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THE HISTORY OF INDIAN Classical DRAMA BHARATA'S NATYASHASTRA. 

INTRODUCTION:

      Natyashastra has been given the status of the Fifth (5th) Veda. It contain the ancient Indian treaties on the performing arts that is theatre, music and dance. This book was written in the form of dialogues between sage Bharata and other sages. It was compiled between 200 BC and 200 AD. It contain 36,000 shlokas in verse style. There are total 36 chapter in it. There is generally misconception that drama, theatre and music are western gifts to India. Still it is a matter of discussion for scholars that whether Bharata Muni is the writer or compiler of the Natyashastra.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

      There is not much information about the author of Natyashastra. Many scholars believe that the author of Natyashastra is Rishi Bharata.

SUMMARY (NOTES) OF NATYASHATRA:

Natyashastra is composed of two word, “Natya” which means “act” and “Shastra” which means “rule or treaties”. The Natyashastra is ancient Indian treaties on the performing arts encompasses theatre, music and dance. It is considered as the fifth Veda and the most famous works of Sanskrit language. It was written in the forms of dialogue between the sage Bharata and other sages. Its first complete compilation is dated to between 200 BC and 200  AD. The book consist of 36 chapters and 6000 verses in it. The subjects are covered by treaties include dramatic composition, structure of play and construction of stage, genres of acting, make up, body language, director, music etc.  Natyashastra is based upon the much older Gandhrava Veda. 
It is believed that he collected different knowledge, wisdom and experience from the four Veda and compiled it into one book named Natyashastra. The four Vedas are:-
1. Rig-Veda
2. Yajur-Veda
3. Sama-Veda
4. Atharva-Veda
 
Rig Veda is the oldest Veda. The word Bharata has its own meaning and expresses three thing- 
  1.     BHA: bhava (bhao)
  2.      RA: rasa 
  3.      TA: taal

TYPE OF RASA:                                                              

RASAREPRESENTED GOD                       
1
Shringar Rasa
Lord Vishnu
Delight
2
Hasya Rasa
Goddess Pramata
Laugh
3
Karuna Rasa
Lord Yama
Sorrow
4
Raudra Rasa
Rudra
Anger
5
Veera Rasa
Mahendra
Heroism
6
Bhayanka Rasa
Kala
Fear
7
Vibhasta Rasa
Lord Shiva
Disgust 
8
Adbhuta Rasa
Lord Brahma
Wonder
The Natyashastra consist of four element i.e. text taken from the Rig-Veda, songs from the Sama-Veda, acting from the Yajur-Veda and rasa or aesthetic experience from the Atharva-Veda.
The (1) first chapter of Natyashastra tell about the response and involvement of the spectator in the drama. The (2) second chapter describe the method of building different type of stage. The (3) third chapter he talked about the religious ceremony to be performed in the auditorium ( an elaborated puja of god and goddess ). The (4) forth chapter being with the story of Amritamanthama, i.e., ‘churning of the Nectar’, a Samavakara  performed according to Brahma’s  instructions on the peak of Kailasa, witnessed by Lord Shiva.
 Various aspect related to dance and music have discussed at length in the fourth (4) and fifth (5) chapter. Here is some name of Indian Classical dance:
 1.      Bharatanatyam: Tamil Classical Dance
 2.      Odissi: Odisha Classical Dance
 3.      Kuchipudi: Telegu Classical Dance 
 4.      Manipuri: Manipur Classical Dance
 5.      Mohiniaattam: Kerala Classical Dance
 6.      Sattriya: Assamese Classical Dance
 7.      Kathakali: Kerala Classical Dance
 8.      Kathak: North Indian Classical Dance
The only two dance style that have their origin in Bharata’s Natyashastra are Bharatanatyam and Odissi. In the sixth (6) Bharata Muni has given special emphasis on “rasas” and discuss about the nature of rasas.in this chapter he talked about the process by which different type of rasas are generated. According to Bharata Muni there are eight type of rasa:             
Shringar Rasa
Hasya Rasa
Karuna Rasa
Raudra Rasa
Veera Rasa
Bhayanka Rasa
Vibhasta Rasa
Adbhuta Rasa
In the seventh (7) chapter of Natyashastra a detail description of Bhavas, Vibhavas, Anubhavas and Vyabhichar has been given. Bharata Muni talks about the requirement of these bhava for the generation of Rasa. In chapter eighth (8) to thirteenth (13) Bharata Muni explains about the physical and spoken presentation on the stage which is very initial for generation of various kind of rasas. Pure acting is a major requirement for effective generation of Rasas.
In the fourteenth (14) chapter Bharata Muni shows how scenery is to be set on the stage. Further Bharata Muni classifies drama in twentieth (20) chapter.in the 21th chapter different ingredients have been talked about by Bharata Muni. In the 22nd chapter Bharata Muni highlights the distinct feature of four style of acting. These styles were;
1.      Eloquent
2.      Glamorous Style
3.      The Great Style
4.      The Vigorous Style
In the 23rd chapter deals with male qualities and patterns of sexual behaviour as well as classification and stage feminine youth. Chapter 24th chapter counts the type of characters in Sanskrit drama. Chapter 25th deals with picture acting, defines the specific way of expressing different states and objects, and the use gesture, posture, gaits, walking and theatrical agreements. 26th chapter presents the principles of makeup and nature of dramatic image.
The further chapters 27th to 30th deals with music, songs and instruments. Chapter 31st deals with cymbals, tala, rhythm and musical cycles. Chapter 32nd explaining dhniva songs. Chapter 33rd tilts the qualities of instrumentalists and vocalist. Chapter 34th relates the origin and nature of drums. In the 35th and 36th chapter, Bharata Muni shows how to assign different roles to actor and actress.

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