8 Nayakas and Nayikas in Kavyas
R. Thiagarajan
Bharata’s classification of Nayakas
The word Naayaka in rhetoric means the hero of a poetic composition (play or drama). Bharata has categorized male and female characters into three types on the basis of their nature (Prakriti). The nature of a person could itself be divided into several categories. Bharata talks about the Naayaka based on Prakriti or the Nature of human beings or characters/paatra-s. He begins by laying them into three main categories.
1) Uttama
2) Madhyama
3) Adhama
Four Types of Nayakas
Bharata mentions the four types of Naayaka. All the four naayaka types have been identified amongst the uttama and madhyama variety. They have been divided into the following –
1) Dhiroddhata – Brave and haughty
2) Dhiralalita – Brave and sportive
3) Dhirodaatta – Brave and magnanimous
4) Dhiraprashaanta – Brave and calm
Characteristics of the Hero
neta vinīto madhuras tyāgi daksah priyamvadah
raktalokah sucir vangmi rudhavamSah sthiro yuva
buddhy utsaha smrti prajna kala mana samanvitah
suro drdhas ca tejasvi Sastracaksus ca dharrnikah.
‘The Hero should be well-bred, charming, liberal, clever, affable, popular, upright, eloquent, of exalted lineage, resolute, and young; endowed with intelligence, energy, memory, wisdom, [skill in the] arts, and pride ; heroic, mighty, vigorous, familiar with the codes, and a just observer of laws.’
Description of Four Types of Hero
Heroes in the poems and the dramas in general are called (Nayakas). They are of four types. “bhedais caturdha lalitasantodattoddhatair ayam”. He [the Hero] is of four kinds, being light-hearted (lalita), calm (Santa), exalted (udaatta), or vehement (uddhata).’
Note. In the definitions of these four kinds of hero, each of the terms lalita, santa, etc. has prefixed to the word Dhira, ‘ self-controlled,’ in order to indicate that the hero must always have himself under control. They are Dhirodaatta, Dhiroddhata, Dhiralalita and Dhirashanta.
Bharata’s explanation
Bharata lays down that the Gods are Dhirodhatta, Kings are Dhiralalita, ministers are Dhirodatta and Learned men and men of the business class are Dhiraprashaanta. Bharata and Abhinavagupta do not talk about the attributes of these naayaka-s. Thus there seems to be no detailed explanation about the four naayaka types.
Dhirodatta
mahasattvo ‘tigambhirah ksamavan avikatthanah
sthiro nigudhahamkaro dhirodatto drdhavratah.
‘The self-controlled and exalted [Hero] (dhirodatta) is of great excellence, exceedingly serious, forbearing, not boastful, resolute, with self-assertion .suppressed, and firm of purpose.’ He is really an ‘ exalted ‘ hero, in spite of his great tranquility, profound sympathy, and lack of passion, and his disregard for personal pleasure is due to a desire for achievement, such as is seen also in Sakuntala. E.g. Rama, Yudhisthira and the like are their characteristics.
Dhiroddhata
darpamatsaryabhuyistho mayachadmaparayanah
dhiroddhatas tv ahamkari calas cando vikatthanah.
‘The self-controlled and vehement [Hero] (dhiroddhata) is altogether dominated by pride and jealousy, wholly devoted to magic practices and deceit, self-assertive, fickle, irascible and boastful.
The principal hero must be of one of the four kinds just defined throughout the drama, to insure unity; a secondary hero may, however, evince varying characteristics under different circumstances, as in the case of Parasurama in the Mahaviracarita, who appears as ‘ exalted’ and vehement ‘ Eg.Parasurama, Bhimasena, Ravana and others
Dhiralalita
niscinto dhiralalitah kalasaktah sukhi mrduh.
‘The self-controlled and light-hearted [Hero] (dhiralalita) is free from anxiety, fond of the arts [song, dance, etc.], happy, and gentle.’ He is Free from care, addicted to fine arts and love and easy going. Eg.Vatsaraja (the hero of Ratnavali) – Udayana
Dhirashanta
samanyagunayuktas tu dhirasanto dvijadikah.
