Nāyikā​: The Contemplative Heroine in Rāga

B​RAHMANSHI​ ​S​HEKHAR
University of Delhi, New Delhi

A​BSTRACT:
This article focuses on an aspect of Indian classical arts called the Nāyikā-Bheda.
The uniqueness of the typification of this contemplative heroine is its wide scope
of application into the different aspects of Indian arts. Nāyikā-Bheda is used as a
corroborative method in Rāga-Rāgini classification, giving the melodic matrix its
much-needed emotivity. Hence it becomes an important albeit less discussed topic
in the Rāga arena.

Keywords​: Indian classical music, ​Rāga- Rāgini​, ​Šringāra​ ​Rasa​, ​Ashta​-​Nāyikā​,

Rāgamālā​ painting, ​Rāga ​Classification, ​Rāga​ personification
I​NTRODUCTION

A​esthetics in Indian art has its roots belonging to the Sanskrit treatise,
​
Nātyaśāstra,​ a classical text solely devoted to the production, technique, and
rendering of music, dance, and drama. ​It is also notable for its ‘​Rasa​’ theory
which connotes a concept of the aesthetic flavour of any visual, literary, or
musical work.

Similarly in Indian classical music, each ​rāga​ has a specific mood, where
the performing musician creates the ​rasa​ in the listener. The ​Rasa​-s are eight in
number namely, Ś​ ṛṅgāra (Romance), ​Hāsya​ (Laughter), ​Raudra​ (Fury),
Kāruṇya (Compassion), ​Bībhatsa​ (Disgust), ​Bhayānaka​ (Horror), ​Veera
(Heroism) and ​Adbhuta (wonder).​ Predominantly all ​rāgas​ and musical
performances aim at one of eight ​rasa-s​, wherein music is a form of painting
within the listener. Anger, disgust, and fear are usually not the subjects of ​rāga,​
but part of Indian theories on dramatic arts.

R​AGA​ C​LASSIFICATION

Throughout musicological history, the ​Rāga h​ as been put into scrutiny

under several classification systems. ​Rāga-Rāgini​ system in the 13th century
emerged as one such concept which classified ragas based on male and female
musical entities. The ​Rāgas​ could be ​Pullinga​ (male ​rāga​), ​Streelinga​ (female
rāga​/or ​Rāgini​), and ​Napunsaka​ (neuter) ​Rāga​-s. ​Bhairav, Mālkauns, Hindol,
Deepak, Sri, ​and ​Megh​ were considered to be male ​rāga-s​, accompanied by six
wives (or ​Rāgini-s)​ each.

The oldest surviving descriptions of the ​Rāga-Rāgini ​system appear in the

treatise ​Sangitopanisadsaroddhara​, which was written by ​Sudhākalasha​ in
1350. His descriptions correspond to miniature paintings representing ​Rāgini​-s
as the ​Nāyikā​ (or heroine) often shown in a dramatic situation with the ​Nāyaka
(or hero). Other treatises with similar descriptions include Sangitadāmodara
(c.1500) written by Subhānkara, ​Sangita Darpana​ (c. 1625) written by
Dāmodara Pandit​, and ​Rāgavibodha​ (1609) written by ​Somanātha​.
 Even though the Tantric and seasonal typification of ​rāga​-s and ​rāgini​-s
were popular, this hero-heroine-based system​ ​also emerged as means of
extra-musical classification of dramatic and poetic themes. A ​total of 144 types
of ​nāyaka​-s and 384 types of ​nāyikā​-s have been stated in the ​Nātyaśastra​ by
Bharata Muni​ . Later on, the number of ​nāyikā​-s reduced to eight and this figure
occupied considerably more space than the hero or ​nāyaka​ in dramaturgical and
erotic literature. One can perceive an interesting fact that ​nāyika​ was a purely
male point of view discussed only by the men. ​This system was often
designated by poems called ​Dhyāna (​or contemplations). The ​Dhyāna
significations correspond to miniature paintings representing ​rāga-s​ .

T​HE ​A​SHTA-​N​ĀYIKĀ

The instances of ​Nāyaka​ and​ Nāyika​ as seen in the ​Rāgamālā ​(lit. garland
of ​rāga-​s) miniature paintings are representations of illustrated poetry and
musical sentiment. Each painting focuses on a dramatic situation, often
depicting the ​Nāyikā​ in respect with the​ Nāyaka​, in a typical ‘He loves me, he
loves me not’ dramatical setting.

Ashta-Nāyikā​ is the collective name given to these eight basic heroines.

This classification (or ​nāyikā-bheda)​ first appears in ​Nātyaśāstra ​and later is
detailed in later works like the ​Dasarupaka​ (10th century), ​Sāhityadarpana
(14th century), and various other treatises. In ​Jayadeva’​ s​ Gita Govinda​ (12th
century) as well as in the Vaishnava poet​ Banamali’​ s compositions, ​Rādhā​ dons
the roles of the various ​Nāyikā-s​ with her ​nāyaka, Krishna​.

