Natyasastra is the manual of Indian Art and aesthetics authored by Bharatamuni. Natyasastra discusses dance, drama, poetry and many other performing-arts. It gives theory and practice of as many as 64 performing-arts. Panini, the grammarian mention about Natyasastra,so it date back to 600 B.C.E.

In Natyasastra, Bhartamuni discusses various aspect of art and literature. Bhartamuni define the philosophy behind all art form as not just enjoyment of art alone but to progress in the realms of spirituality.

The original work, Natyasastra is believed to be of more than 12000 verses, though the available text is of 6000 verses. Commentaries on Natyasastra have been written by great acharyas: Mitragupta , Harsavardhana , Sankuka , Udbhata , Bhattanayaka and Abhinavagupta. Of these the Abhinavabharati , the commentary written by Abhinavagupta is the only one freely available now.

Bharatamuni had identified sixty four arts :

(I) Gita (music) गीत gīta.

(2) Vadya (instrumental music) वाद्य vādya.

(3) Nrtya (Dancing) नृत्य nṛtya.

(4) Natya (histrionics- dramatic art) नाट्य nāṭya

(5) Citra (painting) चित्र citra.

(6) Accunirmana (making of types).

(7) Puspanirmana (flower-gardening).

(8) Pumettaracana (artistic flower laying).

(9) Dehalankarana (Dressing). देहालङ्कार dehālaṅkāra

(10) Grhalarikarana (furnishing of houses) . गृहालङ्कार gṛhālaṅkāra

(11) Sayyanirmana (making of beds). शय्यानिर्माण śayyānirmāṇa

(12) Jalataranga (music with water). जल तरङ्ग jala taraṅga

(13) Jalavadya (music on water). जल वाद्य jala vādya

(14) Vividhavesadharana (wearing different kinds of dresses).

(15) Malanirmana (making of flower garlands). मालानिर्माण mālānirmāṇa

(16) Kesalankara (hair dressing) . केशालङ्कार keśālaṅkāra

(17) Vastradharana (wearing of dresses). वस्त्रधारण vastradhāraṇa

(18) Karnabhusananirmana (making of ear-ornam (beautification) . कर्णभूषणनिर्माण karṇabhūṣaṇanirmāṇa

(23) Karasucikarana (cleaning of the hands).

(24) Modakanirmana (making of sweet-m according to certain rules).

(30) Arthavisadikarana (clarification of meaning).

(31) Granthaparayana (reading of books).

(32) Natakadarsana (enacting of plays).

(33) Samasya purana (part of a verse, generally the last line, proposed by one person to be completed by another as a trial of skill).

(34) Nirmana (making of cots of canes).

(35) Carpentry.

(36) Logic.

(37) Vastuvidya (science of building homes).

(38) Svarnaratnaparishodhana (connoisseurship of gold and diamond).

(39) Dhatusamskarana (purification of metals).

(40) Skill in distinguishing the colours of diamonds.

(41) Khaniparikshana (finding out of mines).

(42) Vrkshayurvedayoga (Understanding trees and their value).

(43) Cockfight.

(44) Understanding the language of birds like Maina.

(45) Massaging.

(46) Keshaprakshalana.

(47) Aksara mustika kathana.

(48) Videshabhasapathana (Learning of foreign languages).

(49) Desabhashajnana. (knowledge of the language of one's own country) .

(50) Bhavikalapravacana (fortunetelling) .

(51) Yantranirmana (making of machines) .

(52) Smaranashaktiposana (increasing memory power) .

(53) Sravanapatha (studying by hearing).

(54) Nimishakavana (Instant poetry-making) .

(55) Kriyavikalpa.

(56) Kapatabhava (False poses).

(57) Chandojnana (knowledge of different poetic meter).

(58) Vastragopana.

(59) Game of dice.

(60) gambling.

(61) Balalila (entertainment of children) .

(62) Vinayacarakrama (etiquette).

(63) Vaitalikavidyajnana (panegyrics).

(64) Karyagrahana (comprehension of facts).