Muṣṭisvastika

Nṛttahastas - Dance hands (single and combined)

Descriptions and Meanings

200 BCE - 200 CE
The Natya Sastra (NS) - Board of Scholars

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Description:
9:198

When two Khaṭakāmukha hands are bent at the wrists and moved round they shall be called Muṣṭisvastika.

No associated meanings

Based upon:
When the ring finger along with the little finger of this Kapittha gesture is raised and bent it is Kaṭakāmukha (Khaṭakāmukha).

Kaṭakāmukha - 9:60
Not included elsewhere

200 BCE - 200 CE
The Natyasastra, Volume I (NS) - Dr. Manomohan Ghosh

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Description:
9:194

Muṣṭikasvastika—the two Kaṭakāmukha hands bent at the wrists and moved round.

No associated meanings

Based upon:
Kaṭakāmukha—the ring-finger and the little finger of this Kapittha hand to be raised and bent.

Kaṭakāmukha - 9:60-63
Not included elsewhere

1100 CE - 1200 CE
The Mirror of Gesture (AD) - Ananda Coomaraswamy

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Description:
No verse annotation

Muṣṭi-svastika (crossed fists): Musti hands are crossed on the stomach Patron deity Kimpurusa.

Meaning:
No verse annotation:

playing ball, boxing, great bashfulness, tying the girdle.

Based upon:
Mushṭi (fist): the four fingers are bent into the palm, and the thumb set on them.

Mushṭi - No verse annotation According to another book: the thumb placed on the middle finger, and the fingers closed. It originates from Vishnu, who used this hand when he fought with Madhu. Its sage is Indra, colour indigo, race Sudra, patron deity the moon.

According to another book: the thumb placed on the middle finger, and the fingers closed. It originates from Vishnu, who used this hand when he fought with Madhu. Its sage is Indra, colour indigo, race Sudra, patron deity the moon.

Mushṭi - No verse annotation
Not included elsewhere

1100 CE - 1200 CE
Abhinaya Darpanam of Nandikeswara (AD) - P.S.R. Apparao

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Description:
8:538-539

When two Musṭi hastas are crossed on the stomack, it is Musṭiswastika hasta. Its presiding deity is Kimpurusha.

Meaning:
8:538-539:

This hasta is used to denote playing the ball (made of flowers etc.) boxing, great bashfulness and tying the girdle.

Based upon:
When the four fingers, close together, are bent into the palm and the thumb is set on them, then it is Mushṭi hasta (Mushṭi = fist).

Mushṭi - 7:288-289 When all the four fingers are bent into the palm and the thumb is placed on the middle finger thus forming a mushti i.e., first, it is called Mushṭi hasta.

When all the four fingers are bent into the palm and the thumb is placed on the middle finger thus forming a mushti i.e., first, it is called Mushṭi hasta.

Mushṭi - 7:290-294
Not included elsewhere

1126 CE - 1234 CE
The Nṛtyavinōda of Mānasôllāsa, A Study (NVoM) - Hema Govindarajan

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Description:
4:1264-1265

Muṣṭisvastika: The hands which are in the Khatakamukha Hasta at the chest are bent at the wrists and then moved round.

No associated meanings

Based upon:
Khaṭakāmukha: The ring finger and the little finger of the Kapittha Hasta are raised and bent.

Kaṭakāmukha - 4:1206-1208
Not included elsewhere

1138 CE - 1400 CE
Śri Pārśvadeva's Saṅgítasamayasāra (SS) - Dr. M. Vijayalakshmi

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Description:
7:95

Mustikasvastika: When both svastika katakasya hastas (hands) are once or many times co curved, it is mustika svastika.

No associated meanings

Based upon:
Kaṭaka vardhamāna: when the kaṭaka formation is put upon the kaṭakahasta it is kaṭaka vardhamāna.
(Edit note - this real is a self-referential translation. The image provided is a best guess)

Kaṭaka vardhamāna: when the kaṭaka formation is put upon the kaṭakahasta it is kaṭaka vardhamāna.
(Edit note - this real is a self-referential translation.  The image provided is a best guess)

Kaṭakavardhana - 7:70
Not included elsewhere

1200 CE - 1300 CE
Jāyasenāpativiracita Nṛttaratnāvalī, Volume I (NrtN) - Pappu Venugopala Rao and Yashoda Thakore

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Description:
2:273

Kaṭakāmukhas are then crossed in muṣṭisvastika hastas. Those born mutually from muṣṭi come under this according to Bharata.

