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Jayashree Mundkur in her talk on Nayika-Nayaka Bheda in Bharatanatyam, for Natyarangam on 21 April 2002, explained the importance of the understanding of the Nayaka-Nayika Bedas: Hero-Heroine classifications as mentioned in the treatises on the subject. Senior dance guru Kalanidhi Narayanan demonstrated the various nayaka nayika bedas through appropriate excerpts from almost two dozen padmams, javalis and ashtapadis. Jayashree explains, "The lec dem emphasised the importance of the correct analysis of the nayaka-nayika beda in a performance of a padam, javali or an ashtapadi. This plays a key role in the build up to the the right rasa utpati (the correct flavour of the love songs as the poet intended). For this lec-dem, Dhananjayan's Dasarupak, Vishwanath Kaviraj's Sahitya Darpan and some treatises on Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy especially for the understanding of Krishna, Radha and the gopis were referred to. Analysing the treatise of Sanskrit scholars, during the time of the Natyashastra, the hero was either a God or a king as such his qualities as a ruler and protector mattered. He is therefore either heroic or cowardly, humble or boastful, decisive or indecisive, steadfast or easily swayed. This led to the four classifications of Dheerodhatha, Dheeralalitha, Dheeraprashaantha and Dheerodhdhatha. All men were classified by their intrinsic nature as Uthama, Madhyama and Adhama - that is great, lesser, and still worse qualities of heart and mind. In
time the classification of the hero included that of Pathi (husband)
and Upapathi (One who went for another woman). The classification of nayika or heroine according to Sanskrit scholars, beginning with the Natya Shastra, classified them according to birth - divine, royal, or in the house of a courtesan. All women 'Nari' were classified according to their intrinsic nature as Uthama, Madhyama and Adhama. The nayika was further classified as the Sviya (married and true to one); as a parakiya (dependent on one but loving another - as Praudha:married to one and in love with another and Kanya: still dependent on father but interested in another) The last of this classification is Samanya - Those who've had a relationship with men either for their qualities or for their money and were classified as Rakt: truly in love with her paramour and Virakt: one who has no genuine love, only interested in the money. Again, the sviya was classified further according to the degree of experience in a man-woman relationship as Mugdha, Madhya and Pragalba. The Ashtanayika avasthas
and the Sakis or the friends of the heroine were not touched
upon."
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