Essay name: Bhasa (critical and historical study)
Author: A. D. Pusalker
This book studies Bhasa, the author of thirteen plays ascribed found in the Trivandrum Sanskrit Series. These works largely adhere to the rules of traditional Indian theatrics known as Natya-Shastra.
Page 198 of: Bhasa (critical and historical study)
198 (of 564)
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178 2
The epics show a deprecatory attitude towards
drama and the rarity of references in the Upanisads and
Sūtras also displays the same attitude. By the time of
Panini, the dramatic literature seems to have grown so
much in bulk that there were already Nata-sutras by
Śilali and Kṛśāśva,-the first fruits of the labours of
ancient Indian dramatic theoreticians.' In the Mahābhāṣya
of Patanjali (III.2.III) we get undeniable evidence of
actual, full-fledged dramas. The Mahābhāṣya passage
mentions three kinds of representations, the latter two of
which refer to those (ii) by means of paintings or picture
scrolls, and (iii) by a set of professional reciters-
granthikas or kathakas. The first kind of representation
was that given by Sobhanikas who actually performed
Kansavadha or Balibandhana. (ये तावदेत� शोभनिक� नामैते प्रत्यक्�
कंसं घातयन्ति प्रत्यक्षं बलिं बन्धयन्त� इत� � ) [ye tāvadete śobhanikā nāmaite pratyakṣa
kaṃsa� ghātayanti pratyakṣa� bali� bandhayanti iti | ) ] The word प्रत्यक्षम� [ٲⲹṣa ] clearly
shows that Sobhanikas were human actors who assumed
different roles of Kamsa and Kṛṣṇa and performed the
whole piece on the stage. Keith's theory that Kamsavadha
and Balibandhana were mere dumb-shows does not stand
to reason, as such an interpretation would defeat the
very purpose for which these representations were intended.
Without dialogue, the whole performance would amount
to mere manual acts of wrestling or binding which would
be quite unintelligible for understanding of the epic
stories. There is, further, no evidence of any dumb-show
in ancient India. Keith objects to the meaning 'actor
attached to the word Sobhanika or Saubhika. The word
is rarely used in that sense; but the word 'lena sobhika
appears in a Mathura inscription, and Lüders himself,
who in his paper on the Saubhikas has tried his
best to prove that they were anything but actors
and has caused a great deal of confusion by insisting
on an etymological interpretation of the passage in the
Mahābhāṣya, has admitted that it should be translated
3 as:
1 Levi, Theatre Indien, 1, p. 300. 2 The passage
ये तावदेत� शोभनिक� नामत� प्रत्यक्षं कंसं घातयन्ति प्रत्यक्षं बलिं बन्धयन्त� इत� चित्रेषु कथम् [ye tāvadete śobhanikā nāmate pratyakṣa� kaṃsa� ghātayanti pratyakṣa� bali� bandhayanti iti citreṣu katham ] !
चित्रेष्वप� उद्गूर्ण� निपातिताश्� प्रहार� दृश्यन्त� कंसकर्शण्यश्� � ग्रन्थिकेष� कथम् [citreṣvapi udgūrṇ� nipātitāśca prahārā dṛśyante kaṃsakarśaṇyaśca | granthikeṣu katham ] ! यत्र शब्दगदुमात्र�
लक्ष्यते तेऽप� हि तेषा� उत्पत्तिप्रभृत्य� विनाशा� ऋद्धिव्यचिक्षाणा सत� बुद्धिविषयान� प्रकाशयन्त� �
अतश्� सत� व्यामिश्रा हि दृश्यन्त� � केचित् कंसभक्ता भवन्ति केचिद् वसुदेवभक्ताः � वर्णान्यत्वं खल्वपि
पुष्यन्त� � केचित् कालमुख� भवन्ति केचिद् रक्तमुखा� � [yatra śabdagadumātra�
lakṣyate te'pi hi teṣāṃ utpattiprabhṛtyā vināśāta ṛddhivyacikṣāṇā sato buddhiviṣayān prakāśayanti |
ataśca sato vyāmiśrā hi dṛśyante | kecit kaṃsabhaktā bhavanti kecid vasudevabhaktā� | varṇānyatva� khalvapi
puṣyanti | kecit kālamukhā bhavanti kecid raktamukhā� | ] 3 SD, pp. 31-36 "The obvious view,
that of Weber, that we have a reference to a pantomimic killing and binding, seems
irresistible". (p. 33). 4 SD, pp. 32-34.
