Abhinaya Dharpana

A comprehensive text describing various gestures, postures, and movements in the dance is inscribed on the Abhinaya Darpana of Nandikesvara. He was a scholar who excelled in the theoretical principles of dance, music, and other branches of knowledge. The two works on dance are traditionally attributed to Nandikesvara, the Abhinaya Darpana, and Bharatanava. The date of Nandikesvara’s Abhinaya Darpana is uncertain. Scholars place it in or near medieval times because it divides dance into three branches: Nritta, Nritya, and Natya. But such distinctions did not emerge about the twelfth century before the time of Sangeeta-Ratnakar (13th century). At the same time, Abhinaya Darpana sees Tandava and Lasya as forms of masculine and feminine dances, which was again an approach, which was adopted during the medieval period.

Abhinaya literally means moving towards the viewer and Abhinaya Darpana describes it very elaborately in four kinds. Angika-Abhinaya or gesture is an essential part of the dance language. It is that which expresses the bhavas (states) in Nritya through bodily gestures and movements (Angika). And the second element of Abhinaya is Aharya, the costumes of the cast, and other accessories on stage. Abhinaya also contains elements of Vachika and Sathvika to suggest thoughts and emotional states of action, “Bhaved abhinaya vasthanukarana”. In drama and dance, Angika-Abhinaya plays an artistic gesture, which is controlled by the character’s bearing, walking and characteristics, and the movements of the limbs. It follows the stylized theatrical genre of depiction.

Abhinaya Darpana mainly deals with Angika-Abhinaya (body movements) or gesture language of the dance and is a text that is used extensively by Bharatanatyam dancers. It describes the major parts of the head, neck, torso, waist, and of forearm (Anga), Eyes, eyebrows, nose, lower lip, cheeks, and lower part of the chin (Upanga) and Pratyanga (neck, abdomen, thighs, knees back and shoulders, etc.) and expressions on the pattern. The text specifies when the Anga move, Pratyanga, and Upanga also move accordingly. The text also describes how such movements and expressions should be put to use in a dance sequence. Abhinaya Darpana is widely used as a practically reliable guide by performing artists, teachers, and learners to improve and refine Angika-Abhinaya’s technique.

Bharatanatyam as taught and practiced today is closely associated with Abhinaya Darpana, which is considered to be a kind of comprehensive training manual or a part of a course on the technique of dance body movements, especially dance Asanas related to dance aspects of performance. Nritta comes in angikabhinaya, which is a pure and abstract dance with graceful movements in the style of limbs, neck, head, hands, feet, etc., performed for music and especially rhythm. Here hastas (Nritta Hasthas) are not meant to convey any special meaning and they do not even communicate any emotion or rasa, but they contribute to the grace and beauty that dances provide. Nritta as angikabhinaya is so much more than a decorative element; it is actually a specific and technical aspect of a complete dance performance.

Nritya refers to an art that combines the beautiful movements of Nritta (angelic) with expressive gestures of the Hasthas to express thoughts, and feelings, and to indicate objects resulting in a complete piece of Abhinaya. The dancer must be in a fit physical position to emphasize the tunic in dance so that all dance movements can be performed with grace and agility, especially during glittering dance items according to the Laya (tempo) and tala (beat). The correct posture according to the text, which is the Anga-sausthava that helps to balance the interrelationships between body and mind, is the central component of dance and is most important for ease of execution and carriage.

Abhinaya Darpana lists the nine head gestures of the head, eight of the eyes, four of the neck, twenty-eight of the one hand, four additional gestures of the two, and twenty-three hand gestures of both hands representing different classes of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

Hand gestures to dance are variously related to the method of moving hands in dance and the nine planetary deities in general. Abhinaya Darpana also describes postures and extensions as the body moves in dance, especially on the feet. The carriage of the dancer’s body is codified with individual movements, such as are presented as mandalas or caranakas, which stand sixteen modes and rest the levitation, are bhramari or pirate, and finally Cari and Gatis.

Abhinaya Darpana describes the following types of gestures

1. Nine types of head gestures; Sirobheda (49-65)
2. Eight gestures of the eyes (glimpses) Drstibheda (66-79)
3. Four gestures of the neck Grivabheda (79-87)
4. Twenty-eight gestures with one hand Asamyukta Hasta (87-165) and four additional gestures (166-172)
5. Twenty-three gestures by combining the two hands (132-203)
6. Gestures representing Deity Devasthän (204-215)
7. Gestures representing incarnations of Vishnu Dasavatara Hasta (216-225)
8. Gestures representing different classes of people
9. Bandhawa Hasta (231-244) gestures to represent various relationships
10. Hand gestures for dance in general, and the method of moving hands in dance choreography (244-249)
11. Navagraha Hasta represents the nine planetary deities (250-258)

After treating gestures, it deals with postures and various body movements (259-332).

Depending on the body and its various movements that characterize a person, the following postures and movements of the body in relation to the feet (verse 259) are indicated.

1. Mandala and Charanakanda or Sixteen Ways to Stand and Relax (260-282)
2. Uptlavana i.e. Levitating or leaping five kinds of movements (282-289)
3. Bhramari or seven types of whirling movements (298-332)
4. Caris (Caribheda) and Gatis (gatibheda) or eighteen types of gaits (298-332)

Mandala, Utplavana, Bhramari, Cari, and Gatis are truly endless in their number and diversity in relation to each other. Their use in dance and drama should be learned from a Guru from the school tradition and the favor of good people and not otherwise (322-324). The treatment of eye gestures in Abhinaya Darpana (Drishtibedha verses 66-79) is not so elaborate. It only imagines the eight eye gestures, Same Alokita, Saci, Pralokita, Nimilita, Ullokita, Anuwrutta, and Avalokita. Abhinaya Darpana abs. discuss certain sub-features related functions such as eye-brow, eyelid, pupil-check nose, lips, cheeks, chin, mouth, and face.

Grivabheda (verses 79-87) in Abhinaya Darpana gives only four kinds of neck movements; Sundari, Tirascina, Parivartita, and Prakampita. Abhinaya Darpana also discusses works related to certain Pratyānga elements such as Thighs, Shanks, Belly, and Back (spine). It is said that Indian classical dances play an important role in joints rather than muscles. Hastha (hand gestures) generated through the movement of wrists and fingers is the portal to an entire language system that is expressed through animated gestures. Abhinaya Darpana has classified hand gestures into three categories; they differ in number in each category as well as in their definition and their usage.

Abhinaya Darpana in his verses 259-260 mentions mandala (postures), utplavana (leap), bhramari (whirls or turns), and cari or padacari (gait) as postures and movements related to the feet. These codify the dancer’s body with different movements that are presented as mandalas or Sthanakas, which are sixteen ways to stand and relax. Abhinaya Darpana, however, has only ten mandalas, and all are of the same class (verses 280-261) Sthanaka, Ayata, Alidha, Pratyalidha, Prenkhana, Prerita, Svastika, Motita, Samasuchi, and Parsvasuchi,

The classic dance forms of India developed various dance movements by adopting idioms and phrases from the original ‘grammar’ of Abhinaya Darpana. For example, Bharatanatyam derives aramandi from the semi-mandala or ayata as the original dance position, which stands with the knees slightly slanting and maintaining a distance of vitality between the two legs.

Abhinaya Darpana holds a unique place in the literature of classical Indian dance.

In the case of other ancient texts, Abhinaya Darpana is a text that is regularly consulted by practicing artists and students even today as a part of the learning process.