Hasta

(“hand”) In Indian dance, sculpture,
and ritual, a hasta is a particular hand
position. In some cases, this hand position may have symbolic meaning, as in
varada hasta or the “gift-giving” gesture; in other cases the hasta’s name
may simply describe the shape of the
hand, as in kataka hasta, in which the
tips of the fingers are loosely joined to
the thumb. In the context of dance, all
of these gestures have been given multiple symbolic meanings, and the dancer
can use these gestures to tell a story
through her gestures.
There is some overlap in meaning
between the words hasta and mudra
(“seal”), which are both used to describe
hand gestures, and the two are sometimes used interchangeably. Of the two,
mudras tend to be more strictly defined,
and to be far more stylized than hastas.
They stress the positions of the fingers,
rather than of the entire hand; the fingers are always in very specific positions. Mudras always have very specific
symbolic meanings.