Natyashastra
AI-drafted · awaiting admin review
The ancient treatise on drama, dance and music attributed to Bharata Muni. Its theory of rasa is the basis of Indian classical performing arts.
| Tradition | Indian (classical) |
|---|---|
| Type | Shastra |
| Language | Sanskrit |
| Period | c. 2nd century BCE – 2nd century CE (scholarly estimate) |
| Composed or compiled by | Traditionally attributed to Bharata Muni |
What it contains
- About 36 chapters (some versions have 37).
- Theatre building, stage practice and acting.
- Bhava (emotion) and rasa (aesthetic experience): eight rasas, with a ninth, shanta, added by later writers.
- Gestures (mudras and hastas), movement and costume.
- Music, instruments and metre.
Significance
It is called the "fifth Veda" in its own account. All of India's classical dance forms trace their grammar to it. Its manuscripts were inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2025, with those of the Bhagavad Gita.