Part 3-6 - Samavakāra rules

Rules of the Nāṭyaśāstra: –

1) According to the Nāṭyaśāstra (XX.60-74), the plot of Samavakāra should be related to gods and demons. The hero should be wellknown (prakhyāta) and exalted (dhīrodātta) type.

2) There should be three acts, three type of deceptions (kapaṭas), three type of flights (vidravas), three type of erotics (śṛṅgāras), twelve heroes and twelve stalks (nāḍikās) for the action.

3) There should be humour in the ancillaries of vīthī.

4) The first act should consist of twelve stalks (nāḍikās), because of the erotic scene or the presence of female character. The second act should consist of four stalks (nāḍikās).

5) The third act should consist of two stalks (nāḍikās), where the plot ends. One nāḍikā is equivalent to half a moment (muhūrta).

6) Nāḍikā is same in all the acts. The stories of Samavakāra are to be loosely related to one another.

7) The meaning of Samavakāra is “scattered over”.

8) The causes of three types of flights (vidravas), are war, flood, fire, typhoon, elephant run out of control and the siege of the city.

9) The causes of three types of deception (trikapaṭas), are pleasure and painand deception occurs even without the fault of oneself provided the fate goes against him.

10) The erotic sentiment is of three types: as righteous love (dharmaśṛṅgāra), love with finance matter (arthaśṛṅgāra)and love with sensual desire (kāmaśṛṅgāra).

11) When the merit is accumulated by vows, fasts, penance and the restrictions (legal, social, political), it is called righteous love.

12) When the money is obtained through the result of desired finance, which happens for the love or attainment of woman, it is called love with finance.

13) When seduction of a maiden or sexual union with a woman happens openly or secretly, it is called love with sensual desire.

14) The meters like Uṣṇik, Gāyatrī should be used normally in Samavakāra. However, other meters can also be used.

16) The poet should compose the Samavakāra by using many types of sentiments such as happiness and sorrow.

Rules of the Daśarūpaka–

1) According to the Daśarūpaka (DR.III.62-68), there should be a prologue (āmukha) in the Samavakāra, like Nāṭaka etc.

2) The plot should be a well-known story, about gods and demons. There should not be a Pause Juncture (vimarśasandhi) in the play and it should consist of all the styles (vṛttis), but gay style (kaiśikīvṛtti), should be used less.

3) The heroes of Samavakāra are the gods and demons and they are twelve in number and should be well known (prakhyāta) as well as exalted (dhīrodātta) aiming at different goals. The main sentiment is heroic (vīra) with other sentiments as subordinate one like in the story of “the churning of the ocean”.

4) It is of three acts with three kinds of deception (kapaṭas), three kinds of excitement (vidravas) and three kinds of erotic sentiments (śṛṅgāras). The first act should cover two Junctures (sandhis) and duration should be of twelve stalks (nālikās).

5) The second and third acts shall contain four and two stalks (nālikās) respectively. One stalk (nālikā) is equivalent with two ghaṭikās. The cause of three kinds of deception (kapaṭas) is the nature of the subject on account of natural calamities and enemies.

6) The three kinds of excitements (vidravas) are caused by the siege of the city, battle, violent windsand fires. The three kinds of love (śṛṅgāra) are virtue, love of gain and passion. The Samavakāra does not have the expansion (bindu) and introductory scene (praveśaka).

7) However, if it is necessary, the subdivisions of vīthī may be used as in the Prahasana.

The difference between the Nāṭyaśāstra and the Daśarūpaka –

1) The Nāṭyaśāstra does not prescribe the introduction (āmukha), which Samavakāra should have like Nāṭaka and Prakaraṇa.

2) The Nāṭyaśāstra further states that a nāḍikā is equivalent to half a muhūrta, whereas the Daśarūpaka states that it is equivalent of two ghaṭikās.

3) The Daśarūpaka does not prescribe that the duration of the first act, if it were having woman character, desirous of sensual enjoyment, is twelve stalks (nāḍikās).

It has just stated that the first act should be twelve stalks (nāḍikās).

4) The Daśarūpaka does not state that there should not be any mutual relation between the stories and the meaning of Samavakāra is “scattered over”, unlike the Nāṭyaśāstra

5) The Daśarūpaka has not mentioned about the meters, where as the Nāṭyaśāstra states that a poet should use meters like Uṣṇik and Gāyatrī.

