Mudrarakshasa (literary study)
by Antara Chakravarty | 2015 | 58,556 words
This page relates ‘Kaishiki-vritti’ of the English study on the Mudrarakshasa: an ancient Sanskrit dramatic play (Nataka) authored by Vishakhadatta which deals with the life of king Chandragupta. This study investigates the Mudra Rakshasa from a literary perspective, such as metrics, themes, rhetorics and other poetical elements. Chandragupta ruled the Mauryan Empire during the 4th century BCE, hence this text can also be studied as a historical textbook of ancient India.
4.1. Kaiśikī-vṛtti
[Full title: The entity of Vṛtti and its use in Mudrārākṣasa (1): Kaiśikīvṛtti]
The mode of conduct, which is associated with delightful vivacity and full of charming expression of love by means of songs and dance with a good numbers of females and in which dealings and attitudes proceed from the enjoyment of leisure and which presents lively dalliances, is called Kaiśikī-vṛtti.
It has four parts, namely—
- Narma,
- Narmasphurja,
- Narmasphota and
- Narmagarbha.
Though in Nāṭaka and Prakaraṇa, all the four vṛttis should be assimilated but due to the non-presentation of Śṛṅgāra rasa in Mudrārākṣasa of Viśākhadatta this Kaiśikī-vṛtti is absent. In this Vīra-rasa dominant drama, the political intrigues of the characters provides no room for exhibiting the softer feelings of mankind. Therefore, Mudrārākṣasa seems to be a deviation or an exception from the general principles of dramaturgy which advocates the usage of all the vṛttis.
Abhinavagupta has clearly mentioned this fact as—
tatra nāṭakaprakaraṇe sarvavṛttipurṇa iti niyamaḥ, na tu viparyayaḥ mudrārākṣasasya kaiśikīhīnasya kṛtyārāvanasya ca darṣanātat/[1]
In fact, in Mudrārākṣasa there is no special avenue for the employment of Śṛṅgāra-rasa. Only in the third Act where Candragupta presents a beautiful depiction of the autumn season one finds a brief existence of the Śṛṅgāra-rasa and Kaiśikī-vṛtti.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Nāṭyaśāstra (abhinavabharati), p.444