Kalidas and Sanskrit drama by Dr Swati Joshi

 

Dr Swati Joshi 

Shrimad Rajchandra Vidyapeeth

 Dharampur

Another aspect concerning Sanskrit drama is specified by Kalidas who supported description and suggested that Natya has spiritual consequence. It is assumed by some of the scholar that Tandava of Lord Shiva has another origin of dance and Sangit originated from Rasaleela dance of Lord Krishna and Gopikas. This can be a religious origin of Drama. The new two different adaptations of fifth Vedas are found in the Bhavaprakasa of Saradatanaya. With the help of Nandikesvara Lord Shiva taught Brahma the Natyaveda and then Brahma taught this to the other sages and his devotees.  Brahma has given the acquiescence to Manu to brought Bharata to the earth and then world become conscious about theater.  Immense assessment of any exertion can be allocated by comparative process of revise. Indeed by this method innovative summit of interest come to light and proves itself a preeminent reading in provisions of Vedas. This method has given an additional feature concerning dramas been made by some scholars that Sanskrit dramas were prejudiced by Greek Dramas.  We focus on two facts that the dramatization of Greek is entirely different from that of Sanskrit Literature and both ancient countries have their own circumstances and intuitions.  Sanskrit and Greek dramas are compared on the techniques. 

Comparison can be done on the basis of –

A) Prasatavna    or the Beginning

B) Patra- Pravesa   or the Presentation of character

C) Arthopaksepakas     or   the Explanatory Devices.

D) The division into Acts.

E) Nirvahana     or   the Conclusion

F) Characterization and dialogue 

G)  Total effect of the section or the Rasas. 

Dramas may be seen on tragic and comic foundations but Sanskrit Dramas are different in representation of both in comedy and tragedy. Sanskrit dramas have both the qualities as it is somewhere pathetic and somewhere using Vidushaka for Harsya Rasa. But it is difficult to define in the particular category of Comedy or tragedy as the Greek dramas are defined. 

Aristotle (poet 1449) says that-

“Both tragedy and comedy began in improvisation, tragedy arising from the dithyramb a choral poem properly in honor of the god Dianysus and comedy arising from the phallic songs. He further intimates that tragedy originally had only one actor, and was a short ludicrous satiric play employing the gay and dancing trochaic meter.”4 

Sanskrit dramas can be seen from different view point as-

“The Primitive Indian play differs in one essential from this suggested origin of tragedy the victory lies with Krishna with Vaicya not with the dark Kansa the black Cudra therefore not sorrow, though there is death and the fact that Sanskrit drama insists on a happy ending is unquestionably most effectively explained if  it be brought into connection with the fact of the origin of the drama in a passion play whose end was happiness through death, not grief.”5 

Another way to evaluate the Greek influence on Indian drama is based on certain features as traditions such as introduction of brave or mythic character, development of the main and sub characters, importance of minor characters in the progression of plot, entry and exit of characters and most important use of curtain. The curtain is called Yavanika in Sanskrit.  One can interpret that India and Greek dramaturgy  both did not know the use of curtain in modern sense that curtain plays the role of differential between stage and the spectator. They may used curtains as the background for the stage or used as a dressing room (Nepathya). It is not confirmed that whether Greek has used a curtain.  In Greek dramas we have “Sannio” of the mimus and in Indian dramas we have “Vidusaka”. The Latter (vidushaka) is always a Brahaman and the joker is from slave or farmer background.   These are essential elements in both the dramas that execute the position of a torch bearer.  Sanskrit dramas do not observe the unity of time and place. One can easily notice changes in scenes from earth to heaven and heaven to earth.  This is completely different from the Greek tragedies.  Greek plays were performed for the masses and understood by every class of society where as Sanskrit dramas were performed for crowd of mythical and erudition taste. Sanskrit dramas were based on the scrupulous state of mind and performed for the realization of Rasa and talked about never-ending delight through Dharma, Artha and Karma where as Greek dramas imitate the action.  Greek Dramas initiate with monologue or a dialogue that is called prologos. It means an introductory speech. Irregularity is an additional dilemma with prologos in Greek Literature.  If hero direct comes to provide his preamble then audience will easily come to be acquainted with him. As for illustration Oedipus speaks in prologue just to give information about him and about others. The problem of revealing the self identity of the hero by himself has been solved by Sanskrit Literature. The Sanskrit dramas initiated with Prastavna, no central disposition come into Prastavna. At that time there was no media to identify the name of the play. So the role of Sutradhara was important in that procedure.  The meaning of Sutra itself is a “bridge or a bonding” that works to make the spectator attentive about the beginning and forthcoming events of the play.  The stage manager or Sutradhara appears and describe or include discussion about the foremost personality of the play. 