No associated meanings

Based upon:
The middle finger is bent to be held by the thumb and the remaining are raised and bent. This is kaṭakāmukha hasta

Kaṭakāmukha - 2:113-114 If the thumb of sikhara hasta grips the middle finger, it becomes Muṣṭi.

Mushṭi - 2:145
Not included elsewhere

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Description:
2:274

Any one of muṣṭi, sikhara, kapittha or kaṭakāmukha can be used. Traditionally, as the other three hastas have taken birth from muṣṭi, Bharata named these hastas muṣṭivastika.

No associated meanings

Based upon:
The middle finger is bent to be held by the thumb and the remaining are raised and bent. This is kaṭakāmukha hasta

Kaṭakāmukha - 2:113-114 When the middle, ring and little fingers of kaṭakāmukha hand are curled into the centre of the palm, it is kapittha hasta

Kapittha - 2:137 The forefinger of the kapittha hasta is bent to join the other fingers in the middle of the palm and the thumb is stretched to form śikhara.

The forefinger of the kapittha hasta is bent to join the other fingers in the middle of the palm and the thumb is stretched to form śikhara.

Ṡikhara - 2:139 If the thumb of sikhara hasta grips the middle finger, it becomes Muṣṭi.

Mushṭi - 2:145
Not included elsewhere

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Description:
2:275

One hasta is contracted downward (kuncita) with muṣṭi and the other arched upward with kaṭakāmukha. Those are muṣṭisvastika hastasas said by Kirtidharacarya. 'khahgavartinika' is another name given to these hastas.

No associated meanings

Based upon:
The middle finger is bent to be held by the thumb and the remaining are raised and bent. This is kaṭakāmukha hasta

Kaṭakāmukha - 2:113-114 If the thumb of sikhara hasta grips the middle finger, it becomes Muṣṭi.

Mushṭi - 2:145 No image available
Kuñcita - 2:222
Not included elsewhere

1350 CE - 1550 CE
Śrihastamuktāvali (HM) - Maheswar Neog

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Description:
:887

If the two Aralas are contracted back from the front to form two Khatakamukhas on the shoulders, it is called Mustikasvastika

No associated meanings

Based upon:
When the thumb and the fore-finger are bent like the two ends of a bow, and the remaining three fingers are extended towards the front, it is Arala hasta.

When the thumb and the fore-finger are bent like the two ends of a bow, and the remaining three fingers are extended towards the front, it is Arala hasta.

Arāla - :45
Not included elsewhere

1500 CE - 1600 CE
Nartananirnaya of Sri Pandrika Vitthala Vol. 3 (NN) - R. Sathyanarayana

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Description:
7:124

When khaṭakā (mukha) hastas are crossed repeatedly < avrttau > it is mustika- svastika.

No associated meanings

Based upon:
If the ring finger of kapittha is slightly raised, it is khaṭakāmukha.

Kaṭakāmukha - 7:102
Not included elsewhere

1600 CE - 1650 CE
Saṅgītanārāyaṇa (SN) - Mandakranta Bose

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Description:
3:517-518

In muṣṭisvastika, one hand in arāla is moved in vartana while the other hand in alapallava [is moved] several times, alternately assuming the svastika gesture, and finally both the hands perform khatakamukha hand-gestures. Some experts say that in muṣṭisvastika, svastika gestures can also be formed either with Sikhara or kapittha hands.

No associated meanings

Based upon:
That is known as arala where the thumb is bent like a bow at first, the palm is curved in the middle and the rest of [the fingers] are half bent touching [each other].

That is known as arala where the thumb is bent like a bow at first, the palm is curved in the middle and the rest of [the fingers] are half bent touching [each other].

Arāla - 3:355-357 When the thumb of musti is held up, it is known as sikhara.

Ṡikhara - 3:367-368 According to Kohala when the forefinger of sikhara is bent touching the thumb it is known as kapittha.

Kapittha - 3:369 When the ringfinger and the little finger of the kapittha hand are stuck out slightly bent and separated, it becomes khatakamukha.

Kaṭakāmukha - 3:372
Mentioned by:
Lata hands become valita when the elbows are crossed in svastika. Others say that when the tips of the hands are joined with one another facing up in khatkamukha [they form] valita. Others [suggest] that mustikasvastika hands, held up, make valita.

Valita

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