Part 7 - Characters of the drama (Mattavilāsa Prahasana)

In the Mattavilāsa Prahasana, there are five characters, i.e.

1. Sūtradhara (the stage manager),
2. Naṭī (an actor and wife of the stage manager),
3. Kāpālika (Satyasoma, a mendicant belonging to the Śaivīte sect),
4. Devasomā (a wench),
5. Śākyabhikṣu (Nāgasena), a Buddhist mendicant and
6. Pāśupata (Babhrukalpa), a Śaivīte belonging to another order and
7. Unmattaka (a madman or lunatic).

Sūtradhāra –

The stage manager is glad to introduce the play since it serves to pacify his senior wife angered by his devotion to his younger wife.

Naṭī –

The actress is the wife of Sūtradhāra who resents the partiality of her husband to her co-wife.

Kāpālika–

The Kāpālika Satyasoma is the principal character in the Mattavilāsa Prahasana and a lower type of hero who lives near the Ekāmranātha temple in Kāñcī. He is the person, who loves food and drinks. He thinks liquorshop is the sacrificial place for people. He believes in his religion and does not like the Buddhistsand always criticizes them. He thinks that these Buddhists have stolen the portions of the Mahābhārata and the Upaniṣads and made them their own texts. He describes Kāñcī artistically and thinks that the Kāpālikas should have their begging bowls, which are the signs of Kāpālika. The recovery of kapāla makes him believe that he has regained his Kāpālika sect. He believes that bowl is everything for him and for his lord Śiva.

It proves by his sentence that:

“bhagavatprasādāt punarapi Kapālī śaṃvṛttaḥ”. (Mattavilāsa, Unni, p.58).

Devasomā–

Devasomā is a humorous character and the heroine of the play. She belongs to the Śaivite order but shifts her alliance to the members of different sects, as she pleases. She drinks liquor up to her satisfaction.

She thinks that the city of Kāñcī is as sweet as liquor:

“bhagavan, bhagavatī vāruṇī iva anavagīta-madhurā kāñcī.” (Mattavilāsa, Unni, p.41).

She has full faith in the religion of her companion. She is clever and quarrelsome.

She does not like the Buddhist monks and calls them:

“dāsyāḥ putra” (Mattavilāsa, Unni, p.49).

She does not believe in the court matters with the Buddhist monk, because they bribe the Judge:

(eṣapunaranekavihārasamadhigatavittasañcayo………mukhāni pūrayitum pārayati” (Mattavilāsa, Unni, p.54).

Śākyabhikṣu –

Buddhists were corrupt in the period of Mahendravarman. They did not know good manners. Nāgasena is the soft-spoken Buddhist but likes to have nonvegetarian food. He is angry with the elderly Buddhist monks, because they have prohibited wine and women in the religion. He has weakness for women.

When he sees Devasomā, the word immediately comes out of his tongue that:

“aho lalitarūpā upāsikā (Mattavilāsa, Unni, p.46)”.

He is eager to drink wine offered but hesitates because somebody may see. He has good knowledge of his religious text.

Pāśupata–

He is a different type of Śaivite. Now he is not interested in the liquor or women. He is in a mood of revenge with Kāpālika, because, he took away his ladylove by force.

“tadidānīm pratihastiprotsāhanena śatrupakṣam dhvaṃsayāmi” (Mattavilāsa, Unni, p.50).

Unmattaka–

Unmattaka is a mad man roaming in the street of Kāñcī. He completes the drama by returning the begging bowl of Kāpālika. The author has given him brilliant words and his character feels like a real madman moving.

His words are like:

“unmatto duṣṭakukkura īdṛśena nāma śūratvena mayā sahāpi roṣam karoṣi, grāmasūkaramāruhya gaganamutpatitena sāgareṇa prabhañjya rāvaṇam balād gṛhītaḥ śakrasutastimiṅgilaḥ.” (Mattavilāsa, Unni, p.55).