In Hindustani classical music too, the eternal love between ​Rādhā​ and
Krishna ​is represented through the consciousness of ​Rādhā​ as ​Nāyikā​,
especially through the poetry and​ bhāva ​(or emotions) semi-classical genre of
Thumri​ with ​Rādhā​ as ​Ashta-Nāyikā c​ onsumed by a passionate love for
Krishna.

The ​Nātyaśāstra​ describes the ​nayika-​s in the following order:

Vāsakasajjā,​ ​Virahotkanthitā,​ ​Svādhinabhartrukā,​ ​Kalahāntarita​, ​Khanditā​,
Vipralabdhā​, ​Prośitabhartrukā,​ and ​Abhisārikā​. The basic division of the
Ashta-Nāyikā​ is made according to the two varieties ​Šringāra rasa,​ ​Sambhoga​,
and ​Vipralambha,​ listed as follows:

Table 1: ​Nāyikā-​ s
Sambhoga​ ​(love in a union)
Abhisārikā The ​nāyikā​ who is adventurous in love

Vāsakasajjā The ​nāyikā​ who is adorned to meet her lover

Svādhinabhartrukā ‘Happy, proud wife’, of the ​nāyikā​ who holds her over in subjection

Vipralambha​ ​(love in separation)

Prośitabhartrukā The​ nāyikā​ whose lover is away

Vipralabdhā The ​nāyikā ​who is deceived, her lover failing the appointment with her

Virahotkanthitā The ​nāyikā​ who is distressed in solitude

Kalahāntritā The ​nāyikā​ who is separated by a quarrel with her lover

Khanditā The ​nāyikā​ who is reproving her lover, who has another woman

In the ​Šringara Prakāśa,​ ​Bhoja​ relates the various ​nāyaka-​ s and​ nāyikā-​ s with
musical ​rāga-​s and ​rāgini-​ s (a female ​rāga​). ​Somanātha​’s ​Rāgavibodha​ (1609)
and​ Dāmodara’s Sangitadarpana​ (c. 1625) continue this trend.

As the archetypal romantic heroine, the​ nāyikā ​representing eight different

states (or ​avasthā)​ ​, ​has been analyzed as follows with some ​rāga​-s and ​rāgini​-s.

1. The ​Abhisārikā Nāyikā​ is the daring ​rāgini.​ She is the mistress who takes the
lead and goes to meet her lover.
Rāgini-s Saurāshtri​ and ​Bahuli
represent this Nāyikā.

According to ​Somnātha,​ she is

wearing clothes of various colors
and has a very fair complexion.
Her busts are covered with a dark
blue bodice. She has red teeth, a
moon-like face, and being afflicted
by her lover’s passion, she goes to
see him.
 ​ āmodara​’s description is similar to​ Somnātha’​ s. With a pearl
D
necklace enhancing her beauty, and with a full and heavy bosom, her attention
gets turned to the sound of the bees, humming around the lotus behind her ear,
she goes to meet her lover, her arms hanging down, she is the girl from
Saurashtra​, beautiful like the embodiment of ​Rati,​ the goddess of love.

2. The ​Vāsakasajjā Naāyikaāa​ ​is the one preparing herself to receive her lover
from a long and arduous journey.
She is represented musically by
Ragini​-s ​Bhupāli ​and ​Todi ​in
Rāgavibodha​. The ​dhyāna​ describes
her as staying in a groove and
moving hither and thither like a
swing, while her bracelets are
shaking, she is adorning herself. She
is much attached to her lover. Being
overwhelmed by the love she is pale
like saffron.

Yet the same ​Bhupāli i​ n

Sangitadarpana r​ epresents the girl
suffering in ​Vipralambha​. Authors
often differ from each other’s
description of the same ​Rāgini​.
Dāmodara​ describes her as the one
belonging to the quiescent mood, a woman in the splendor of beauty, lovely, with a
face beautiful like the moon, and a full bosom, her body anointed with saffron,
pained by separation, she remembers her husband.

3. The ​Svādhinabhartrukā Nāyikā​ ​is the secure lady, the proud wife who
has her lover under her spell. The Rāgini-s representing the
Svādhinabhartrukā Nāyikā ​are​ Mālāśri, Trāvanikā, Rāmakriti, Jaitāśri,​
and ​Purvi​.
 S​ omnātha ​describes
Mālāsri​ as a slender
woman, walking under
a mango tree, singing a
melodious song, and
smiling to her husband.
She is brilliant, has eyes
like a deer, is holding a
lotus flower in her
hand, and is wearing a
garland.

In ​Sangitadarpana
she is described
similarly as holding a
lotus in her hand,
showing her slender
liana-like body,
reclining at the foot of a mango tree, smiling a little.

