Fundamental of Ancient Indian Music and Dance

Author(s): Sureshchandra Benarji
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Fundamentals of Ancient Indian Music and Dance
and not acquired. The qualities of śarira are pervasion, resonance, sweetness, pleasantness, gravity, softness, possession of substance within, mildness, brightness.
The defects of sārīra are : lack of resonance, pleasantness, substance and the presence of roughness, improper voice, crow-like raucousness, lightness, harshness as well as removal from the proper sthāna Characteristics of Vāggeyakāra
Vāk means Kāvya; geya means a composition which can be sung. These are called mātu and dhātu respectively. One who makes these two kinds of composition is called vāggeyakāra. Such a person may be uttama (best), madhyama (medium) and adhama (inferior). The first of them is endowed with the following qualities : proficiency in grammar, lexicons, metrics, alamkāras, rasa, bhāva, skill in regional modes of composition, e.g. pāñcāli, knowledge of a variety of languages, mastery in arts, skill in vocal and instrumental music as well
ance, charming sarira', knowledge of laya and tāla, capacity for discriminating among various modes of intopation, genius, ability to sing pleasantly, experience in desi rāgas, skill in speech before an assembly, giving up anger and spite, appreciative mind, sense of propriety, capacity for composition independently of others, insight into others' minds, knowledge of characteristics, capacity for swift composition of songs, composition of songs containing the shadow of various songs, excellence in gamakas in the three shānas, skill in various kinds of alā pa, concentration.
The vāggeyakāra of mediocre merit can compose dhātu well, but is unsatsfactory in the composition of mātu. Also of mediocre merit is one who knows both dhātu and mātu, but Jacks efficiency in prabandhas elā etc
He is inferior who can compose mātu well, but is bad at dhātu.
1 Explained earlier.
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