‘The self-controlled and calm [Hero] (Dhirasanta) is a Brahman or the like, possessed of the generic merits [of a Hero].He is an average hero possesse humility,sweetness,liberalityrality and other good qualities. E.g. Madhava in Malati madhava
Bhoja’s Attribution
Bhoja attributes ( Dharma Sringara) love of virtue to Dhirodatta; love of worldly success ( Artha Sringara ) to Dhiroddhata; erotic love ( Kama sringara ) to Dhiralalita; and love of spiritual salvation ( Mokshasringara ) to Dhira prashanta. Different Classification of Nayakas (heroes) In relation to women:
Pati – married and faithful to his wife, like Rama.
Upapati – is married and in love with another woman like Krishna.
Vaisika – one who plays and enjoys women like Udayana
By attitude:
Anukoola – who is faithful to the woman.
Dakshina – when rejected he pleads to be accepted by the woman.
Satha – the deceitful one.
By situation of love relationships:
Proshita – the one who has gone on a journey.
Virahi – who is separated from his beloved, feels pangs of separation and loneliness.
Vipralabdha – one who feels he us cheated by the one he loves.
Vaisika – who is seeking union with his beloved
Drishta – one who is unfaithful to his beloved. He feels guilty and pleads to forgive him.
No Villain
In Sanskrit dramas there is no villain. The person who works against the hero is called pratinayaka. ( a hero of Negative character)
Classification of heroines (Nayika) is given always relating to her hero (Nayaka).
Classifications of Nayika-s (heroines)
By experience in love :
Mughdha – inexperienced in love
Madhya – partly experienced
Pragalbha – mature in the art of love
By attitude towards men:
Sweeya – married and faithful to her husband. This is the woman who is married and stays loyal, like Sita and other pativratas (chaste women) like Rukmini, Satyabhama, etc.
Parakiya – married to one man, but is in love with another man. Traditionally the Gopi-s (girls from Brindavan) are considered as Parakiya-s. Meera (north poet-devotee of Krishna) is another example. From the point of Madhura Bhakti philosophy, all the souls are married to the world and hanker after God as Parakiya-s.
Samanya – free woman, who truly belongs to any man for a price. She feels free to accept any man without restrictions.
Jyeshta – the preferred one
Kanishta – the other woman
By character and temperament
Uttama – self-controlled and tolerant
Madhyama – literally the middle one, who gives as she gets
Adhama – literally, the low one, who has no self-restraint
Archetypal Romance, heroines- Nayikas
The Ashta-Nayika is a collective name for eight types of nayikas or heroines as classified by Bharata in his treatise on Natya Sastra. The eight nayikas represent eight different states (avastha) in relationship to her hero or nayaka.
asam astav avasthah syuh svadhinapatikadikah.
‘Of these [types of Heroine] there may be eight [varieties according to their] conditions [in relation to the hero], “one that has her husband in subjection” and so on.’
Svadhinabhartruka
“asannayattaramana hrsta svadhinabhartrka.”
One having her husband in subjection Svadhinabhartruka or Svadhinapatika is the woman who is loved by her husband and controls him. He sits by her side and is at her service, and who takes pleasure in it. He is subjugated by her intense love and pleasing qualities. She is depicted with a nayaka, who applies on her feet or vermilion (mark) on her forehead. In Jayadeva’s Gitagovinda, Radha is portrayed as a Svadhinabhartruka.
Ex. : Amaru M 55, p. 141 [quoted also at SD. 145] •
Vasakasajja Nayika
muda vasakasajja svam mandayaty esyati priye.
One dressed up for union, Vasakasajja or Vasakasajjika is waiting for her lover returning from a long journey. She is depicted in her bed-chamber filled with lotus leaves and garlands. She is dressing herself for the union with her lover and eager with expectation of love’s pleasure. Ex. : Magha 9. 52.
Virahotkanthita Nayika
cirayaty avyalike tu virahotkanthitonmanah.
One distressed by separation from her lover is Virahotkanthita. She is the distressed heroine pining for her lover, who, due to his preoccupation, fails to return home. She is depicted waiting for him, sitting or standing on a bed or out in the pavilion.
Kalahantarita Nayika
kalahantarita ‘marsad vidhute ‘nusayartiyuk.
One separated by quarrel Kalahantarita is a heroine separated from her lover due to a quarrel or jealousy or her own arrogance. Her lover is usually depicted leaving her home disheartened, while she too becomes heartsick and repentant without him. In other portrayals, she is depicted refusing the advances of her lover or refusing a wine cup from him. In some texts this type of heroine is called abhisamdhita or kupita. In Gita Govinda, Radha is also portrayed as Kalahantarita in an instance. Ex. : Amaru 98
Khandita Nayika
jnate ‘nyasangavikrte khanditersyakasayita.
