Analysis of Pratimukha Sandhi

In the second Act, the play-wright brings in the Pratimukha Sandhi with the interlude Praveśaka.

The seed–bīja, is sown in the first Act through the statement that by obtaining Rasa and Gandhaka, all can be gained.

This confidence of the hero is put aside by Pāṇḍu who declares that even if the desired mercury is obtained, it can be thwarted off by inducing in Jīva a strong for food and uncontrolled diet (II.31):

sādhito'pi sa kiṃ kuryādrasaḥ pathyakramaṃ vinā |
jihvācāpalamudbhāvya sa eva dhvaṃsayiṣyate ||

Thus the plot slowly develops with bindu. The Pratimukha sandhi extends into the next Acts also. In Act III, king Jīva procures through the help of Bhakti, Rasa and Gandhaka from the Lord to strengthen his city (body) against the enemy (diseases).This forms the aṅga called Śama where the mental conflict gets nullified by a positive action.^[1]

In Act IV, Jīva again with the help of Bhakti, tries to strengthen his mental prowess in order to obtain Supreme Bliss.Losing the mental strength and regaining it, forms the sandhyaṅga by name Parisarpa.^[2]

Likewise, on the other side, the diseases under the leadership of Yakṣmā plan to thwart the efforts of Jīva in both the fronts–at the physical level by creating diseases in the body and at the mental level by the attack of Kāma, Krodha etc; thus the bīja of the drama being the victory of Jīva over mind and body, progresses with the efforts of Jīva on the one hand and Yakṣmā on the other.

In the process, the victory which is desired doesnot seem to be achievable easily. In other words, the development of the bīja established in the beginning and furthered with bindu in the course of the play, seems to have lost its visibility due to the growth of the different activities in the third, fourth, and fifth Acts.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

DR. I. 33 b:
tacchamaḥ śamaḥ |

[2]:

DR. I. 32d:
dṛṣṭanaṣṭānusarpaṇam |