NatyaShastra

29/09/2026

Name: Katakamukha

Hand position: Press together the index finger, middle finger, and thumb, creating a small three-finger connection. Ring and little finger stay extended upward and straight.

Core uses in choreography:
- Picking flowers, stringing a garland
- Holding a mirror or tying a knot
- Applying vermillion or a small ornament
- Drawing a bow's string, or holding a small object between two fingers
- Certain deity iconography

"Katakamukha is a small precision grip for anything delicate: flowers, ornaments, small objects held with care."

28/09/2026

Name: Kapitta

Hand position: Begin with Mushti. Gently bend the index finger inward, placing its tip on the tip of the thumb, creating a slight press. Middle, ring, and little finger stay together and curled inward.

Core uses in choreography:
- Milking a cow
- Playing the veena or a stringed instrument
- Lakshmi, or wealth/prosperity (iconographic)
- Worship, holding flowers for offering
- Certain fruits (wood-apple itself, or similarly shaped fruit)

"Kapitta’s meaning shifts from firmness to fine, careful handling: milking, playing an instrument, holding something delicate."

27/09/2026

Name: Shikara (peak/spire)

Hand position: Begin with Mushti. Raise the thumb upright while the other fingers stay curled.

Core uses in choreography:
- Bow (holding one), or the act of drawing a bow
- Pillar or column
- A man's beauty or masculine grace
- Asking a question, or "what?"
- Remembering, or recalling something
- Standing firm, patience
- Ganesha's tusk (specific iconographic use)

"One finger up from Mushti, and the meaning goes from raw physical force to firmness, memory, and questioning. The fist becomes a marker."

26/09/2026

Name: Mushti (fist)

Hand position: All fingers curled inward into a tight fist, thumb placed securely over the middle or index finger.

Core uses in choreography:
- Firmness, strength, steadiness
- Holding something tightly (a weapon, an object)
- Wrestling or grappling
- Massaging or rubbing
- Grinding (grain, medicine)
- Steadying oneself

"Mushti is a clean break from every hasta so far. No fingers extended at all, and the meaning moves from imagery to raw physical action: holding, gripping, grinding."

25/09/2026

Name: Shukatunda (parrot's beak)

Hand position: Begin with the Arala hasta. Bend the ring finger inwards in addition to the index finger. Keep the remaining middle and little fingers together and stretched upwards. Thumb is slightly bent and at the side of index finger.

Core uses in choreography:
- Shooting an arrow, or a bow
- Throwing a spear or discus
- Worship, offering to a deity
- Discussing something secret or whispered

"Shukatunda takes Arala one step further. The ring finger joins the bend, and the meaning shifts from wind and drink to weapons and secrecy."

25/09/2026

Paurusha: The Eight Male Qualities of Sattva

Learn paurusa (paurusha) in Natyashastra: all eight qualities of male sattva, from shobha to tejas, for hero and veera rasa roles....

Learn paurusa (paurusha) in Natyashastra: all eight qualities of male sattva, from shobha to tejas, for hero and veera rasa roles.

24/09/2026

Name: Arala (bent/curved)

Hand position: Same base shape as Pataka, but the index finger curves/bends while the other fingers stay extended and joined; thumb stays extended too.

Core uses in choreography:
- Drinking poison, or poison itself
- Strong wind, storm
- Sipping or drinking (a liquid, nectar)
- Argha (ritual water offering)
- Bathing, or pouring water in a ritual context

"Arala keeps the Pataka base but bends just the index finger. It is a quieter variation than Ardhachandra's thumb-shift, but same family."

23/09/2026

Name: Ardhachandra (half-moon)

Hand position: Same base shape as Pataka, but the thumb is stretched out and spread away from the palm instead of folded in.

Core uses in choreography:
- Moon (early or crescent phase)
- Offering something (like an oblation)
- The waist or the middle of the body
- A plate or a dish
- Touching the stomach, or a stomach-related state

"Back to the Pataka family. Ardhachandra is just the thumb moving away, proof the lineage thread isn't dead, it just skipped Mayura."

22/09/2026

Name: Mayura (peacock)

Hand position: Ring finger bends to touch the tip of the thumb, while the other three fingers stay extended and spread apart.

Core uses in choreography:
- Peacock (the literal depiction)
- Applying tilak or a mark on the forehead
- Plucking flowers
- A creeper or vine
- Snake or a snake's movement
- Vomiting or nausea (a specific dramatic use, less common)

"Mayura breaks from the Pataka family entirely. It's built from a thumb-to-finger touch, not a folding sequence, so this is a fresh starting shape."

21/09/2026

Name: Kartarimukha (scissors' face)

Hand position: Starting from Ardhapataka, the extended middle finger also bends down, and the index and little finger spread apart from each other like scissor blades. Thumb and ring finger stay folded in.

Core uses in choreography:
- Scissors, cutting
- Opposition or conflict between two people
- Death, separation
- Eyes
- Lightning
- A woman's beauty or feminine grace (in certain regional interpretations)

"Kartarimukha isn't a simple reduction of Ardhapataka, it's the two remaining fingers pulling apart instead of folding down."