Kohala in the Sanskrit textual tradition (Study)

by Padma Sugavanam | 2011 | 95,782 words

This page relates ‘Kohala and Natya (6): The concept of Sandhi’ of the thesis dealing with Kohala’s contribution to the Sanskrit textual tradition of ancient Indian performing arts. The study focuses specifically on music (Gita), dance (Nritya), and drama (Natya). Although Kohala’s original works have not been found, numerous references to him across Lakshana-Granthas (treatises) and works by modern scholars indicate his significance.

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Kohala and Nāṭya (6): The concept of Sandhi

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1 Sandhi (Bhāvaprakāśana)

स्यादत्रोत्सर्गतः प्राप्तिः पताकाया विकल्पतः ।
तथाप्यस्या निवेशः स्यात्प्राप्त्याशाया नियोगतः ॥
प्राप्त्याशायामवस्थयां गर्भसन्धाविहाथवा ।
अपताके निवेशः स्याद्बिन्दोर्बीजस्य वा क्वचित् ॥
समन्वयेऽर्थप्रकृतेः प्राप्त्याशाया इतीरितः ।
अभावस्तु पताकाया यथा मालविकादिषु ॥
सद्भावो दृश्यते तस्या मालतीमाधवादिषु ।
तस्मात्पताका स्यान्नेति विकल्पं प्राह कोहलः ॥
syādatrotsargataḥ prāptiḥ patākāyā vikalpataḥ |
tathāpyasyā niveśaḥ syātprāptyāśāyā niyogataḥ ||
prāptyāśāyāmavasthayāṃ garbhasandhāvihāthavā |
apatāke niveśaḥ syādbindorbījasya vā kvacit ||
samanvaye'rthaprakṛteḥ prāptyāśāyā itīritaḥ |
abhāvastu patākāyā yathā mālavikādiṣu ||
sadbhāvo dṛśyate tasyā mālatīmādhavādiṣu |
tasmātpatākā syānneti vikalpaṃ prāha kohalaḥ ||

—(Bhāvaprakāśana, Chapter VII, p.210)

A play is composed of episodical indications called patākāsthānakas which in turn have five segments called the pañca sandhis or five turning points of the plot of a play. These are:

मुखं प्रतिमुखं चैव गर्भो विमर्श एव च ।
तथा निर्वहणं चेति नाटके पञ्च सन्धयः ॥

mukhaṃ pratimukhaṃ caiva garbho vimarśa eva ca |
tathā nirvahaṇaṃ ceti nāṭake pañca sandhayaḥ ||

—Nāṭyaśāstra 19.37^[1]

(Trans: The five segments of a play are the Opening ( mukha), the Progression (pratimukha), the Development (garbha), the Pause (vimarśa) and the Conclusion (nirvahaṇa)^[2].

Sandhis are in turn comprised of a combination of arthaprakṛtis and avasthās.

Dhanañjaya, in his work Daśarūpaka brings out this point with clarity.

बीजबिन्दुपताकाख्यप्रकरीकार्यलक्षणाः ।
आरम्भयत्नप्राप्त्याशानियताप्तिफलागमाः ॥
अर्थप्रकृतयः पञ्च पञ्चावस्थसमन्विताः ।
यथासंख्येन जायन्ते मुखाद्याःपञ्चसंधयः ॥

bījabindupatākākhyaprakarīkāryalakṣaṇāḥ |
ārambhayatnaprāptyāśāniyatāptiphalāgamāḥ ||
arthaprakṛtayaḥ pañca pañcāvasthasamanvitāḥ |
yathāsaṃkhyena jāyante mukhādyāḥpañcasaṃdhayaḥ ||^[3]

In other words the combination of bīja and ārambha would give rise to mukha-sandhi, bindu and yatna to pratimukha-sandhi, patākā and prāptyāśā to garbha-sandhi, prakarī and niyatāpti to vimarśa-sandhi and kārya and phalāgama to nirvahaṇa-sandhi.

Śāradātanaya, while discussing the garbha sandhi, mentions Kohala’s view regarding the provision for the optional omission of patāka. In such cases, the avasthā prāptyāśā alone can be used or alternatively, bindu or bīja can also be used in place of patāka. He substantiates this theory by citing that Kālidāsa’s Mālavikāgnimitram does not have patāka whereas Mālatīmādhava of Bhavabhūti has both patākā as well as prāptyāśā.

The same view can be found in Ratnāpaṇa, a commentary on Vidyānatha’s Pratāparudrīya:

तत्र पताकाया विकल्पमाह कोहलः । तन्मते पताकास्थने—अपताके निवेशः स्याद्बिन्दोर्बीजस्य वा क्वचित्—इति भावप्रकाशोक्तो विशेषो द्रष्टव्यः

tatra patākāyā vikalpamāha kohalaḥ | tanmate patākāsthane—apatāke niveśaḥ syādbindorbījasya vā kvacit—iti bhāvaprakāśokto viśeṣo draṣṭavyaḥ

—Pratāparudrīya: 1950:Nāṭaka prakaraṇam: p.75

2 Bindu

फले प्रधाने विच्छिन्ने बीजस्यावान्तरैः फलैः ।
तस्याविच्छेदको हेतुः बिन्दुरित्यह कोहलः ॥

phale pradhāne vicchinne bījasyāvāntaraiḥ phalaiḥ |
tasyāvicchedako hetuḥ bindurityaha kohalaḥ ||

—(Bhāvaprakāśana, Chapter VII, p.204)

In the above verse, Śāradātanaya brings out the definition of bindu according to Kohala. Bindu is the second of the artha-prakṛtis which are means of attaining the objects of the plot (of the play). Arthaprakṛtis are prayojanasiddhi hetus, or the means to attain the object of the play.

Bharata gives the names of the arthaprakṛtis in the following verse.

बीजं बिन्दुः पताका च प्रकरी कार्यमेव च ।
अर्थप्रकृतयः पञ्च ज्ञात्वा योज्या यथाविधि ॥ १९.२१ ॥

bījaṃ binduḥ patākā ca prakarī kāryameva ca |
arthaprakṛtayaḥ pañca jñātvā yojyā yathāvidhi || 19.21 ||^[4]

(Trans: The Seed ( bīja), the Vital Drop (bindu—semen), the Episode (patākā), the Episodical Incident (prakarī) and the Action (Kārya) are the five Elements of the Plot, which should be reckoned and applied in a proper manner.)^[5]

Vidyānātha, in his work Pratāparudrīya defines Bindu as follows:

अवान्तरार्थविच्छेदे बिन्दुरच्छेदकारणम् ।

avāntarārthavicchede binduracchedakāraṇam |^[6]

In the course of the play, when the hero gets distracted from the main plot into pursuing a secondary object (avāntara phala) and the main plot is suspended temporarily, that reason which brings him back on track is called bindu. It is that which induces the hero to return to his original purpose and also serves to keep the different incidents in a play in a cogent manner.

This definition of Vidyānātha seems to match with Kohala’s definition of bindu, as mentioned by Śāradātanaya in his Bhāvaprakāśana.