Introduction to the Vīthī type of Drama

The west has a long tradition of dramas like India. While Vīthī is the drama of conversation, like Bhāṇa, the west has the pantomimes, which is very similar to Bhāṇa and is a one-man show. H. H. Wilson, (1898, Dramas, p.27) states, that “Vīthī is not very different perhaps, in character from the Fabulous and Attellanous of the Tuscans. It contains a love story carried on in comic dialogue, consisting of equivoque, evasion, enigma, quibble, jest, repartee, willful misconstruction and misapplication, ironical phrase, extravagant, endearment and jocose abuse.”

It must be observed here that the Saṃvāda sūktas may be the source of Vīthī and Bhāṇa, because they (Vīthī and Bhāṇa) are chiefly of conversational type. Both the dramas consist of only one act. As regards the sentiments of Vīthī and Bhāṇa are concerned, it must be stated that erotic (śṛṅgāra) and ancillaries of dance (lāsyāṅga) may be used in both cases. Both are par excellence and hetaerae dramas. Both can use sāmānyā (prostitute) and parakīyā (woman belongings to another) as heroines. However, while Bhāṇa can have noble one (kulajā) as heroine, the Vīthī cannot have the same. Thus, Śiṅgabhūpāla (Rasārṇavasudhākara.III.267) states that Vīthī may use chaste woman (kulapālikā) as its heroine. The most important difference between the two dramas is that Vīthī can have more than one character, but Bhāṇa cannot have more than one. Also Bhāṇa could have noble (uttama) or middle (madhyama) or lower (adhama) type of hero; but Vīthī should have noble (uttama) hero only.

Namita Agarwal (1994, Rāmapāṇivāda kā Nāṭyasāhitya, p.125) states, that “Vīthī is an important type of drama. The literary meaning of Vīthī is “the path” or “mārga”. It is also used as the form of vīthikā and vīthika etc.

Again she states, taking V. S. Apte’s views, that:

“The meaning of Vīthī may be road, the way, queue, straight line, pot, shop, chariot and type of drama”.

Further, she derives the term Vīthī as thī (feminine), vitha (īn, ṅīp vā, pṛṣo). Thus, the meaning of Vīthī becomes “mālā” or “garland”. A. B. Keith observes that the idea of garland arisen because it is having garland like thirteen types of vīthyaṅgas, i.e. udghātyaka and others. Therefore it is called Vīthī.”

The authors like Sāgaranandī, Śāradātanaya, Rāmacandra, Guṇacandra, Śrī Śiṅgabhūpāla, Viśvanātha, Kṛṣṇamācārya, Rāmapāṇivāda and Ravipati have written some of the Vīthīs, i.e. Vakulavīthī, Indulekhā, Pāṇḍavānandaṃ, Mādhavī, Mālavikā, Sītākalyāṇa, Līlāvatī, Candrikā and Premābhirāma.