Basically, the Natyashastra documents the history behind the development of the arts in India; it is a theater and dance treatise of national importance. The Natyashastra describes how the Natyaveda (fifth Veda) was created by the deity Brahma and eventually taught to a mystic scholar named Bharata. Chapter One documents the names of Bharata'* one hundred sons, the importance of the graceful Kaiseki style in Indian dance, and how the apsarasas (mythological female goddesses who excelled in the art of sensual dance) were created to demonstrate the Kaiseki style. It also describes the origin of the first playhouse (Indian theater), the characteristics of Indian drama, how different deities are tasked with protecting the actors and the different areas of the theater, and the origin of the Jarjara.
The Jarjara was basically a magical staff used by the the Indra to to ** the vighnas (evil spirits) that attacked the actors. Since then, the Jarjara is a revered object in Indian theatrical circles; it is believed that the Jarjara wards * evil spirits.
