Asamyuta Hasta Mudras | Single Hand Gestures in Bharatanatyam (Asamyuktha Hastas)

These gestures are done using a single hand, hence they are known as Asamyuta (read: uh-sum-you-tha) Hastas. I had earlier written a short post on hand gestures used in Bharatanatyam dance. Today, we will simply take the single hand gestures and see them more elaborately -

You can either call these as Asamyuta or Asamyukta Hastas. The Natyashastra mentions about 28 Mudras or Gestures. There are 4 new gestures added to this list - Kataka, Vyagraha, Ardhasuchi and Palli

Each of these gestures can be used for a variety of purposes in the dance. The uses of each Hasta are mentioned in a "Shlok" or "Hymn" and we call in "Viniyoga".

Sr.	Name – English	Name – in Hindi	Pronounciation	Meaning
1	Pataaka		Puh-thaa-kuh	Flag
2	Tripataaka		Three-puh-thaa-kuh	3 Parts of the Flag
3	Ardhapataaka		Uhr-dhuh-puh-thaa-kuh	Half Flag
4	Kartarimukha		Kuh-r-tha-ree-moo-kha	Scissors
5	Mayura		Muh-yoo-ra	Peacock
6	Ardhachandra		Uhr-dhuh Chandra	Half Moon
7	Araala		Uh-raala	Peak of mountain * (to verify)
8	Shukatunda		Shook-kha toonda	Parrot’s Head
9	Mushthi		Moosh-tee	Fist
10	Shikhara		She-kha-raa	Mountain Peak
11	Kapitta		Kuh-pee-tta	Goodness of wealth * (to verify)
12	Katakaamukha		Kuh-tuh-kaa moo-kha	Crab
13	Suchi		Soochee	Needle
14	Chandrakalaa		Chandra kalaa	Waxing Moon
15	Padmakosha		Puh-dh-muh koh-sha	Lotus Bud
16	Sarpashirsha		Suhr-puh-sheer-sha	Snake’s Hood
17	Mrigashirsha		Mri-guh sheersha	Deer’s Head
18	Simhamukha		Sim-huh mukha	Lion’s Face
19	Kaangula		Kaangoola	Water Lily
20	Alapadma		Uh-luh-padma	Flowering Lotus
21	Chatura		Ch-uh-tu-ra	Clever
22	Bhramara		Bhrah-muh-ra	Bee
23	Hamsaasya		Hum-saasya	Head of Swan
24	Hansapakshika		Hansa – puh-kshi-kaa	Wing of Swan
25	Sandamsha		Sun-dum-shuh	Tongs
26	Mukula		Moo-koo-luh	Flower Bud
27	Tamrachuda		Thaam-ruh choo-duh	Cock
28	Trishula		Three-shoola	Trident
29	Ardhasuchi		Uhr-dhuh Soochi	Half Needle
30	Vyaagraha		Vyaa - graha	Tiger
31	Palli		Palli	Knot
32	Katakaa		Kuh-tuh-kaa	Retsing place

 



In the coming posts, we will be seeing each gesture more elaborately.

Dhyana Shlokam (Dance Prayer) | Angikam Bhuvanam Yasya | Natyakriya Episode 03

source

Today, I'm going to tell y'll about Dhyaana Shlokam (read: dhi-yaa-nuh sh-loh-kum). It is traditional to start a dance practice with a dhyaana shlokam. 'DhyAna' is a Sanskrit word that means meditation and 'Shlokam' means a prayer.

This is a popular shloka in praise of Lord Shiva, who is said to be the King of Dance. The dancing form of Lord Shiva is known as 'Nataraja' (read: Nuh-tuh-raa-jaa).We have hand gestures (mudraas) for this Shlokam too. But we'll deal with that later.

Here's the video -

Bharatanatyam Postures or Positions | Samapadam, Aramandi, Muzhumandi | Natyakriya Episode 02

The three important positions in Bharatanatyam are -

1. Samapada (समपद)
2. Aramandi  or Ardha Mandalam (अर्ध मंडलम् )
3. Muzhu Mandi. (मुलु मण्डी )

A) Samapadam
A Bharatanatyam dancer begins from the samapada position which is a simple position in which the dancer's feet are facing forward, the body is erect - nether too relaxed nor too firm.

B) AraMandi / Arai Mandi / Ardha Mandalam
I'd say this is THE most important posture amongst the three. "Arai" is a Tamil word which means "Half" and "Mandi" means "to sit". Hence, this is a posture of Half-Sitting. Almost every step in Bharatanatyam will involve the dancer sitting in the Aramandi posture.

- In this posture, the dancer's heels are joined together, the toes of both legs pointed to the opposite direction. A straight line should form from one end of the toe to the other end.
- Then, the dancer squats halfway down, making sure to maintain the feet in same position. When the dancer sits this way, a diamond shape will form between the legs which must be maintained at all times for a good Arai mandi.

C) Muzhu Mandi
"Muzhu" {read: Moo-loo - twist up the tongue while saying "Zhu" (Loo)} - means "FULL". In this posture, the dancer sits down completely, maintaining the same feet positions as in Arai Mandi.

- Join hells and point toes to opposite directions
- Sit down on your toes while still making sure the heels are joined (or as close as possible)
- The thighs have to be stretched out in opposite directions and back erect

These are the three important positions in Bharata Natyam.