6) The Daśarūpaka is clearer about the style (vṛtti) to be used. It holds that all styles (vṛttis) may be used in the Samavakāra with the exception of gay style (kaiśikīvṛtti) which should be used less, whereas the Nāṭyaśāstra does not allow the use of the gay style (kaiśikīvṛtti) directly.

The rules followed by the drama–

According to the Nāṭyaśāstra and the Daśarūpaka, the plot of Samavakāra should be related to gods and demonsand the heroes should be well known and exalted. The story of Vatsarāja’s Samudramanthana, which has been taken from the Purāṇas like Bhāgavata Purāṇa and Viṣṇu Purāṇa, is related to gods and demons that are well known (prakhyāta). Since the gods are the heroes, they are exalted (dhīrodātta) type of heroes.

According to the rules of the Nāṭyaśāstra and the Daśarūpaka, the Samavakāra should be of three acts and should have the description of:

1. three types of flights (vidravas),
2. three types of deception (kapaṭas),
3. three types of love (śṛṅgāras) and
4. twelve heroes.

Vatsarāja’s Samudramanthana is a play of three acts and twelve heroes, i.e.

1. Vāsudeva,
2. Bṛhaspati,
3. Indra,
4. Brahmā,
5. Maheśa,
6. Varuṇa,
7. Vāyu,
8. Kubera,
9. Samudra,
10. Agni,
11. Candra and
12. Dikpālas.

Thus, the Samudramanthana follows the basic rules of Samavakāra.

Now there will be discussion of the use of three types of love (śṛṅgāras), three types of deception (kapaṭas) and three types of flight (vidravas) in the Samudramanthana.

Three types of Love:-

The three types of Love are:

1. righteous love (dharma śṛṅgāra),
2. love with gain (artha śṛṅgāra) and
3. love with sensual desire (kāma śṛṅgāra).

Righteous love (dharma śṛṅgāra)–When the result of love arises through vows, fasts, penance and restrictions like social, legal and political, it is called righteous love. In the Samudramanthana, righteous love arises in the first act, when Lakṣmī worships Kṛṣṇa’s portrait given by Padmaka at the beach forest. She immediately falls in love, watching the portrait of Kṛṣṇa and worships him with flower.

Love with gain (artha śṛṅgāra)–When the gain arises through the person’s attainment of a woman, it is called love with gain. In the Samudramanthana, love with gain arises in the second act, when Kṛṣṇa takes the disguised form of a beautiful girl called Mohinikā and Bali falls in love seeing him. Here Kṛṣṇa’s intention was to bring back ambrosia pot to gods. If he were not going to do so, the demons would have become immortal having even a single drop of it. Therefore, he did it for the sake of all the gods. The love was with gain.

Love with sensual desire (kāma śṛṅgāra)–When the seduction of a maiden and sexual union with her happens openly or secretly, it is called love with sensual desire. In the Samudramanthana, Kṛṣṇa and Lakṣmī meet each other in a place, when the other gods had not even reached the place. They talk to each otherand Lakṣmī becomes happy, though she was depressed for not seeing her father Samudra for a long time.

Kṛṣṇa tries to change her mind–

āśleṣalālasamiladbahuvīcibāhuḥ kāraṇḍavakvaṇitakalpitapeśalāsīḥ,
tvām draṣṭumutka iva sambhṛtanetralaśīḥ lolākṣi! rājati calattimiramburāśiḥ
  –(III. 4).

Then Samudra reaches there and distributes all the things obtained from Samudramanthana to appropriate gods.

Kṛṣṇa, who was very much excited to get her, gets the hands of Lakṣmī–

idānīm me sukṛtaparipākasya phalāvasaraḥ
  –(Samudramanthana, C. Dalal, p.190).

Three types of Flight:-

The three types of flight (vidravas) arise from war, flood, typhoon, fire, elephant run out of control and the siege of the city.

Flight in the first act–In the Samudramanthana, flight arises from flood, when Lakṣmī comes to the beach forest, with friends, to worship Pārvatī, she faces a tropical flood or storm, which disturbed her worshiping of Kṛṣṇa and forced her to return into the ocean.

