Natyashastra Quote

Hi!

This article goes into a famous quote on dance, from Natya Shastra. Natyam, means dance, and Shastra is treatise.

This article mixes my memories, my own understanding (which could be flawed) as well as some links to sources.

I talk a little about my mother's art institute at the end of the article, so it's sponsored by my.....

self.

HAH!

I had you going there, didn't I?

The Verse

“Yatho Hasta thatho Drishti, Yatho Drishti thatho Manah
Yatho Manah thatho Bhaava, Yatho Bhaava thatho Rasa”
― Natyashastra

Hasta means Hand. Dristhi means focus.

Manah means heart, probably. Bhaavam, emotion? Rasa, the essence of emotion?

Assuming a good English translation is:

Where the hand goes, there the focus goes.
Where the focus is, there is the heart.

Where the heart is, there is the mind.
Where is the mind, there is the essence.

It's likely an enlightened person came up with this, after studying dance.

So from the original guru's perspective, I think the meaning is best understood in reverse:

From the essence, springs to mind,
Manifesting in emotion, of the heart;

Where the heart is, there the focus
All expressed via the form of body.

Also!

Sounds like the Jedi code, vs. the Sith code.

I now know natyam.

Before the advertisement begins, here is a beautiful dance scene from Saagara sangamam:

It's the movie which made my mom sign me up for dance classes. 😄

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My mother has an art institute in Hyderabad. If you want to learn Indian art forms, it might be worth checking out.

Link here: https://www.sutrafinearts.org

The website is an e-platform for people all over the world to discover Indian teachers, and my mother works hard to make it better.


I was taught Kuchipudi by the dance teacher on that site, when I was a child.

His engagement opened a door for me into the world of core hinduism, as he is well versed in core Hindu principles, and adapts quickly to different temperaments.

It's a me! I spent a lot of time criticizing the website (amma coded it), and doing some research on names.

I actually wanted the name to be Rta, but Amma chose Sutra.

Rta is short, small, hard to pronounce, and deep.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a happy Sutra.