Natyasutra Online

Influence in Kathakali

It is in Kathakali that one finds the most profound impact of the Gita Govinda s. By transferring the eternal love story of Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha immortalized in a musical lyric onto a beautiful and stylized dance-drama form of Kathakali, choreographers of the Gita Govinda whisk our minds away immediately to shringara rasa (the erotic element), and lasya bhava (the feminine mood or grace). Kathakali contains eight parts, with a rigid sequence that permits very little shuffling. In the sixth segment, called “Melappadam” (which comes just before the actual Kathakali recital), the singers and instrumentalists of the dance-drama come to the fore. They entertain the spectators with their mastery of vocal and instrumental music and the seamless fusion of the two.

Sometime in 17th century Kerala, the King of Kottayam composed “Kirmeera vadham,” a Kathakali play written in traditional style. But before it debuted on stage, the king’s music teacher and chief guest of the show, Govinda Deekshithar, discreetly retired upstairs, secretly convinced that it would be a disastrous performance. The play commenced and as the music wafted into his bedchamber, Deekshithar was entranced! Pleasantly surprised, Deekshithar came to the venue and enjoyed the performance. In fact, he appreciated it so much that during a brief gap between two segments of the play, Deekshithar decided to engage the audience with a song. A providential moment for admirers of Kathakali and Gita Govinda, for the guru chose to sing Jayadeva’s “Manjuthara kunjathala kelisadane.” And thus, a beautiful tradition was established!

The 21st ashtapadi of the Gita Govinda is the song of choice for this section. Since the ashtapadi begins with the phrase manjuthara kunjathala kelisadane, “Melappadam” is also known by the name “Manjuthara.” Hence, no Kathakali performance is complete without reciting the Gita Govinda.