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Sage Bharata inhis Natya Sastra gives a mythological account of the origin of the Sanskrit drama. In the olden days of Treteyuge when the inhabitants of Jambudvipa lived a life not quite reputable and when they became jealous and 16 Op.cit. Ch.XV, p.157. 17 Our Oriental Heritage, Ch. XX, p.571, 1947.

1 h quarrelsome, Indra and other gods went to Brahma and reported to him the moral degradation that had come over the entire world. They requested Brahma to create a fifth Veda accessible to all irrespective of caste distinctions, which would stop the 18 moral degradation of the mortals. The latter acceded to their request and on the basis of the four Vedas, he created the Natya Veda. He chose from the Rigveda the text, music from the Samaveda, action from the Yajurveda and sentiment from the Atharvaveda. The fifth Veda containing the quintessence of the sastras and art were meant to reform the entire world by imparting in a concise form the knowledge of attaining the four values of life. He gave it the name Itihasa and asked Indra to study the same and popularise it among the intelligent, industrious and efficient Devas. Indra, however, pleaded his inability. Thereupon Brahma summoned sage Bharata, the father of one hundred sons 19 and entrusted him with the task. The sage proceeded to teach his sons the newly created art with all the vigour and efficiency realising the difficult nature of the task. He soon found that the Kaisiki vritti suitable to the amorous sentiment could be enacted only with the aid of women actors. On his request, Brahma supplied Apsara damsels for the stage. 18 Natya Shastra, Vol.I, Ch.I, V.12, p.11. 19 Ibid., V, 24, p.17.

17 The first performance was to be made on the occasion of the festival of Indra. The gods supplied the various materials required for the staging of the drame. The play to be enacted 20 was based on the defeat of the demons. Naturally, the demons took objection to it. They instigated the Vighnas (malevolent spirits), who gathered under the leadership of Virupaksha, to obstruct the performance. Along with the Vighnas, they resorted to maya, their unearthly power of trickery andparalysed the speech, movement and memory of the actors. Indra at once divined that the demons were responsible for the breakdown of the show. He took his banner and destroyed many of the intruders. But the rest of the demons continued to cause obstruction to the show. So Bharata and his sons approached Brahma and informed him that they were unable to conduct the drama being harassed by the demons. The Lord then ordered the celestial architect Visvakarmen to construct a good theatre. Soon the theatre was made ready and Brahma himself went to supervise the arrangements for the show. The demons went complaining to Brahma bitterly about the insinuating andprovocative nature of the play to be staged. He pacified them by explaining the nature and purpose of the drama and also convinced them that it was not meant to insult them in any way. 20 Ibid., V.57, p.27. 21 Ibid., V.104, p.35. 21

18 The demons were satisfied with the reply given by Brahma and no more did they cause obstruction to the show. In the new theatre, Bharata went through all the preliminary ceremonies and enacted the play successfully. New plays had to be written and staged to satisfy the audience. The sage with his band of actors waited on Brahma to receive orders as to which play was to be staged. It was decided to play the samavakara type of drama entitled 'Amrtemethane' (The churning 22 of nectar) 23 Brahma was so pleased with the excellent troupe that he volunteered to introduce the sage and the actors to Siva. In his presence, a dima type of play named 'Tripuradha' (The burning of three cities) was enacted. God Sive too commended the actors whom he foundpromising and to improve the quality of the performance, he suggested to them to introduce dance and music in the drama. He requested Tandu (Nandikesvara) to instruct the actors on the various types of dence. While the drama was flourishing in the celestial regions, the sons of Bharata became too haughty and proud as to rouse the contempt and indignation of the sages. The sages thereupon cursed each and every one of them to become Sudras. The drama became popular and it enjoyed the patronage of kings. The first patron of the drame in the mortal world was King Nahusha, according to tradition. 22 Ibid., Ch. IV, V.2, p.85. 23 Ibid., V.10, p.86.