Part 4: Some important Plays based on the Rāmāyaṇa

It is worth mentioning that the Rāmāyana,the Ṃaḥābhārata and the Purāṇas are the store house of myths and legends,from which the writers of different ages take the theme of their writings. The Rāmāyaṇa (Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki) has influenced the greatest number of people over thousands of years on the life and culture of Indian society. It has also crossed the barrier of India and has reached the other countries of the world, particularly the South Asian countries. Further, it has enriched the art and literature to a great extent. Centuries after it was written in Sanskrit, the Rāmāyaṇa is still the most popular epic including its various versions in all the modern Indian languages. Lots of Kāvyas and dramas were and also are written on the basis of the story of the Rāmāyaṇa either in Sanskrit or in modern Indian languages, either in interpolating or modified form, or with slight deviation from the original one. In certain writings particularly in dramas, the authors have taken their independent views in plot construction due to the purpose of drama and depending on the necessity of local colour, popular traditional legends prevalent in the respective society, and influence of other Rāmāyaṇas (other than that of Vālmīki’s). Brief notes on some prominent plays based on the Ramāyaṇa are placed in the succeeding lines:

(1) Pratimānāṭaka

The Pratimānāṭaka is a Sanskrit drama of seven Acts, written by Bhāsa. Antiquity of Bhāsa goes to an age so remote that he has been called a Muni. The Pratimānāṭaka begins with the banishment of Rāma to the woods and the miserable condition of Daśaratha ending in his death. Bharata infers the death of his father from the statue of his father erected in the statue house (Pratimāgṛha) of the family and from this the play takes its name. Bharata then meets Rāma in the forest and returns to the capital with his wooden sandles to be crowned in his stead. Then follows the story of the abduction of Sītā by Rāvaṇa and the war with Rāvaṇa ending in his destruction and Rāma’s return with Sītā to his hermitage, where Bharata and the queens go to receive him and Rāma is crowned on the spot. In this play the author has often imitated expressions from the Rāmāyaṇa. Moreover, some new situation has also been created. For example, the Valkala incident in the 1^st Act and the statue gallery in the second Act.

Date of Bhāsa is difficult to be ascertained. Different scholars place him in different time from the fifth century B.C. to the eleventh century A.D. However, it is opined that he cannot be placed later than the second century B.C.

(2) Abhiṣekanāṭaka

The Abhiṣekanāṭaka is a play of six Acts by Bhāsa. The play Abhiṣekanāṭaka is based on the story of the Rāmāyaṇa in the Kiṣkindhā, the Sundara and the Yuddha Kāṇḍas. It begins with the fight with Vāli and runs through the plot until the fall of Rāvaṇa and Sītā’s ordeal of fire. Then follows a charming eulogy. The dramatist has delineated the character of Vāli and Rāvaṇa sympathetically. There is no mention of the event of Setubandha but it is stated that Rāma arrived at Laṅkā by sea route.

(3) Kundamālā

It is a play in six Acts written by Diṅnāga. It is based on the Ramāyaṇa story dealing with the events which occurred after Rāma’s coronation. It dramatizes the exile of Sītā, her meeting and reunion with Rāma.

The date of Diṅnāga is not ascertained, yet it appears to be earlier that the 5^th century A.D.

(4) Ācāryacūḍāmaṇi

This drama is written by Śaktibhadra in seven Acts. It is based on the story of the Ramāyaṇa. In the play Ācāryacūḍāmaṇi, the introduction of Ācāryacūḍāmaṇi and Adbhutāṅguliyaka to act as a charm to detect fraud and disguise in the creation of fictitious Rāma, Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa acts as the main proof of the sentiment. This work has many features that are common with the plays of Bhāsa. He was a Keralian poet of 7^th century.

(5) Rāmābhyudaya

The drama Rāmābhyudaya is written by Yaśovarman. It is in six Acts. Its subject matter has been taken from the Rāmāyaṇa. Unfortunately it has since been lost, but the name of this drama occurs in the writings of Alaṃkāras.

(6) Mahāvīracarita

The drama Mahāvīracarita describes in seven Acts the life of Rāma as a warrior. It is written by Bhavabhūti. The plot follows the Rāmāyaṇa with slight variations meant to show Rāma’s heroism in relief. The last Act describes the country traversed by Rāma and Sītā on their way to Ayodhyā in the aerial car. Rāma’s marriage and his coronation are dramatically described in this drama.

Bhavabhūti was a court poet of king Yaśovarman of Kanauj (A.D. 725-758). The principal sentiment of this drama is Vīra (heroic).

