svābhāvikī matā// Ibid., 3.25.65-66

[33]:

natā muhuḥśliṣṭapuṭā……../ Nāṭyaśāstra, 8.127

[34]:

Ibid., 8.128