Flight in the second act–In the Samudramanthana, flight arises from war when Bali is emotionally engaged with the beautiful maiden Mohanikā, the disguised form of Viṣṇuand the voice came from behind the curtain informing that gods have taken away all the things gotten from the ocean, defeating demons in the war.

Flight in the third act–Again in the third act, a typhoon appears and tries to wash away the things got from the ocean by churning.

Three types of Deception:-

The three types of deception (kapaṭas) arise from pleasure and pain and it occurs even without fault if one deceives another someone and the fate goes against him.

Deception in the first act–In the Samudramanthana, prologue informs about the deception, when the Sūtradhāra states that his eleven brothers are fighting for the inheritance of property. This is an indication as to how the gods and demons fight for the things got from the ocean.

Deception in the second act–Deception is applied in the second act when Viṣṇu and Vainateya enter with disguised form of Mohinikā and Nipuṇikā respectively to collect ambrosia from Bali.

Deception in the third act–Deception is employed, in the third act when Śukra tries to take back ambrosia from Kṛṣṇa and comes in the disguised form of Śiva; but he fails to do so.

The twelve stalks (nāḍikās):

According to the Nāṭyaśāstra and the Daśarūpaka, the first act should have twelve stalks (nāḍikās); and there should be a feminine character that is desirous of sensual act. In the first act of the Samudramanthana, the leading feminine character is Lakṣmī and she wants to marry Kṛṣṇa and desires sensual act with Kṛṣṇa.

The Nāṭyaśāstra rules that, the meters like uṣṇik, gāyatrī, viṣama and varṇārdhasama should be used in the Samavakāra, however, the Daśarūpaka has not prescribed the meters. Vatsarāja has used the meters like triṣṭup, anuṣṭubh, śakvarī, atiśakvarī, atidhṛti, jagatī, paṅkti, atyaṣṭi, prakṛti, varṇārdhasamaand viṣama, but there is no use of gāyatrī and uṣṇik.

According to the rule, Vatsarāja’s Samudramanthana contains the plot of gods and demons. There is fighting between the gods and demons for the things got from the ocean by churning. Thus, the main sentiment is heroic (vīra). The other sentiments like laughter (hāsya), pathetic (karuṇa), marvellous (adbhuta) are found used, but the erotic (śṛṅgāra) sentiment is very sparingly used.

Use of ancillaries of vīthī:

Vatsarāja has used six types of ancillaries of vīthī in the Samudramanthana out of thirteen types, i.e.

1. continuance (avalagita),
2. compliment (prapañca),
3. triple explanation (trigata) and
4. deception (chala),
5. outvying (adhivala) and
6. repartee (vākkeli):

Continuance (Avalagita)–Avalagita is the additional matter in the prologue. For instance, in the Samudramanthana, the addition of the success of the twelve brothers in getting the wealth all at once constitutes the avalagita:

dvādaśāpi bhrātaraḥ kathamiva vayam yugapat kṛtakṛtyā bhavāmaḥ
  –Samudramanthana, C. Dalal, p.149.

Compliment (Prapañca)–Prapañca is the mutual praise resorting to falsehood between the two characters in order to achieve the goal of one giving a comic relief. In the second act of the Samudramanthana, the conversation of Mohanikā and Bali achieves the goal of collecting the pot of ambrosia. It is the prapañca, because, there is also cleverness or cheating.

Triple Explanation (Trigata)–When a word conveys more than one meaning, it is called trigata. Here in the Samudramanthana, the word samudra refers to Paramardideva because he holds the wealth as samudra. Further, it refers to samudra because it fulfills everyone’s need. When Sūtradhāra hears the word “samudra” from Sthāpaka, he remembers the play Samudramanthana of Vatsarāja, which was going to be staged.

Deception (Chala)–Chala is the misrepresentation of a sentence in order to deceive another or to provoke him, like the misrepresentation in second act when Viṣṇu gets back ambrosia-pot from Bali.

Repartee (Vākkeli)–Vākkeli is the wordplay with comic mood, For instance, the conversation of Niṣṭhuraka and Padmaka in the first act constitutes vākkeli as it is carried in a question and answer way.

Outvying (Adhivala)–Adhivala is the argument of persons with each other showing their greatness as well as disregard for each other. In the first act, the conversation between Indra, Bṛhaṣpati and Dhanada, constitutes adhivala, as the same is an argument showing greatness and disrespect.