Abhinaya in Sanskrit dramaturgy denotes different efforts of an actor on stage to communicate different layers of intention and plot to the audience. In the act of abhinaya, the Sanskrit books of drama theory prescribe the blend of physical activities, the spectacle, and even the thought process during the performance of the play. Bharata’s the Natyasastra and Nandikeshvara’s Abhinayadarpana are the authentic works on Indian tradition of Abhinaya. The Natyasastra available in 36 (at some places mention of 37) chapters describes various aspects related with Abhinaya, and generally recorded as the first source book on the subject.
Sanskrit word, Natya, is a comprehensive term and covers the patterns of acting, dancing, and music dancing. Coomaraswamy finds it “a deliberate art” where
nothing is left to chance; the actor no more yields to the impulse of the moment in gesture than in the spoken word. When the curtain rises, indeed, it is too late to begin the making of a new work of art....
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References
Coomaraswamy A, Duggirala G (1917) Introduction the mirror of gesture being the Abhinaya Darpana (Translation of Nandikesvara’s Abhinaya Darpana). Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1917
Bharatamuni. The Natyasastra (trans: Adya Rangacharya (1996)). Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi. p. 54
Bharatamuni. The Natyasastra (trans: Adya Rangacharya (1996)). Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi. p. 76
Bharatamuni. The Natyasatra (trans: Adya Rangacharya (1996)). Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi. p. 76
Bharatamuni. The Natyasatra (trans: Adya Rangacharya (1996)). Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi. p. 76
Bharatamuni. The Natyasatra (trans: Adya Rangacharya (1996)). Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi. p. 76
Kantak VY (1988) Bharata and Western concept of drama. In: Kushwaha MS (ed) Indian poetics and Western thought. Argo, Lucknow. p. 66
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Singh, R.P. (2019). Abhinaya. In: Jain, P., Sherma, R., Khanna, M. (eds) Hinduism and Tribal Religions. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_38-1
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