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Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c13.s5: (5) Music and Dancing

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c13.s5

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(5) Music and Dancing

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The people of ancient India loved music as we have already seen Not only kings and nobles were surrounded with musicians and dancers but even ordinary people loved singing and dancing or hearing and witnessing others doing so. The seventy two arts, referred to above, included the arts of dancing (*naṭṭa*), singing(*gīta*), vocal music (*saragaya*), instrumental music (*vāditta*), drum music (*pukkharagaya*), and timing in music (*samatāla*), which shows that music and dancing were widely cultivated in ancient India.²³

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²³ For characteristics of Indian music, see Coomaraswamy’s *The Dance of Śiva*, pp. 72-81.

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On the occasions of feasts and festivals we come across men and women dancing and making merry We have seen, during the festival of the god of Love in Vānārasī how Citta and Sambhūya, who were versed in the art of singing and dancing, captivated the heart of the citizens, specially of the womenfolk, by playing on tisaraya, venu (flute) and vīnā (lute).⁸⁴ Udayana is mentioned as a great musician who by his music could control the loose elephants He was asked by king Pajjoya to teach music to the princess Vāsavadattā ⁸⁵ Uddāyana was another musician king, who used to play vīnā while his queen danced ⁸⁶

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⁸⁴ Also cf Avadāna sataka III, 30, p 163, II 17, p 93, also ‘the Parts of a Vinā’, by A K Coomaraswamy, J A O S , Vol 50-3, 1930

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⁸⁵ Āa cū II, p 161.

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⁸⁶ Uttarā Ṭī 18, p 253

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Music was accompanied by pipes (vamsa), vīnā (tanti), clapping (tala) and the rhythmic beating of the drum (tālalaya), following the instrumental music (gaha).⁸⁷ Even svaras (notes) are mentioned in the Thānānga According to the Jain tradition, a full description of the svaras and the eleven alankāras (rhetoric) was contained in the Svaraprābhṛta, one of the fourteen Pūrvas, which is extinct now. It is stated that this subject should be studied from the works of Bharata, Visākhila and others which are only a part of the Pūrvas Then are mentioned the seven places of origin of the svaras, the birds and beasts that utter these notes, the musical instruments which give rise to these notes, the advantages occuring from singing these notes, three grāmas (gamut), twenty one mūrcchanās (intonation), qualities and defects of singing, and the like ⁸⁸

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⁸⁷ Rāya sū 63

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⁸⁸ Thā 7 553 , Jīvā. Ṭī , 3, p 103af, Anu sū 127, Anu cū , p 45, also see Śārngadeva's Sangita Ratnākar, ch I, Poona, 1896, Nātyasāstra, ch 28

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Various musical instruments (turiya) are referred to, which may be classified as under . tata (stringed instruments) such as vīnā etc., vitata or ānaddha (percussion) such as drums etc , ghana (concussion) such as symbols etc , and susva (wind instruments) such as lute etc The Rāyāpasenīya mentions the following sixty instruments · (1) sankha, (2) singa, (3) sankhiyā, (4) kharamuhī, (5) peyā, (6) pinpunyā, (7) panava, (8) paḍaha, (9) bhambhā (also known as dhakkā), (10) horambhā (also known as mahādhakkā), (11) bherī, (12) jhallarī, (13) dunduhī, (14) muraya, (15) munga, (16) nandī munga, (17) ālinga, (18) kulumba, (19) gomuhī, (20) maddala, (21) vīnā, (22) vipañcī, (23) vallakī, (24) mahatī, (25) kacchabhī, (26) cittavīnā, (27) baddhīsā, (28) sughosā, (29) nandighosā, (30) bhāmarī, (31) chabbhāmarī, (32) paravāyanī, (33) tūnā, (34) tumbavīnā, (35) āmota, (36) jhañjhā, (37) nakula, (38) mugunda, (39) hudukkī, (40) vicikkī, (41) karadā, (42) ḍindima, (43) kuniya, (44) kadamba, (45) daddariyā, ⁸⁹ (46) daddaragā, (47) kalasiyā, (48) maḍḍaya, (49) tala, (50) tāla, (51) kaṃsatāla, (52) ringiriyā, (53) lattiyā, (54) magariyā, (55) sumsumāriyā, (56) vaṃsa, (57) veḷu, (58) vāḷī, (59) parillī and (60) baddhagā.⁹⁰