“A Sanskrit play is directly approachable where as Greek play demands a fore knowledge of the dramatic theory.’’ 6 

The mission of Sutradhara is to instigate the urge to God and then state the name of the play and the playwright; at last the most vital effort is to construct the happening or juncture for the entrance of the hero and exit.

 For paradigm- 

“Stage Manager- May the Lord Kesava ferry you over a flood of enemies as he ferried Arjuna over the torrent of his foes a torrent gravelly with blades and shafts, with Bhishma and Drona as the guiding banks, where in the King of Sindh presents the river – water, Gandhara’s king a whirlpool, and Angas king a wave ; a steam with Dronas son as alligator , with Kripa as a crocodile and with Duryodhana as the tearing current.”7 

“With these words, my lords and gentleman, I have to announce to you – But what is that? I thought I heard a noise just as I was to make my announcement. Well I must see what it is.”8 

In all the plays of Bhasa, Sutradhara never announced the name of the play as well as the name of the playwrights. That was the chief cause that Sanskrit Literature faced great unsolved problems known as the “Bhasa- Problem.”  The problem symbolizes the vagueness concerning the time and the authorship of the plays. But in Greek Literature lots of things are conformed regarding authorship. Sanskrit dramas are deficient in the tragic catastrophe which is its further attribute that distinguishes it from Greek dramas. Sanskrit dramas never recommend tragic end and if it put forward tragic end then presented with some ethical principles and draw closer to the end which is accepted by the spectator with happiness. Most of the Greek plays deal with the tragic theme.  Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides are known for their catastrophic subject matter.  For example – Oedipus Rex is known for his poetic tragic premises. 

“In the Poetics the Oedipus is cited more frequently and praised more highly than any other play.”9 

“Greek drama excels in tragedy but on the contrary, Sanskrit scrupulously avoids it.”10 

Sanskrit dramas also fluctuate from Greek dramas on the derivation of the length of the play. In Greek plays Chorus is seen where as the recitation of the verses is preferred in Sanskrit drama. Along with the Prologue the chorus, the messengers and the supernatural elements/ways were used in Greek Literature for making the overture and to help the expansion of the dramatic achievements. The end is also served by Chorus in Greek Literature.   But in Sanskrit Literature Pratihari (female- door keeper) takes the responsibility of introduction of any character. Nepathyokti is one more imperative component of Sanskrit dramas contains meaning as ‘speech from/ behind the curtain.’ Nepathyokti is such an immense assist to the dramatist when no one is there to initiate a new character.  Sanskrit plays focus on dance form but Greek plays did not give much importance to dance. In Sanskrit Literature the characters are Swadeshi or represent Indian culture and tradition and it disapproves the hypothesis of influence of Greek dramas on Sanskrit Literature. 

“Both in Greek and the Sanskrit drama the essential fact in the contest, from which their origin may thus be traced, is the existence of a conflict. In the Greek drama in its development this conflict came to dominate the play, and in the Indian drama this characteristic is far less prominent. But it is distinctly present in all the higher forms of the art …. Out of which the drama arose.”11 

Thus it can be said that the Sanskrit plays are superior to Greek plays in point of comparative techniques, method, and authentic existence circumstances.  But both the literatures are remarkable in their own field. Comparisons slaughter the magnificence of both the genres as of Sanskrit and Greek Literature. 