(7) Uttararāmacarita

The Uttararāmacarita is another drama by Bhavabhūti. The drama describes in seven Acts the story of Uttarakāṇḍa of the Rāmāyaṇa, that is, the abandonment of Sītā, her residence at the hermitage of Vālmīki, the birth of Lava and Kuśa and there the union of Sītā and Rāma. Certain innovations have also been made. For example, the meeting between Rāma and the sylvan deity Vāsantī and presence of Sītā in an invisible form in front of Rāma, may be pointed out. In the Uttararāmacarita the plot differs to a great extent from the Rāmāyaṇa. Battle of Rāma’s soldiers with Lava-Kuśa, for the sacrificial horse is shown for the first time. The play ends with the event of reunion of Rāma and Sītā. This play has brought celebrity of Bhavabhuti as an expert in delineating the sentiment of pathos.

(8) Udāttarāghava

The drama Udāttarāghava is written by Mayurāja. The drama is based on the Rāmāyaṇa. The drama is found mentioned only in the references of the Ālaṃkārikas.

(9) Anargharāghava

The play Anargharāghava is written by Murāri. Murāri was the son of Vardhamāna and Tantumati of Moudgalyagotra. On the age of Murāri, there is some uncertainty. Ratnākara in his Haravijaya has mentioned a verse, where there is a punning reference to Murāri as a playwright and Ratnākara was in the court of king Avantivarman of Kashmir (855-884 A.D.). In the course of Rāma’s aerial car on his way back to Ayodhyā, Murāri describes among other cities Māhismati, the capital of the Kalacuri dynasty and of the Cedi territory and by the middle of the 8^th century A.D. On these considerations Murāri may be assigned to the end of the eighth century A.D. and to the beginning of the ninth century A.D.

The Anargharāghava in 7^th Acts is an elaborate play on the story of the Rāmāyaṇa and for his merit and eloquence, he has been called Bāla Vālmīki and from the beauty of particular verse he is known as Indu Murāri. The play has been considered a standard for poetic criticism and grammatical learning.

(10) Chalitarāma

The Chalitarāma is a drama written by Kṣemīśvara. The manuscript and the references of this drama is not found.

(11) Prasannarāghava

The Prasannarāghava is a drama by Jayadeva.Jayadeva was the son of Mahādeva and Sumitra of Kauṇḍinya gotra and a pupil of Harimiśra. He was probably a native of Vidarbha in Northern India. For the excellence of his poetic composition, he was called Pīyūṣa.

The Prasannarāghava is a drama in seven Acts, embracing the story of the Rāmāyaṇa. The author has introduced several alternations in the original story to give his work an extraordinary dramatic effect. The first Act is very amusing where the demons Bāṇa and Rāvaṇa are brought together as Sītā’s suitors and ridiculed. The last Act introduces a pair of Vidyādharas, who describe the battle and the purification and restoration of Sītā. The return in the aerial car and the coronation of Rāma conclude the story.

There are commentaries on it by Lakṣmīdhara, Veṅkatācārya, Raghunandana, Lakṣmaṇa and Narasiṃha or Rājarāya.

(12) Adbhutadarpaṇa

The drama Adbhutadarpaṇa is written by Mahādeva. There are seven Acts in this drama. In this drama the description of an occurrence in Laṅkā is shown with the help of black magic mirror. Mahādeva was a writer of 1650 A.D.

(13) Jānakīpariṇaya

The Jānakīpariṇaya is a popular drama of Rāmabhadradīkṣita. The drama puts emphasis on the dramatic representation of the marriage of Jānakī (Sītā). Many innovations and comic situations have made the play an enjoyable one. As for example, Vidyutjihba, Rāvaṇa, Sāraṇa and Tāṭakā appear as Viśvāmitra, Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā in the Āśrama of Viśvāmitra and create lots of fun by mistaken identity.

(14) Unmattarāghava

The Unmattarāghava is written by Bhāskara. It is a one Act play of the Utsṛṣṭikāṅka type. In this play there is found the narration of the plight of Rāma at the separation from Sītā.

(15) Dūtāṅgada

The Dūtāṅgada is a one Act play. It is written by Subhata.The Dūtāṅgada was enacted in the reign of king Tribhuvanapāladeva of Anhilvid about 1242 A.D during a festival held in commemoration of the restoration of a Śiva’s temple at Somanātha by king Kumārapāladeva (1147-1172 A.D.). It describes the embassy of Aṅgada to the court of Rāvaṇa and on failure of the negotiations, the beginning of the war. There are at least two recensions of Dūtāṅgada.

(16) Bālarāmāyaṇa

The Bālarāmāyaṇa is written by Rājaśekhara. It relates in ten Acts the whole story of the Rāmāyaṇa. The narration often deviates from the Rāmāyaṇa and effect of such deviations has had a good dramatic effect. Rāvaṇa is from the beginning represented as a rival of Rāma for the hand of Sītā and his love and longing are more prominent than his ferocity. In describing the tale of Rāma, Rājaśekhara is found calling himself an incarnation of Vālmīki, Meṇṭha and Bhavabhūti.