Pancharatram

PANChARATRAM – a unique Bharata playtc "PANChARATRAM – a unique Bharata play"

Imagine the Mahabharata without Kurukshetra war!  How would it be if the hundred Kauravas and the six Kaunteyas, hand in hand, lived together, happily?  What would be the world of philosophy without the Bhagvadgita?

Bhasa was an unconventional dramatist in all respects.  Nothing was a taboo for him.  He made revolutionary changes in the dramatic practices of Sanskrit plays. He brought fire and water on to the stage first to set it on fire and later drown it in profuse tears of tragedy. In a field where there was no trace of any tragedy, he wrote a couple of plays with tragic sentiment leading the action to a full fledged tragedy in three acts for the first and last time in Sanskrit dramatic world.  He had chartered a new course for many a character well known in the Epics of India. No one was a bad person in his world though the Epic might have portrayed him/her as bad and villainous. He had reformed and remodeled great characters like Ravana, Kaikeyi, Duryodhana, Karna.  One wonders whether these are the very persons whom one has hated from childhood as the centre of evil and destruction.  Bhasa makes these characters as people to be pitied and as those who are more sinned against than those who are sinners themselves.  Bhasa has retouched the personalities of Rama, Sita, Bhima and Ghatotkacha, and they come up in new colours.  Pancharatram of Bhasa falls in this class of plays where the wicked are not incorrigibly bad; they are also good to an extent, and want to be good and be appreciated by one and all.  The arrogant, envious and wicked Duryodhana of the Mahabharata is made a heroic person of valour and righteousness, dedicated to the age-old traditions of virtue and merit.

Pancharatram is a play in three acts. The incidents of the play take place when the Pandavas are in the court of the king of Virata.  It brings shocking changes in the very story of Bharata. It completely changes the course of the Mahabharata war, which proved to be the main cause for liquidating the entire population of India of the yore.  Bhasa has totally done away with this great tragic war and made the greedy and villainous Duryodhana agree to give away half of his kingdom to the five Pandavas.

The play begins with Duryodhana performing a sacrifice in a grand manner with the entire world of kings attending it.  Every one is happy, and praises Duryodhana for his adherence to virtue.  When Duryodhana enters into the rites of the sacrifice, it appears as though the world itself is consecrated: “nripe diksham prapte jagadapi samam dikshitamiva”.  The world became altogether full of joy, eloquently extolling the good qualities of Duryodhana.  By the virtues of Duryodhana, all the universe has become an abode for the gods: “Lokamudaruroha sakalam devalayam tadgunaih”.  Kings and Brahmins wish him well in many ways: to enjoy the earth by means of valour, to give up anger, to be accommodative to the kith and kin and considerate to the Pandavas.  Dronacharya and Bhishma congratulate Duryodhana on his righteous conduct and supporting virtue.  He is Dharmamalambamanah and Sukritasya Bhajanam the receptacle of virtues. Duryodhana himself feels relieved that he has become the centre of trust of his people, jadagviswhasthah, that his virtue has been established in the world and that his infamy has departed, Nashtamayashah.  Happy and contented, Duryodhana offers to give gurudakshina-teacher’s fee to Drona on the completion of the sacrifice.  Drona takes this opportunity and asks him to give the kingdom to the Pandavas as his fee.  Duryodhana consults Sakuni and Karna before conceding the request of Drona.  Sakuni discourages and dissuades him from giving any share (even useless and barren land) from the kingdom to the Pandavas.  He asks Duryodhana not to agree to the demand of Drona.  But Duryodhana is determined to fulfil his word to his preceptor.  Sakuni becomes irritated, and mockingly asks Duryodhana to give away the entire kingdom. Karna encourages him to take to the path of Rama who made brotherhood a noble quality.  When Duryodhana is ready to give the share due to the Pandavas, Sakuni asks Drona to reveal the whereabouts of the Pandavas within three nights.  Only then Duryodhana will give half of the kingdom to the Pandavas.  Sakuni’s ulterior motive is that if the Pandavas were revealed within one year of their life incognito, then they could be sent once again to forest for another twelve years.  Duryodhana also agrees to this condition of Sakuni.  Both Drona and Bhishma become crest-fallen at the condition.  How to get the information of the Pandavas who after having spent twelve years of forest life, are now living the last one year incognito as per the earlier condition set by Duryodhana?  Both the acharyas want that the Pandavas must not be disturbed in their secret sojourn, otherwise they would have to go through the cycle of spending twelve years in forest and another year incognito once again.  Drona protests against the condition and says that, in reality, the fee that Duryodhana wanted to give him is not being paid.  At that very moment Bhishma gets information that Kichaka of Virata kingdom, has been killed along with his one hundred brothers by some one with his bare hands.  Immediately Bhishma realizes who could kill in that manner and in convinced that the Pandavas are in the court of King Virata.  Drona thus accepts the condition of Duryodhana and Bhishma undertakes the capture of the cows of Virata.  Thus Act One ends.