According to Historians of Indian Sanskrit literature religion and secularity are the origin of Sanskrit dramas. Even in the early Brahmanical and Buddhist Literature one can find dramatic representation. While interpreting the “Marut hymns” Max Mullar found dramas in Hymns.  The result was that two groups representing Indradev and Marut enacted the hymns.  In Indian studies ‘The Thirteen Plays of Bhasa’ can be considered as one of the major discoveries.  These plays are considered as the earliest of the Sanskrit dramas and till 1912 Bhasas’ works were unknown to us.  The description about Bhasa, Saumilla and Kaviputra can be seen by Kalidas in the introduction of Malvikagnimitra. The discovery of these three authors becomes the landmark in Sanskrit literature because no one was aware about these three writers and about their works. Bhasa’s ancient time is determining from the references of Dandin (7c AD.) and Bana (7c AD). Bhasa has immense superiority in representing the characters in love and separation status and relating these qualities with political issues. Along with these dramatists Sanskrit literature has Bhavbhuti, (c7th century) who has written Malati –Madhava, Mahaviracharita and Uttar Ramcharita. The last two plays were taken from Ramayan. Harsha (606- 648) has written three comic plays Ratnavali, Priyadarsika, and Budhist drama Nagananda and Asvaghosa (1st c A.D) a great contribution to Indian theatre. His significant works are Buddhacaritam and Sariputraprakaranam.

Among all the dramatists the golden age can be considered with Kalidas, Sudraka and Bhavbhuti, who become the creator of great dramas as Sakuntala, Mrcchakatika and Uttararamacarita. Sakuntala is the personification of Kalidas’ poetry. Mrcchakatika is a social play deals with human emotions and Uttararamacarita discusses the two diverse segment of human where he has to do justice with his personal life along with his professional (social) life. Besides these dramatists Sanskrit literature has Visakhadatta, Kulasekharavarma, Rajasekhara, Murari, Bhattanarayana, and Saktibhandra. They have immense involvement in the expansion of Sanskrit literature. Another essential quality of the playwright is to compact with the theme/plot, imagination of the characters and appropriate creative dialogue and the delivery of the dialogue.   

As Bharata says, “Iti Vratam tu natassasya shariram parikirtitam”12 

The above statement means “The theme or the plot is the bulk of Natya, to search out the theme, the ‘body’ of drama.”

The source of all themes/plot deals with enormous recitation, admired fictions or from the creative world of the poet. The plot which is related to enormous recitation may be the record of legends like the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the other Puranas and the Kathasaritsagar.  But Nataka has no place for creation or inventive world. It is necessity for Nataka to have a legendary theme. But there are lots of story which is related to Legends then what should be the theme of the Nataka. There are more than sixty four specialties ‘angas’ in Natyasastra but it is difficult to get all these in one theme. ‘Turns of surprise and the unexpected’ is the essential mark of any dramatic plot.  The plot based on the foremost character. The minor characters become the progressive fraction of drama.  Bija, Bindu, Pataka, Prakari and Karya is five significant essentials that construct drama.  Bija means the beginning of the plot (seed). Bindu symbolize the progress of the play. Pataka means the development of the play. Prakari deals with the pause in the play. The conclusion comes in the form of Karya. 

Bharata says, “The five Elements of the Plot are designated as the Germ(bija), the Prominent Point (bindu) the Episode (pataka)  the Episodical  Incident (Prakari)  and the Denouement (Karya)  and these are to be used according to prescription.”13 

 

The Germ is presented by Sutradhara in a form of introduction (Prastavna) or used before first Act. Without Germ the introduction of the play is insufficient.  After Germ the prominent point is exceptionally essential for plot to give the right direction to the beginning of the story or theme. 

According to Bhasa, “That which sustains the continuity till the end of the play even when the chief object is (for the time being) suspended, is called the Prominent Point.”14