1. Introduction (Sanskrit dramaturgy)

1 INTRODUCTION India is one among the greatest of repositories of performing arts, particularly those of classical, folk, devotional and modern traditions. The sheer enormity and diversity of its cultural expressions in music, dance, drama and theatre are the envy of many nations around the world. When we hear the word 'Indian theatre' Sanskrit drama will flash in our mind. The study about the origin and development of Sanskrit drama has been a complex one engaging the endeavour of many scholars. The first well arranged work that one could find on Sanskrit dramaturgy is the Natyasastra of Bharata. In the field of Sanskrit dramaturgy the place of Bharata's Natyasastra is unique by its antiquity as being the pioneer work in the field. And in it the dramaturgy has been discussed so elaborately, touching all aspects and not leaving a single one that it presupposes the existence of some theatrical works already written, in whatever form they may have been. As theory presupposes practice, it can be very well inferred that there could have been works on dramatics written in many forms on which Bharata based his magnificient work - The Natyasastra.

2 'Bharata himself has shown the divine origin of drama. According to Bharata Lord Brahma created the Natya Veda in response to the request of the deities in charge of the 'eight directions', to synthesise a fifth Veda. This Natya Veda was audio-visual, entertaining and accessible to all castes especially the Sudras and women who were not allowed to recite the Vedas. The fifth Veda containing all the sastras and history was thus made. It contained the elements of the four Vedas. The mode of subject orientation was adopted from the Rgveda, mode of rendering (song) from the Samaveda, mode of indication (acting) from the Yajurveda and appreciation of expressed sentiments from the Atharvaveda. Kalidasa in his Malavikagnimitra, while describing the term ' Drama' in a poetic way, echoes what has been stated above. 1. 2. mahendrapramukhardaivairuktah kila pitamahah | kridaniyakamicchamo drsyam sravyam ca yad bhavet|| na vedavyavaharo'yam samsravyah sudrajattisu | tasmatsrjaparam vedam pancamam sarvavarnikam || evamastviti tanuktva devarajam visrjya ca | sasmara caturan vedan yogamasthaya tatvavit || dharmyamarthyam yasasyam ca sopadesam sasangraham | bhavisyatasca lokasya sarvakarmanudarsakam|| sarvasastrarthasampannam sarvasilpapravarttakam | natyakhyam pancamam vedam setihasam karomyaham || evam samkalpya bhagavan sarvavedananusmaran | natyavedam tatascakre caturvedangasambhavam|| jagraha pathyamrgvedatsamabhyo gitameva ca | yajurvedadabhinayan rasanatharvanadapi || vedopavedaih sambaddho natyavedo mahatmana | evam bhagavata srsto brahmana sarvavedina || Natyashastra I 11-18 devanamidamamananti munayah kantam kratum caksusam rudrenedamumakrtavyatikare svange vibhaktam dvidha | traigunyodbhavamatra lokacaritam nanarasam drsyate natyam bhinnarucerjanasya bahudhapyekam samaradhanam ||

3 The sages believe this to be a charming visual offering made to the divine beings. It has been divided into two by Lord Siva himself within his body in unison with that of Uma. Thus the three qualities, multitudes of mundane deeds and the various experiences evolved. Indian Philosophy treats drama as an audio-visual ritual (yajna)³ The above statement delineates that in the latter there is action, in the former, acting. Ceremonies in a yajna are related to one another. All the acting in a drama are connected to the main plot. A yajna is a religious ritual; so is a drama. Drama is always pleasant, as its form is artistic, realising the aesthetic sublimation. Scholars have tried to trace the origin of Sanskrit dramas in; (1) The dialogue hymns of the Vedas. (2) The religious activities accompanying yajnas (3) Secular activities, (4) The possible foreign influence. *From the Mahabhasya it is evident that one can listen to the actor as well as the singer. It is typical to present an absolute proof to establish that during Patanjali's time the drama in its full form of action allied to speech was present. The argument that all the elements of drama 3. 4. Yajna - A selfless action which is meant for the welfare of the society. patanjalih, patanjalamahabhasyam natasya srnoti, gandhikasya srrnoti 1.4.29. agasinnatah 2.4.77. natasya bhuktam 2.3.67. lingat stripumsayorjnane bhrukumse tap prasajyate 4.1.3.

4 existed in primitive form may thus be accepted. Numerous data are available to conclude that the folklore, prose, dance and mime have been inseparably connected to one another. Several such associations were the constituents of religious and magical ceremonies. All these go back to explain that the root nat in Prakrt form is equivalent to the root nrt in Sanskrit. The root nrt stands to mean 'dance'. In the further elucidation there is a statement that common Sanskrit word nataka is treated as neuter gender. Nata (actor) is masculine gender. According to the grammar in Sanskrit to make nata (bhrukumsa) in masculine gender need not be suffixed by tap (a suffix used to denote feminine gender). This statement is indicative of the fact that nataka existed and deep discussions were conducted during period of the Mahabhasya. The fact that literary dramas begin with the introductory prayer, nandi goes to prove that the 'mime-dance' and the dramatic performance that originated from it constituted an essential element of the religious cult. Some scholars have stressed on the possibility of the secular origin of drama. Weber Albtrecht writes in his work that it has been uniformly held hitherto that the Indian drama arose, after the manner of four modern dramas, in the middle ages, out of religious solemnities and spectacles and also that dancing originally subserved the religious 5. Weber Abrecht, the History of IndianLiterative trans. By Johan Mann and Theodore Zachariae, Pub.Chawokkamba Sanskrit Series (1961) Second period pp. 166 ff.

purposes, but in support of this latter assumption, not a single instance was met in the srauta or grhya sutras. Taking the support of Bharata R.V. Jagirdar writes, it is interesting to note that everything had connections with lower castes. Not only the art and the advocates, but even the first patron of drama was an anti Vedic if not a non-Aryan king. King Nahusa is spoken of as the first patron of drama in the mortal world. It can be seen that Sanskrit drama has the least to do with religion and religious rites; that it is the work of people treated as anti-Vedic, fiends and that its origin is to be sought in the interest of the castes lower to Brahmins. Jagirdar draws the conclusion that it was thus the post epic suta and not the puppet shows, that oriented dramatic representation. He further states that it is the recitation of epic and not that of religious hymns that was used on the Bharati stage, and the recitation of the suta and the kusilavas formed the Satvati stage. On the Kaisiki stage the dansuse (nati) was introduced; and the Arabhati was the final mode of the 'full body in action'. In its structure from beginning to end, Sanskrit drama took its hero from the suta and the epics in such a way that he never recited and from the religious lore or any matter from the host of Vedic Gods. To sum up, all the above discussions point to the pertinent fact that Natya has been structured keeping in mind common man has the target audience. 6. Jagirdar R.V., Drama in Sanskrit Literature, Pub, Popular Book Depot, Bombay (1947) pp 33ff, 41. 5

There must have been an interaction and amalgamation, fusion and synthesis among many blends of culture. The ritual did not consist merely of the singing of songs or recitation in honour of the God, it involved a complex round of ceremonies in some of which there was undoubtedly present the elements of dramatic representation, that is, the performers of the rites assumed for the time being, personalities other than their own. We dot not have the slightest evidence to underline that the essential synthesis of the elements and development of a plot, which constitute a true drama, were made in the Vedic age. On the contrary there is every reason to believe that it was through the use of epic recitation that the latent possibilities of drama were evoked and the literary form created. Though the origin of Hindu drama may be dated before Panini, when the rituals connected with Lord Siva might have gradually given rise to this art, we do not possess any definite proof to establish the time during which such an event occurred.