4. The common dramatic situation for ​vipralambha​ is when the nāyaka is

traveling for business or military reasons and the nāyikā suffers due to
separation. This
Prośitabhartrukā
Nāyikā.​

S​ omnātha
indicates ​Rāgini-​ s
Dhanāśri​ and
Kāmodi​ in this
category. The
rāgini​ is described
as having a
complexion like
durvā​ grass,
incapable of
enduring
separation. She draws a picture of her lover, her breasts being wetted by
her weeping. She has white cheeks and fixed, braided hair.
 The​ Dhyāna​ mentioned by ​Dāmodara r​ epresents precisely the same
rasa. ​Dhānaśri​ is the one whose bosom is washed by the streams of
tears, with a tear still on her white cheeks, pained by separation, with a
dark complexion like the ​durvā​ grass, charming, is busy painting the
portrait of her lover.

5. Vipralabdhā Nāyikā​ is the deceived lady whose lover has failed to

honor the meeting because he was busy spending time with another
woman.

In​ rāgavibodha,
rāgini-​ s ​Varāti a​ nd
Velāvali​ represent this
Nāyikā. ​Somnātha​ sets the
nāyikā ​hopelessly seeking
her lover in a forest where
they were supposed to
meet. ​Varāti i​ s described as
a young lady of fair
complexion, who is
piteously searching for her
lord. She wears dark blue
clothes and her beauty is
enhanced by the flowers of
the ‘tree of gods’.

Dāmodara​ however
presents ​Varāti ​as the
irritated ​Nāyikā​, which must be described as a different type, ​Khanditā​.
She rejects her lover with a fly whisk. He describes her as a beautiful
woman, with lovely locks, adorning ​sura​ tree’s flower bracelets in her
ear. She pushes her lover back with the movement of her bangles.

6. The mistress unable to bear the separation from her lover, the
Virahotkanthitā Nāyikā,​ is represented by several ​Raaāagini-​ s in the
 Raāaga Vibodha.​ These are ​Mukhaāri, Pauravi,​ and ​Turuskatodi​. None
of these have been mentioned by
Dāmodara​. ​Turuskatodi​ is an
ancient form of ​Todi​ that came
from ​Turkestan.​

She is depicted as a
Moghul woman as shown by her
clothes and physique. She is
described as wearing a long,
dark-blue outer garment, a rosary
in her hands. She whispers the
name of her husband, distressed
by separation. She is tall, has a
fair complexion, and wears her
hair in a long braid.

This raga was probably

obsolete in the times of
Somanatha​, so his descriptions are
imprecise. He describes the ​nāyikā​ as a fair woman, separated from her
beloved, her body tormented by love, withered, wearing a garland on her
beautiful body, her limbs grey like dust, but being comforted by her
beloved girlfriend- ​Patamanjari.​

7. Rāgini Saindhavi​ is depicted in ​Rāgavibodha​ as the​ ​Kalahāntritā

Nāyikā​, the mistress who
has separated from her
lover because of a
quarrel. She is very
slender but developed in
her hips, wears red
clothes.

Her symbol is the

trident. She has a fair
complexion and a stately
gait. She is very angry
 because of a fight with her lover.
Some tantric traces in ​Dāmodara​’s version can be seen. She is
described as ​Saindhavi,​ the ​rāgini​ of​ Bhairava,​ one carrying a trident in
her hand, growing with devotion for ​Šiva​, dressed in red, adorning a
bandhujiva f​ lower, in fiery anger, inspired by the heroic sentiment.

8. The ​Khanditā​ is enraged at her lover but he is close by, and she rejects
him for his fault. ​Dāmodara
classifies ​rāgini​-s ​Rāmakruti
and ​Varāti u​ nder this. The
nāyikā is golden in hue with
shining jewels, arrayed in a
garment of blue- though
besought by her prostrated
lover, obdurate she remains.

But ​Somanatha’​s conception of

this ​rāgini​ hardly conveys the
idea of ​khanditā.​ He describes
the ​nāyikā​ as the one with a
golden complexion, extremely
glittering ornaments laden on
bluish-black clothes. She is
very charming and has beautiful
teeth. She speaks delicately,
while her beloved is in the
neighborhood. This is the description of ​svādhinabhartrukā,​ the happy
mistress.

However, ​Damodara​ describes​ Rāmakāri as​ being in high spirits, as the

beloved is near, with a charming voice, shining like gold, with brilliant
ornaments, but wearing a dark veil over her beauty.

These ​dhyānas​ of ​nāyaka-nāyikā bheda-s​ are not static in any way. They are
dynamic and represent love which is gallant and valorous. These personifications,
when placed in certain circumstances of the dramaturgy of music and other art
forms, act out a role in which at least one more character is implied. The characters
correspond and support each other unequivocally, hence creating a central theme
of love in Indian music. ❐
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