eight categories of heroines in Sanskrit drama

Dr Swati Joshi 

Shrimad Rajchandra Vidyapeeth 

Dharampur

There are eight categories of heroines. Vasakasajjika    (dressed up for union)  Virahotkandhita (Distresses by separation)  Svadhinabhartrka  (having the husband  under subjection)  Kalahantarita (separated by quarrel )  Khandhita ( enraged)  Vipralabdha ( the deceived)  Prositabhartrka ( whose husband is on travel) and Abhisarika (who due to her infatuation is attached to the lover and gives up modesty in going out to meet him.) Heroines are also classified in the category of Sviya (wife of the hero) Parakiya (under the control of somebody) and Samanya (common to all).  In Sanskrit Drama one can easily define the categories of Hero and Heroine in the play. Apart from hero and heroine Vidusaka is another essential character who has the aptitude to continue living the ethnicity of Sanskrit drama. He can give respite to the audience. The function of Vidushaka is not to compact with Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Vidushaka deals with Vinoda (enjoyment), Vanchana (deception), Ashana (eating) Rajasena (serving king). After Plot and the characterization Sanskrit drama works on sentiments.  Rasa is the soul of drama and all Rasa made ‘Natyarasa.’

According to Dhananjaya, “Dramas are classified according to Subject matter, Hero and Sentiments.”19

There are nine sentiments of Sanskrit drama.   

1 Sringara (erotic) 

2 Hasya (comic)

3 Karuna (pathetic)

4 Roudra (furious)

5 Vira (heroic) 

6 Bhayanaka (terrible) 

7 Bibhastsa (loathsome) 

8 Adbhuta (marvelous)

9 Santa (quietism)

These sentiments can be divided in three categories-

1 Nataka in that we have all sentiments (sarvana)   and Natika in this we have the Erotic (Ratisambhoga)

2 Prakarana having all sentiments 

3 Samavakara in that we have only three types of the Erotic (Trisrigara)  

Sanskrit Dramas have diverse categories, deals with unusual prototype and persona. Sanskrit drama can be based on Rupaka ( major category ) and Uparupaka ( minor  category ) in which Nataka and Prakarana  are part of Rupaka and  dima, bhana, vyayoga, Ihamrga, anka vithi and prahasana may be considered in Uparupaka.  

Nataka   has a heroic touch which deals with Abhinayas. Abhinaya is divided into four categories as angika, vacika, satvika and aharya.  Dhirodatta is the intimate initiative of Nataka where hero battle for right causes. Nataka deals with five to ten acts.  It is obligatory designed for Nataka to have five Sandhis and sixty four Sandhyarigas.  The chief sentiments of Nataka are Sringara and Vira must be concluding with spectacular ending.  Among all the characters the role of Vidushaka is signify cant and love is the major theme which is differently represented in every drama. 

Prakarana - This category deals with communal essentials having ten acts.  Difference between high class and lower class society can be seen in this category.  All the stories are from imaginative world where hero should be from Brahmin background or minister.  Sringar Rasa is the chief character.  End is always in the triumph of true worship.  

Bhana (one-man drama) can be considered as the earliest form of drama which deals with only monologue having erotic sentiments. In Bhana one can see frequent vocalizations in the atmosphere. In Bhana the hero present his incident of life using apparatus called Akasabhasita.    It deals with only two junctures. After Bhana Vithi, Anka, Prahasana and Vyayoga can be considered next form of Sanskrit drama.

Vithi (All the sentiments) has one act only. It has a number of characters and lots of sentiments are in greater than before position. 

Prahasana (Hasya) is a ridiculous or humorous lampoon based on subordination of Brahamans.  Prahasana deals with Hasya Rasa. It can be hurdle in the restriction of acts. It can be divided into three categories- 

1 Ordinary

2 Customized 

3 Miscellaneous

Vyayoga may perform up to ten heroes but it cannot perform with female characters.  It works with arrogant Rasas.  Vira, Adhbhuta, or Raudra play the responsibility of leader response in it. Vyayoga contains the depiction of encounters, assail and resist in this category of drama. 

Anka or Utsrstikanka can be performed with tragic elements of women characters where the plot is on the basis of epic and has more than two acts as Mukha and Nirvahana. Karuna is the chief Rasa in it. It can be perform on the tragic condition of women whose relatives, love ones vanished in war and these women portray their soreness and vulnerability. 

Ihamrga is approximately identical as Vyayoga performed with similar heroes and Rasas.  Ihamrga can be performed with four acts containing three Sandhis.  In this category the divine heroine would be approached by the hero.

Dima Dima can be performed with all Rasas but with erotic or humorous Rasas. Dima deals with four acts. The hero of Dima should be God, Yaksa, Raksasa.  Among all the Rasas Roudra is the ruler emotion of Dima.  

“Dima represents terrific events, portents, incantations, sorcery, combats and disorders of every sort. It is called Dima because of the presence of vidrava (fight, panic, abuse) in it.”20  

Along with Dima and Vyayoga Samavakara can be executed with the erotic passion.  Samavakara has four sandhis and can be performed with three Rasas as Sringara, Vira and Roudra. Prakarana, having three acts. Natika may have four acts. In spite of that it is not confirmed detail about the acts of Prahasana (the comic), Anka (the pathetic) and Ihamega (the heroic) in Natyashastra. Bharata, Sagar Nandin, Dhananjaya, Ramachandra, Gunacandra   and Visvanatha have diverse belief about quantity of acts in various types of Sanskrit dramas.  Bharata burly believed that being most alluring fraction of drama Nataka and Prakarana can be performed with all the nine sentiments. Dhananjaya was of the opinion that the heroic or erotic should be the core Rasa of Nataka and Prakarana.  Plot association can be classified in two segments- 

1 Sluggish 

2 Immediate 

Nataka, Prakarana and the Natika deal with sluggish movement having all the Juncture.  Dima, Samavakara, Ihamrga, Vyayoga, Prahsasana Vithi and Anka deal with immediate movement plot not having all the juncture,   two or three are missing out.  

Kuttiyattam- 

“Kuttiyattam” the word is divided into two words- Kuti means Combined and attam means dance. It also deals with recitation and action. During the early days of the performance the actor carry out Nirvahan (a practice where the character communicate and bring the events from past to present perspective) alone.  This was theoretically called Pakarnattam (conversion of roles).  The other actors join him at the end of the performance. The theory gives lots of space to actor for imagination (manodharma). After this process the acting and dancing become multi personalities. It is called Kuttiyattam.