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⁸⁹ Also known as goha

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⁹⁰ Sū 64. The Bṛh. Bhā Pi (p. 12) mentions the twelve musical instruments bham-bhā, mukunda, maddala, kadamba or kadava, jhallari, hudukka, kamsāle, kāhala, talimā, vamsa, panava and sankha, see also Bṛh Bhā Pi 24, also Bhag 5 4, Jīvā 3, p 145 a, Jambu 2, p 100 f, Anu Sū 127, Nisī cū 17, p 1158. The last mentioned work adds damaruga, vīṇā, dhankuna and the like The Ācā (II 391) adds lattiya and kirikiriyā The Sūya (4 2 7) mentions kukkayaya (lute) and venupalāsīya lute, the latter was a thin piece of bamboo or bark held between the teeth and the left hand, and played by the right hand just like a vīṇā (com) Also see Sangīta-ratnākara, chapter 6 where the details of the musical instruments are given. The Rāmāyaṇa, V 11, 38 ff. mentions madduka, pataha, vamsa, vipañcī, mṛdaṅga, panava, dindima, ādambara and kalasī, also see Mahābhā. VII 82 4.

Dance

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Music is incomplete without dance and expression. Dance has found copious mention in Indian literature from the earliest period.⁹¹ We are told that Meghakumāra after marrying eight girls passed the time happily in his palace, having before him plays of thirty two performers, accompanied with song and music of drums played by damsels.⁹²

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⁹¹ Three types of Śiva dances are mentioned in Hindu literature (1) evening dance in the Himālaya with a divine chorus which was the source of all movement within the cosmos, (2) Tāndava dance was performed in cemeteries and burning grounds which released the countless souls of men from the snare of illusion, (3) Naḍanta dance of Natarāja was performed before the assembly in the golden hall of Chidambaram or Tillai, the centre of the universe which shows that the place of dance, the centre of the universe is within the heart (Coomaraswamy, op cit, pp 56 f, 65, also C R Srīnivasa Aiyangar, Cultural aspects of Indian Music and Dancing, The Cultural Heritage of India, Vol. III, p 586.

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⁹² Nāyā 1, p 23.

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The Rāyapaseniya describes thirty two kinds of dramas :

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(1) The first dance drama was shown with the accompaniment of orchestral music representing the eight symbols, viz. sotthiya (svastika*) sīrivaccha, naṃdiyāvatta,⁹³ vaddhamānaga,* bhaddāsana, kalasa, maccha and dappana.

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⁹³ Svastika, vardhamāna and naṃdyāvarta are also mentioned in the Mahābhā. (VII, 82. 20) In the com. of the Aṅguttara, naṃdyāvatta is mentioned as the name of a fish (Malalsekara, op. cit., Vol. II, p. 29).

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(2) In this dance drama were shown āvaḍa, paccāvaḍa, seḍhī, paseḍhī, sotthiya, sovatthiya, pūsa, mānavaka, vaddhamānaga, macchaṇḍa, magaranda, jāra, māra phullāvalī, paumapatta,* sāgarataranga, vasantalatā and paumalayabhatticitta.*

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(3) In this they showed īhāmiga, usabha, naraturaga, magara,* vihaga, vālaga, kinnara, ruru, sarabha, camara, kuñjara,* vanalayā, and puamalayabhatticitta.

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(4) In this they showed egao vanka, egao cakkavāla, duhao cakkavāla, cakkaddhacakkavāla.

