Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c13.s5.t1: Dance

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c13.s5.t1

Language
English

Dance

c13.s5.t1.1

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

c13.s5.t1.2

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.

c13.s5.t1.3

⁹² Nāyā 1, p 23.

c13.s5.t1.4

The Rāyapaseniya describes thirty two kinds of dramas :

c13.s5.t1.5

(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.

c13.s5.t1.6

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).

c13.s5.t1.7

(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.*

c13.s5.t1.8

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

c13.s5.t1.9

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

c13.s5.t1.10

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

c13.s5.t1.11

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

c13.s5.t1.12

(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

c13.s5.t1.13

- *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.

c13.s5.t1.14

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

c13.s5.t1.15

⁹⁶ 471-480

Linked texts (9)