Abstract

Natanbheda is described as Natya, Nritta and Nritya. Where we use hand gestures for expressing the meaning of the song, text, etc. Sometimes we make hand gestures only with one hand and sometimes we use both the hands. When the gestures are made using one hand the are known as Single Hand Gestures i.e. Asamyuta Hasta. When the gestures are made using both the hands it is called as Double Hand Gestures i.e. Samyuta Hasta. The count of these hand gestures is different in different texts relating with the subject. For example, there are 28 Asamyutahastas described in Abhinayadarpana, on contrary in Natyashastra we get 24 AsamyutaHastas and in Nartananirnaya the count becomes 38. In Abhinayadarpana we find 23 SsamyutaHastas and the count of it becomes 13 in Natyashatra and Nartananirnaya describes 17 SamyutaHastas. Similarly, in deferent texts dealing with the hand gestures the count varies. These differences might have come because of the imaginative view of the author. In this article I will be focusing on the Asamyuta Hastas only. Where I will try to represent the Asamyuta Hastas described in the two very useful texts in the field of theatre and dance The Abhinayadarpana and the Natyashastra.