Thus second Act is laid in the court of King Virata.  It narrates how the army of the Kauravas is defeated and how Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna who happened to be on the side of the Kauravas is captured.  The credit for the victory goes to the prince, Uttarakumara, the son of the King of Virata but in reality Arjuna in the guise of Brihannala, has defeated the army and Bhima has captured Abhimanyu.  There is a touching incident of the meeting between father Arjuna and son Abhimanyu.  The Act ends with the Pandavas declaring themselves free as the stipulated period of one year of life incognito has been completed.  The surprised king of Virata, in gratitude, offers his daughter Princess Uttara in marriage and Arjuna takes her as his daughter-in-law for his son Abhimanyu.

The third and last Act is once again laid in the court of Duryodhana.  News comes that Abhimanyu who fought on the side of the Kauravas, has been captured in the seizure of the cows of King of Virata.  Both Drona and Bhishma are surprised at the capture of Abhimanyu.  Duryodhana feels uncomfortable at what has happened.  He feels guilty, and declares that though his enmity with the Pandavas is well known, now Abhimanyu is more a son to him than to the Pandavas.  The boy has fought on his behalf.  It would be his endeavour to see that Abhimanyu gets released. Differences and enmity may be there between the elders, but the children must not be dragged into them:  “Sati ca kulavirodhe naparadhyanti balaah”. Duryodhana readies himself for the release of Abhimanyu.  Karna agrees with Duryodhana and says that it would be a situation of utter shame if they, the well-known warriors could not rescue Abhimanyu.  Better all of them take to the barks of renunciation. On the other hand Sakuni tries to convince Duryodhana that nothing serious has happened and that some how some one would see to it that Abhimanyu is released and the Kauravas need not worry themselves with that.  From the description of the fight and the manner in which Abhimanyu is captured, Bhishma concludes that only Bhima could have done that, and Drona happily supports Bhishma from his own experience of Bhima’s prowess.  Sakuni does not see the truth and criticises the Sires with over-enthusiasm of seeing the Pandavas everywhere as though the world were bereft of any valorous person.  Both Bhishma and Drona try their best to convince every one that it must have been the Pandavas who stayed at the court of the king of Virata, who defeated the Kauravas and captured Abhimanyu.  At that very moment, a charioteer comes with an arrow from the battlefield.  When the name inscribed on it is read, it is known that the arrow is that of Arjuna and thus within five nights the whereabouts of the Pandavas is revealed and that half of the kingdom should be given to them by Duryodhana. Sakuni does not agree to this conclusion and says that the arrow might belong to any soldier who might have been Arjuna’s namesake.  Duryodhana also declares to every one that he will not part with the kingdom unless he is given an authentic proof of existence of the Pandavas. In the meanwhile price Uttarakumara comes from the kingdom of Virata and extends invitation to the Kauravas for the marriage of Princess Uttara with Abhimanyu. Bhishma and Drona are extremely happy with this news. Now Drona accosts Duryodhana to stand by his word to him and hand over half of the kingdom to the Pandavas as his Gurudakshina.  Duryodhana concedes to the words of his preceptor and declares that he will share his kingdom with the Pandavas.  He declares that generally people die and become mortal, while the one who stands by truth ever remains immortal even after his death –“Mritepi hi narah sarve satye tishtanti”.  The play ends with the assurance that the prospect of bloodshed has gone and that the king can rule with ease.