Shloka 36

Adhyaya 1 — Jaimini's Questions

Sanskrit

गुणरूपविहीनायाः सिद्धिर्नाट्यस्य नास्ति वै ।

चार्वधिष्ठानवन्नृत्यं नृत्यमन्यद्विडम्बनम् ॥

Transliteration

guṇarūpavihīnāyāḥ siddhir nāṭyasya nāsti vai |

cārv-adhiṣṭhāna-van nṛtyaṃ nṛtyam anyad viḍambanam ||

Translation

గుణమూ రూపమూ లేని నాట్యం సిద్ధిని పొందదు. అలాగే మనోహరమైన ఆధారం లేని నృత్యం నిజమైన నృత్యం కాదు; అది కేవలం అనుకరణ-విడంబన మాత్రమే।

Word by Word

• गुणरूपविहीनायाः: of one devoid of qualities and beauty
• गुणरूपविहीनायाः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुण + रूप + विहीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (गुणैः रूपेण च विहीना)

• सिद्धिः: success; accomplishment
• सिद्धिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नाट्यस्य: of dance/drama
• नाट्यस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाट्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• अस्ति: is
• अस्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/finite verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (indeed)

• चारु: beautiful
• चारु: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चारु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; उपमानपद (to qualify ‘adhiṣṭhāna’)

• अधिष्ठानवत्: having a foundation/support
• अधिष्ठानवत्: Upamana (उपमान/comparand)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिष्ठानवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; वतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त (possessing a base/support)

• नृत्यम्: dance
• नृत्यम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नृत्यम्: dance
• नृत्यम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अन्यत्: other; else
• अन्यत्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• विडम्बनम्: mockery; mere imitation
• विडम्बनम्: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विडम्बन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speakers

• Not explicitly identified in the provided verse alone (likely part of an early didactic narration in Adhyāya 1).

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "hasya", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Aesthetics
• Dharma of arts (śilpa/nāṭya-dharma)
• Form and quality as prerequisites for success
• Critique of superficial performance

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Excellence requires both inner substance (guṇa) and proper expression/structure (rūpa). Without a sound basis (adhiṣṭhāna)—training, rasa-awareness, and disciplined execution—performance becomes empty display. Ethically, the verse discourages superficial imitation and promotes integrity in practice: true art is not mere motion, but meaningful, well-founded expression.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

This verse is not primarily a Pancalakṣaṇa element (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). It belongs to ancillary didactic material (upadeśa) within the Purāṇic narrative frame, offering normative guidance rather than cosmological or genealogical enumeration.

What is the esoteric significance?

On a symbolic level, ‘nāṭya’ can be read as life-performance: without guṇa (inner virtues) and rūpa (right conduct/ordered expression), one’s ‘siddhi’ does not arise. ‘Nṛtya’ without a ‘charming foundation’ suggests spiritual practice without śāstra-grounding and inner refinement—appearing active yet lacking transformative essence—thus becoming viḍambana, a hollow imitation of realization.