One enraged with her lover Khandita is an enraged heroine, whose lover had promised her to spend the night with her, but instead comes to her house the next morning after spending the night with another woman. She is depicted offended, rebuking her lover for his infidelity.
Vipralabdha Nayika
vipralabdhoktasamayam aprapte ‘tivimanita.
One deceived by her lover Vipralabdha is a deceived heroine, who waited for her lover the whole night. She is one who is greatly offended that her lover has not come to the meeting agreed upon. She is depicted throwing away her jewels as her lover did not keep his promise. Ex. : Subhasitavali 1940 [quoted also at SD. 118].
Proshitabhartruka
duradesantarasthe tu karyatah prositapriya.
“One whose beloved is away” {prositapriya). She is one whose lover is in a distant land on business.’ In most treatises this type is called proshitabhartrka; but in other texts she is also called proshitapreyasi or proshitanatha.or Proshyatpatika,pravasyatpatika (‘ one whose husband is about to depart.). These names are all synonymous, and the variation has no significance. She is depicted seated mourning, surrounded by her maids, but refusing to be consoled. Ex. : Amaru 91
Abhisarika Nayika
kamarta ‘bhisaret kantam sarayed va ‘bhisarika.
One voluntarily going to meet her lover Abhisarika (“one who moves”) is a heroine, who sets aside her modesty and moves out of her home to secretly meet her lover. She is depicted at the door of her house and on her way to the tryst, defying all kinds of difficulties like the storm, snakes and dangers of the forest. In art, Abhisarika is portrayed often in hurry towards her destination. Ex. : Amaru 29; Magha 9. 56.
Details of Nayikas
The classification of Nayikas is detailed in later works like theDasarupaka (10th century), Sahityadarpana (14th century) and various other treatises on poetics as well as erotic Kamasastra texts like Kuttanimata (8th-9th century) based on courtesans. Panchasayaka, Anangaranga and Smaradipika. Rasikapriya (16th century), also elaborate on the Ashta-nayika.
Characteristics of Nayikas
cintamhsvasakhedasruvaivamyaglanyabhusanaih
yuktah sad antya dve cadye kridaujjvalyapraharsitaih.
‘Heroines of the last six varieties are characterized by reflection, sighing, dejection, weeping, change of color, weakness, and absence of ornaments; those of the first two varieties, by playfulness, radiance, and joy.’
The heroine connected with another, whether maiden or wife, can not be of all these varieties. For example, Malavika, in Malavikagnimitra,
Uttama or Madhyama or Adhama
Each of the varieties thus far enumerated may be either uttama, madhyama,or adhama. We thus arrive, by successive multiplication, at the grand total of 384 varieties The Dasrupaka. does not mention this last differentiation (except in a general way and so admits of but “128 varieties. Rasamanjari adds : yat tvetasam divyi’divyobhayabhedena gananaya dvipancasadadhika iatayutarp sahasram bheda bhavanti, thus claiming the existence of 1152 varieties of heroine!
Nayikas in Art & Literature
The Ashta-Nayika have been illustrated in , Indian painting, literature, sculpture as well as Indian classical dance. A famous example in Indian literature is Jayadeva’s Gitagovinda(12th century).
Further classification of Nayikas
The nayikas are further classified in two varieties of the Shringara rasa, related to love: Sambhoga (love in union) and Vipralambha (love in separation). Vasakasajja, Svadhinabhartruka and Abhisarika are associated with Sambhoga; the others with Vipralambha.
Summary:
Thus, in Aesthetic literature we find many kinds of heroes and heroines depicted according to the nature of the artistic creation be it a play or dance or a readable literature. It is to be noted that the earlier writers were very exhaustive and innovative in dealing with this subject “Nayakas and Nayikas” which covered the entire gamut of human emotions and psychology.
Web links
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viswanatha_Kaviraja
- https://archive.org/details/SahityaDarpana
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhavabhuti
- www.wilbourhall.org/sansknet/Sahityam/sringaraprakasa/index.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agni_Purana
- https://archive.org/details/Dasarupaka