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(5) In this was the representation of āvalis such as caṇḍāvalī, sūrāvalī, vaḷyāvalī, haṃsāvalī,* egāvalī, tārāvalī, muttāvalī, kanagāvalī, and rayaṇāvalī.

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(6) In this was shown the rise of the sun and the moon such as caṇḍuggamana and suruggamaṇa.

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(7) In this was shown the movement of sun and moon such as *candāgamana* and *sūrāgamana*
(8) It showed the lunar and solar eclipse such as *candāvaraṇa* and *sūrāvaraṇa*
(9) It showed the setting of sun and moon such as *candatthamaṇa* and *sūratthamaṇa*
(10) It showed the *candamaṇḍala, sūramaṇḍala, nāgamaṇḍala, jakkhamaṇḍala, bhūtamaṇḍala, rakkhasamaṇḍala, mahoragamaṇḍala* and *gandhabbamaṇḍala*.*
(11) It showed the gait of *usabhamaṇḍala, sīhamaṇḍala, hayavilambiya, gajavilambiya, hayavilasita, gayavilasita, mattahayavilasita, mattagajavilasita, mattahayavilambiya, mattagajavilambiya*, and *duyavilambiya*
(12) It showed *sāgarapaṇibhatti* and *nāgarapaṇibhatti*.
(13) It showed the drama of *Nandā* and *Campā*
(14) It showed *macchardapaṇibhatti, mayaraṇḍakapaṇibhatti, jārapaṇibhatti* and *mārapaṇibhatti*
(15) It showed the representation of letters from ‘ka’ to ‘ṇa’.
(16) It showed the representation of ‘ca’ to ‘ña’.
(17) It showed the representation of ‘ta’ to ‘ṇa’.
(18) It showed the representation of ‘ta’ to ‘ṇa’.
(19) It showed the representation of ‘pa’ to ‘ma’.
(20) It showed *asoyapallārapaṇibhatti, ambapallavapaṇibhatti, jambupallavapaṇibhatti*, and *kosambapallavapaṇibhatti*.
(21) It represented *paumalayāpaṇibhatti, nāga, asoga, campaka, amba, vaṇa, vāsantī, kunda, atimuttaya*, and *sāmalayāpaṇibhatti*.
(22) *Duya (druta)* dance *
(23) *Vilambiya* dance.
(24) *Duyavilambiya* dance.
(25) *Añcita* dance *
(26) *Ribhita* dance
(27) *Añcitarihita* dance
(28) *Arabhaṭa* dance *
(29) *Bhasola* dance *
(30) *Arabhaṭabhasola* dance
(31) *Uppayanivayapatta, saṅkuciya, pasāriya, rayāraiya*,† and *bhantasambhānta* dance
(32) In this drama the actors and actresses forming a row represented the story of Mahāvīra's early life, his conception, exchange of foetus, birth, lustration, boyhood, youth, sexual sport, renunciation, penance, attainment of kevalahood, the propagation of his message and finally his nirvāṇa 94

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- *Recakarecita* in the Jambū
* These are mentioned in the Bharata's *Nātyaśāstra* It mentions *gajadanta* in place of *kuñjara* (5) *hamsapakṣa* and *hamsapaksaka* in place of *hamsālikā* (6), it gives twenty kinds of *maṇḍala* (7), and mentions *bhrāmara* in place of *bhovola* (11), and *recita* instead of *recakarecita* (12); see Bhag. Pt II (Bechardas ed ), p 43.

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Then other dramas known as mahuyarīgiya and soyāmani are mentioned 95 The Pinda niryukti refers to the ratthavāla drama which was staged in Pātaliputra by the monk Āsādhabhūi It depicted the life of Bhārata, the universal monarch, and it is stated that after seeing this drama a large number of kings and princes retired from the worldly life and joined the ascetic order Later on, thinking that the drama might do great harm to the world and the earth may be devoid of the Ksatryas, it was destroyed.⁹⁶

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⁹⁶ 471-480

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