Natya Shastra Puns

Brahma inspired the sage Bharat Muni to codify and detail the art of stagecraft. A lot of people are told its the first known work of its kind but it is really a successor to the Sam Ved, an even older text . A part of our great heritage. So what does our ancestral and beautiful work on Indian drama have to say about expression of views?

Well, you can spend a few weekends and read it, taking in the enormity of your civilizational greatness and appreciate its details in fine print. It contains a lot about the India of that time- from language to poetics and dance. Or you can be a lazy fuck of the twitter generation and listen to Salman Rushdie's mispronounced and slightly jaundiced version of the incident. Pedantic interlude: Why jaundiced? Let me brief and just say that the principle- of the stage as inviolate arena of free expression - is derived from the Rig Vedic principle “Let noble thoughts come to us from four directions.” The story that encases that principle for narrative purposes is a literalization (4 directions->4 gods->4 pillars) and contextual mythification.

Will update this list of I found more 😃

Chemistry-Rasratnakar, Rasratnasamuccay

Medicine- Charak Samhita, Sushrut Samhita

Maths- Aryabhattiyam, Siddhant Shiromani

Astronomy-Brihatsamhita, Aryabhattiyam

Dance- Natya shastra

Painting- Chitra sutram

Cooking - Bhojan Kutuhal

Politics- Artha shastra

Geometry-Shulba sutra

Sex-Kamsutra

Aeronautics-Vaimanik Shastra

Physics-Vaisheshik Darshan, Agastya samhita

Agriculture- Krishi parashar, Vrikshayurved

Gardening- Upavan Vinod

Music-Sangit Ratnakar

< Learning The Arts and Sciences

Caution - Well, suit yourself.

This chapter is all about an ideal daily life of a citizen, it rather is a step-by-step guide towards what every person should do in their day-to-day life. Right from the start of the morning to the end of the day. It somehow even briefly discusses the interior design of your house and mandates how the exterior design should be like. While some people may find it beautiful, others might not, so take away what you will. Onto the text then.

Now before getting into the details, we must discuss the public-woman or the courtesans, the Vesyas as they are termed in Sanskrit. The term public-woman occurs frequently in this chapter and also in most parts of the text and there should be an underlying reason for that. We find the answer in H. H. Wilson’s ‘Select Specimens of the Theatre of the Hindoos’, he writes that Vesyas aren’t women of disgrace or someone who break the rules of law and go against the societal conventions rather they are the women who are specially trained to associate with the physical and emotional requirements of men, they are those who despise marriage and married life and defy everything even remotely attributed to wedded women. Public-women were considered above the class of married women in all aspects.

Vatsyayana starts this chapter as a direct continuation of the last one. He states that once the person has acquired the knowledge of Dharma, Artha, and the Kama as well as learned most of the sixty-four arts mentioned in the last chapter should further lead a life of a citizen as a householder.

With all the money acquired either by inheritance or by sweat and blood, one should buy a house in a city or at least a large village in the neighborhood of good people. This verse kind of explains the association of people with cities, the major attribute being a higher standard of living which remains true to this day and age too.

Vatsyayana further suggests what the architecture of the house and the surrounding area should be like. The house needs to have different rooms of different sizes to be used for varied purposes, it should be surrounded by a small garden on the exterior. The location of the house should be close to some water body or at least have an independent source

The funeral director was asking us what we think Mum should wear in her casket.

Mum always loved to wear sarongs (fabric wraps that go around the torso and drape downward a bit like a long skirt would), so my uncle suggested that she wear a sarong in there.

The funeral director looked a bit confused, as did some of our family members, to which my uncle added:

"What's sarong with that?"

I started laughing like an idiot. He was proud of it too. The funeral director was rather shocked. We assured her, and our more proper relatives, that Mum would've absolutely loved the joke (which is very true).

His delivery was perfect. I'll never forget the risk he took. We sometimes recall the moment as a way help cushion the blows of the grieving process.

--Edit-- I appreciate the condolences. I'm doing well and the worst is behind me and my family. But thanks :)

--Edit-- Massive thanks for all the awards and kind words. And the puns! Love 'em.

I would have a daughter

Hi guys, just found out a list I've had made, thought you all would be interested in it too. Feel free to share you feedbacks.

Here's the list:

Videos of Dr. R Ganesh on Youtube (e.g., this playlist on an Indian approach to art appreciation)

Pratima Kosa (in six volumes) - Prof. SK Ramachandra Rao

Art and Architecture of Indian Temples (in three volumes) - Prof. SK Ramachandra Rao

Early Cultural Writings - Sri Aurobindo

The Renaissance in India - Sri Aurobindo

Letters on Poetry and Art - Sri Aurobindo

The Hindu Temple (I think 2 volumes) - Stella Kramrisch

The Natyashastra Tradition and Ancient Indian Society - Anupa Pande

A Historical and Cultural Study of the Natyashasatra of Bharata - Anupa Pande

Abhinavabharati - Anupa Pande

Introduction to Bharata's Natyashastra - Adya Rangacharya

The Natyashatra (2 vols) - Manomohan Ghosh

Natya Shastra of Bharata Muni with Abhinava Bharati (3 vols in Sanskrit & Hindi) - Madhusudan Shastri

