4. Plays and Play writing (in Sanskrit)

In Sanskrit, a play is called rupa or rupaka and the terms may be explained thus: Rupa is the word used to connote the clear spectacle or what is obvious. The literary work that is instrumental or the basis for the presentation of the spectacle i.e. the play, is called rupa. Later, on account of the actors assuming the various physical forms or rupas of the characters played by them, it became necessary to distinguish between the two rupas. As such, the suffix ka appears to have been added 44

to mean the play and the word rupaka has come to stand for the play. While Bharata used the word rupa alone, Abhinavagupta used both the words, rupa and rupaka to mean, 'The play'. Bharata named the chapter dealing with the types of plays as Dasarupa (ten types of plays), but Dhananjaya named his work on the ten types of plays as Dasarupaka. All creative works are classified as sravya (the auditory) and drsya (the visual). While the visual can be enjoyed when it is acted on the stage also, the auditory can only be appreciated when read or heard. The drsyakavyas (the plays-visual) have been further classified depending on the supremacy of word or music. When the word rules, it is called a Rupaka (a major play) and when music and dance predominate, it is called Uparupaka (a minor play). In the rupakas, dance and song have no specific purpose to achieve, while the story and dialogue, establishing the characters and a message are important. 45 Bhrata has classified rupakas into ten depending on the text and added one more, the Natika. The ten forms are Nataka, Prakarana, Anka, Vyayoga Bhana, Samavakara, Vidhi, Prahasana, Dima and Ihamrga. Natika is a derivative of the two forms, Nataka and Prakarana and so the later authors mentioned it as a Janyarupaka, the derived play. Nataka, Prakarana, Bhana, Vidhi, Anka and Prahasana are the plays of delicate type while the rest are virile.

Among the Dasarupakas, Nantaka and Prakarana are not only considered to be superior but are also elaborate. That is why there is the possibility of finding the characteristics of other types of plays in a Nataka or a Prakarana. In Vyayoga and other forms such an incidence is not possible. Hence all the authors including Bharata have given priority to Nataka and Prakarana and the type of plot developed in them distinguishes them. It is obvious; therefore, that, Nataka is the most important among the ten major forms of plays. That is why Nataka is considered to be the source of inspiration for other forms of plays and the words Rupaka and Nataka have become synonymous. At the end of ch. XXI, Bharata briefly gave the characterstics of a Nataka as follows 15. - "A Nataka must have five sandhis (divisions), four vrtties (modes of expression), sixty four sandhyangas (sub-divisions) and thirty-six laksanas (poetic embellishments). A Nataka written by an author should have a pleasant diction being easy to comprehend, embrace various emotions, rasas, actions and incidents and should be embellished with figures of speech etc. Such a Nataka, when produced 15. vrttivrttyangasampannam patakasthanakanvitam| pancavasthasamutpannam pancabhih sandhibhiryutam || sandhyantaraikavimsatya catussastyangasamyutam | sattrimsallaksanopetam gunalankarabhusitam|| maharasam mahabhogamudattavacananvitam| mahapurusasancaram sadhvacarajanapriyam || suslistasandhiyogam ca suprayogam sukhasrayam| 11 mrdusabdabhidhanam ca kavih kuryattu natakam || Natyashastra XXI 111-114 46

by competent actors who divest themselves of their natural demeanour will please an audience"