Hasta Mudra Glossary

Abhaya means the absence of fear. This hand is used commonly in benevolent forms of deities to symbolize the offering of their blessings.
Acharya Parvati Kumar
Based in Mumbai, India, a scholar, choreographer, and dance master, Parvati Kumar has been deeply involved with in the field for more than 60 years. His contributions and awards are numerous. Over the course of many years, Parvati Kumar applied himself to an in-depth study of an entire repertoire of compositions by the Maratha rulers of Tanjavur. He has studied and choreographed the entire verses of the Abhinaya Darpana. His interest in preservation of some of these ancient, and almost extinct texts, has led him to develop a system of notation that can be useful for dancers and choreographers.
Angika Abhinaya
The Abhinaya Darpana refers to four different types of abhinaya, or communication. Literally, abhinaya means to bring forth. What is brought forth while communicating is meaning. The four ways in which meaning can be communicated on stage are: 1. Angika or body language and movement. This category includes the use of hasta mudras. 2. Vachika or spoken word. This would include poetry and dialogue. 3. Aharya or costume and make up. Any costumes depicting a particular character can immediately communicate to the audience. 4. Sattvika or involuntary emotional and physical reactions. For example, when a performer is totally immersed, real tears may flow when he/she feels deeply during a performance. In a successful performance, all four are said to be present.
Anjali hasta
Anjali hasta is commonly known as the prayer hand. It is one of the bilateral hasta mudras mentioned both by Bharata in the Natya Shasta, as well as Nandikeshvara in the Abhinaya Darpana.
Whether Bharata was a historical person or whether the author gave himself the name is a question with no clear answer. From the Natya Shastra’s mode of presentation it would be reasonable to assume that whoever Bharata was, he did belong to a community of artists, dancers, poets, and musicians who shared a worldview. This was a mythology that was conversant with the Vedic scriptures, as well as adept at actual performance.
Ganesha, literally is Leader of the army of attendants, is the son of Shiva and Parvati. Given an elephant head due to special circumstances, Ganesha is considered to be an embodiment of the cosmic force that negates any obstacles in our path to success. Hindus pay obeisance to Ganesha before embarking upon any new endeavor.
Hamsasya hasta
When the thumb and forefinger touch each other and the others remain outstretched, the hasta is called Hamsasya, or swan’s beak. This is known as Jnana Mudra, sign of knowledge, in most healing arts. The circle formed by the forefinger joined with the thumb allows the energy to re-circulate from the heart center out to the fingers and back and is therefore used in meditation and yogic practices.
Kapittha hasta
Kapittha, elephant-apple, is made by curling the forefinger on top of the thumb in a thumbs up. Kapittha is often used in sculptural representation of deities to hold various items such as a rope, ankh, hook, flower, or fan.
Karana means “to do or to make”. In his chapter on dance in the Natya Shastra, Bharata describes 108 brief movement phrases utilizing specific leg, hip, body, and arm movements accompanied by hasta mudras. These movements have fallen out of the Bharata Natyam repertoire but are being revived by many dancers and researchers since the 1960’s. Tamil kings and sculptors have managed to perpetuate the karanas of Bharata’s age through an authentic sculptural codification generally representing the final position of the movement. Only five Southern temples contain the karanas, out of which the Chidambaram temple presents the complete set of 108.
Karihastakam, literally means “elephant’s trunk”, is described by Bharata as follows,”The left hand is placed across the chest. The right hand is in Prodveshtita Tala. The legs are in Anchita.” One can see that the left hand represents the trunk and the right hand is the elephant’s ear.
Krishna, literally means one who attracts, is a popular deity within Hindu mythology. Born to a cowherd family, Krishna’s life is filled with stories of amazing feats and divine acts. As a child, Krishna was forever getting into trouble by stealing pots of butter, teasing the milkmaids, and playing pranks. Krishna is said to be the divine incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself. The Bhagavat Gita, sacred scripture of Hindus, is a transcription of dialogue between Lord Krishna and Prince Arjuna in which Krishna teaches the essence of life and the true nature of being.
Lord Shiva
Shiva, the third deity of the Hindu trinity, represents the all—union that lies beyond all dualities. He is identified with the immensity of the cosmos. His trident is a symbol of his power to control the three cosmic functions of creation, sustenance, and destruction. He is represented in a variety of forms, most often as a yogi. Complementing his masculine physicality is his consort, Parvati, who represents feminine creative energy.
The author of the Abhinaya Darpana is thought to have been a follower of Shiva who lived in southern India possibly around the 3rd century A.D. His authorship is attributed to other texts on dramatic performance as well, but again, evidence if sparse.
Natya refers to dramatics or histrionics, specifically when a performer takes on the role of a particular character. Natya is also used as an all-encompassing term that includes the arts of stage performance such as acting, narration, dance, singing.
There are volumes written about the theory of Rasa, which has been described as a state of being and an aesthetic experience. Rasa is the satisfied feeling one finds after watching a great horror film, a sad love story, or any performance that is deeply moving. Ultimately, it has everything to do with the suspended disbelief of the audience member, allowing him/her to enter into the world created by a highly skilled performer.
Sannatam, literally means “hands well bent”, is the 75th karana which is described by Bharata as follows, “Jump up and place the legs in Swastika in front. At the same time keep the hands in Dola. The jumping should be in Harinapluta. The hands should be in Sannata and Dola.” This translation is taken from Tandava Lakshanam, 3rd ed., published by Munshiram Manoharlal in 1980.
Sanskrit literally means “Well made or well constructed”. It is considered a classical language that forms the basis for most of the indigenous Indian languages. Sanskrit is written phonetically and has a vast grammatical structure. Rarely spoken today, many ancient texts of significance are written in the form Sanskrit poetry.
Shikhara hasta
Shikhara, or peak, is the thumbs up sign. It is used to denote holding a bow and the Symbol of Shiva (Shiva Lingam) among others.
Shirdi Sai Baba
He was a wandering saint in the early 1900’s who traveled around the state of Maharashtra. No one knew his origins or his religious background since he quoted and ascribed to both Hindu and Muslim faiths. He lived the life of a real monk in which he begged for alms and distributed the collection among the poor and sick. He was known to have performed many miracles in his lifetime including the healing of lepers.
Trishula hasta
Trishula refers to the trident that is wielded by Lord Shiva. It is most often used to indicate the number 3.

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