Hindu Iconology - PDF from srimatham website

Vaisnava Iconology - PDF from srimatham website

Manifestations of Shiva - Stella Kramrisch

Indian Kavya Literature (in I think 8 volumes) - A.K. Warder

Indian Poetics - T.N. Sreekantaiyya (trans. by N. Balasubrahmanya)

Imagination in Indian Poetics and Other Literary Studies - TN Sreekantaiyya

Indian Poetics (different from the above) - Gerow

Introduction to Indian Art - Ananda Coomaraswamy

The Dance of Siva - Ananda Coomaraswamy

Painted Delight - Stella Kramrisch

Philosophy of Indian Art - Kireet Joshi

Some notes on Indian artistic anatomy - Rabindranath Tagore

Sanskrit Drama: Its Aesthetics and Production - V Raghavan

The Ramayana Tradition in Asia - V Raghavan

The Square and the Circle of the Indian Arts - Kapil Vatsyayan

Elements of Indian Art - S. P. Gupta

Indian Monuments - N. S. Ramaswami

The Way of Asian Design (PDF) - Kirti Trivedi

Roopartha (PDF pamphlet for an exhibition) - Kirti Trivedi

The Role of Five Elements of Nature in Temple Architecture - A. S. Chaudhary

More Than Real - David Shulman

Extreme Poetry - Yigal Bronner

Varaha in Indian Art Culture - Shanti Lal Nagar

East West Poetics at Work - C.D Narasimhaiah

https://www.cmi.ac.in/gift/Iconometry.htm

https://sreenivasaraos.com - many posts on art, poetics, architecture etc

Sanskrit Sahitya Mein Shabdalankar (Hindi Book) - Rudradev Tripathi

Glimpses of Indian Poetics - Satya Dev Choudhary

The Wonder that is Sanskrit - Sampadananda Mishra

u/CoronaHedge is raising some really interesting questions about the Edema Ruh over in the "Ruh don't do" post:

What makes them One Family? What common thing ties them together?

They know all the stories in the world, and seem to have a particular knack for music. This got me wondering: where/how did music originate in KKC? Singing songs of power, sure, but was there a "gift from the gods" kind of moment?

We know that Rothfuss draws on IRL mythology and religion (Christianity, Odin, etc.) (or at least he seems to, or at the very least he wants us to think he is...). What are some of the IRL stories about the origin of music?

Here's one from India. Would anyone else be game to see what other cultures say and share info here?

from https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/308539

>We must look at mythology to really see the significance that Indian music (sangeet) has to Indian society. This is easily illustrated in the story concerning its origin. Perhaps the clearest mythological raison de etre may be found in Bharata's Natya-Shastra(Rangacharya 1966):

>>Once, a long time ago, during the transitional period between two Ages it so happened that people took to uncivilised ways, were ruled by lust and greed, behaved in angry and jealous ways with each other and not only gods but demons, evil spirits, yakshas and and such like others swarmed over the earth. Seeing this plight, Indra and other gods approached god Brahma and requested him to give the people a toy (Kridaniyaka), but one which could not only be seen but heard and this should turn out a diversion (so that people gave up their bad ways)

>Although it was decided to give the celestial art of sangeet to mankind, a suitable human had to be found who was capable of receiving this gift. Sangeet had always been in the realm of the demigods (gandharva). A super-human of superior spiritual ability was required to convey this celestial artform to the world of man. It fell upon the great sage Narada to be the first mortal recipient of this divine art. Through Narada, we are indebted for the presence of classical music.

...sounds a bit like Illien, maybe?

in Greek mythology, the gift of music comes from Hermes (from here) protector of shepherds, travelers, and thieves.

>Born

But Bill kept the Windows

True story; it even happened last night. My 5-year-old son walks up behind me and out of the blue says, "hey."

I turn to him and say, "yeah, kiddo? What's up?"

He responds, "it's dead grass."

I'm really confused and trying to figure out what's wrong and what he wants from me. "What? There's dead grass? What's wrong with that?"

.

.

.

He says, totally straight-faced, "hay is dead grass," and runs off.

And then you will all be sorry.

No it doesn't.

Now it’s syncing.

He replied, "Well, stop going to those places then!"

She said how do you know he was headed to work?

I will find you. You have my Word.

“thank you for your cervix.”

Made me smile

...sails are going through the roof.

Mods said I'm a cereal reposter...

But now I stand corrected.

Wait. Sorry, wrong sub.

Wookie mistake.

Theoretical Fizz-ics

A taxi

Because you can’t ‘C’ in the dark

I said, “That makes two of us.”

so I had to ground him.

He's doing better currently.

And conducting himself properly.

Me: Can we change the subject?

My wife: Okay. More chores around the house need to be done by you.

Who buys gummy worms hoping they’d taste as close to real worms as possible?