Natyashastra
नाट्यशास्त्र
Type
Smriti
Date
200 BCE – 200 CE
Author
Bharata Muni
Structure
36 chapters (adhyayas), approximately 6,000 shlokas (verses)
Language
Sanskrit
Core Teaching
The Natyashastra is the foundational treatise on the performing arts, encompassing drama (natya), dance (nritta and nritya), music (sangita), and aesthetic theory. Its central doctrine is the Rasa theory, which explains how the combination of determinants (vibhava), consequents (anubhava), and transitory emotional states (vyabhicharibhava) gives rise to aesthetic relish (rasa) in the audience. Bharata Muni identifies eight primary rasas — Shringara (love), Hasya (laughter), Karuna (compassion), Raudra (fury), Vira (heroism), Bhayanaka (terror), Bibhatsa (disgust), and Adbhuta (wonder) — as the essential emotional flavors of artistic expression. The text treats natya as a sacred act, calling it the fifth Veda created by Brahma himself by drawing elements from all four Vedas, making high knowledge accessible to all classes of society. Beyond performance technique, the Natyashastra presents a comprehensive philosophy of aesthetics, communication, and the transformative power of art to evoke universal human emotions and lead audiences toward deeper self-awareness.
Key Verses
जग्राह पाठ्यमृग्वेदात् सामभ्यो गीतमेव च। यजुर्वेदादभिनयान् रसानाथर्वणादपि॥
jagrāha pāṭhyam ṛgvedāt sāmabhyo gītam eva ca | yajurvedād abhinayān rasān ātharvaṇād api ||
He (Brahma) took recitation (pāṭhya) from the Rigveda, song (gīta) from the Samaveda, histrionic representation (abhinaya) from the Yajurveda, and sentiments (rasa) from the Atharvaveda.
This foundational verse from the first chapter establishes the divine origin and comprehensive scope of Natya. By drawing from all four Vedas, the performing arts are elevated to a sacred discipline — a 'fifth Veda' (panchama veda) — synthesizing the highest forms of speech, melody, gesture, and emotion into a unified art accessible to all.
विभावानुभावव्यभिचारिसंयोगाद्रसनिष्पत्तिः।
vibhāvānubhāva-vyabhicāri-saṃyogād rasa-niṣpattiḥ |
From the conjunction (samyoga) of determinants (vibhava), consequents (anubhava), and transitory states (vyabhicharibhava), there arises the production of rasa (aesthetic relish).
Known as the Rasa Sutra, this is the single most influential statement in all of Indian aesthetics. It defines the precise mechanism by which art evokes emotion: the scenic causes (vibhava), the actor's physical expressions (anubhava), and the fleeting moods (vyabhicharibhava) combine to produce rasa — a transcendent aesthetic experience in the cultured spectator (sahridaya). This formula became the foundation of literary and dramatic criticism in India for over two millennia.
न तज्ज्ञानं न तच्छिल्पं न सा विद्या न सा कला। न सौ योगो न तत्कर्म नाट्येऽस्मिन् यन्न दृश्यते॥
na taj jñānaṃ na tac chilpaṃ na sā vidyā na sā kalā | na sau yogo na tat karma nāṭye'smin yan na dṛśyate ||
There is no knowledge, no craft, no learning, no art, no discipline, and no action that is not found in drama (natya).
This celebrated verse proclaims the all-encompassing nature of the dramatic arts. Bharata Muni asserts that natya is a total art form — a microcosm of all human knowledge and activity. It reflects the holistic Indian vision wherein the performing arts are not mere entertainment but a mirror of the cosmos, containing within themselves every branch of learning and every dimension of human experience.
Why It Matters
The Natyashastra stands as one of the most remarkable intellectual achievements of ancient India and remains profoundly relevant to Hinduism and Indian culture today. Its Rasa theory provides the aesthetic framework through which Hindu temple art, classical dance forms like Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, and Kuchipudi, and classical music traditions continue to be understood, practiced, and transmitted. The text's assertion that drama is the 'fifth Veda' reflects a deeply democratic spiritual impulse — the belief that transcendent knowledge should be made available to all people, regardless of caste or learning, through the accessible medium of performance. For contemporary Hindus, the Natyashastra affirms that artistic expression is not separate from spiritual practice but is itself a path to the divine. The devadasi tradition, temple sculpture programs, and the elaborate ritual performances that define Hindu worship all trace their theoretical foundations to Bharata's treatise. In the modern world, as Indian classical arts experience global revival and recognition, the Natyashastra provides the authoritative vocabulary and conceptual architecture for understanding these traditions. Its influence extends beyond Hinduism into Buddhist and Jain artistic traditions, and its aesthetic philosophy has drawn comparisons with Aristotle's Poetics, making it a cornerstone of world heritage in the philosophy of art, emotion, and human expression.
Recommended Level
Level 4
Est. reading: 40–50 hours (full text with commentary)
Recommended Translation
Manomohan Ghosh, 'The Natyashastra: A Treatise on Ancient Indian Dramaturgy and Histrionics' (2 volumes, Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1951–1961) — the most complete and scholarly English translation with extensive notes