ramayana plays of bhasa
TRANSCRIPT
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ISSN 0975-4067
KIRA¤ÀVALÃJournal of Sanskrit Research Foundation
The New Trivandrum Sanskrit Series
Vol.V. Book.I & II
January-June
2013
SANSKRIT RESEARCH FOUNDATIONT.C 39/37
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM-36
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KIRA¤ÀVALÃJournal of Sanskrit Research Foundation
Editor
Dr.M. ManimohananSree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit,Kalady
Executive Editor
Dr.C.S.Sasikumar
Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit,Kalady
Managing Editor
Dr.G.Narayanan
Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit,Kalady
Editorial Board
Dr.V.Sisupalapanikkar,Professor of Sanskrit(Rtd.) Uty. of Kerala
Dr.R.Vijayakumar, Professor of Vyakarana, S.S.U.S.Kalady
Dr.K.Muthulakshmi, Associate professor in Vedanta, S.S.U.S.
Kalady
Dr.K.K.Sundaresan, Registrar, Kalamandalam
Editorial Advisory BoardDr.T.Devarajan, Professor of Sanskrit(Rtd), University of Kerala
Dr.P.Chithambaran, Rtd.Professor of Vedanta,S.S.U.S. Kalady
Dr.P.K.Dharmarajan, Professor of Sahitya, S.S.U.S. Kalady
Dr..S.Sobhana, Associate professor in Vedanta, S.S.U.S.Kalady
Dr.K.Sekharan, Professor of Sanskrit, University of Calicut
Associate Editor
Prof.R.Jinu
Views expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not
necessarily those of the publishers
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Contents
I¿a UpaniÀad and R¡m¡ya¸a Dr.V.Vasudevan- 7
Bhadrakalikalam- a Reminiscence of
Dhuli Chitra: A study Babu.K -15
Modern and Vedantic Views
on Mental Health Dr.H.Sylaja -38
Cultivation and related income
in the Artha¿¡stra Pushpadasan Kuniyil -44
R¡m¡ya¸a Plays of Bh¡sa Dr. N. Vijayamohanan Pillai - 49
The Creative Genius
in Sree Narayana Guru Dr.Asaletha.V -56
Eco Feminism Shamshad Begum.R - 62
Ajitamah¡tantra:
Treatise on V¡stuvidya Soumya. K -70
Historical and Cultural Aspects Reflected In
Ashtamimahotsava Prabandha Krishnaveni -79Influence of Buddhism in the Social Health
Environment of Kerala Soumya.c.s -84
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R¡m¡ya¸a Plays of Bh¡saDr. N. Vijayamohanan Pillai
R¡m¡ya¸a is a brilliant blend of poetry, myths, history, fables and
inspiring thoughts. This unparalleled epic of the world contains the
insight of ancient great thinkers of India which direct a person in
achieving the ultimate aim of human life. R¡m¡ya¸a plays down the
technique of attaining the four puruÀ¡rthas - dharma, artha, k¡ma and
mokÀa - which enable human beings to attain pleasure and perfection
of life. The narration revolves around the life and character of R¡ma
who upheld the highest ideals of humanity. Though V¡lm¢ki, the first
poet mentioned R¡ma in some verses as the incarnation of ViÀ¸u, he
mainly illustrated him as an absolute powerful human being. It brings
out the qualities of R¡ma like kindness, purity, bravery, composure of
mind, dedication to responsibility and selflessness that make himmagnificent and great figure. The story of his life gives out as a guiding
light for anyone in the path of principles, spirituality and moral values.
Its beautiful description sometimes catches the reader to the utmost
stature of pleasure, and sometimes throws in the deepness of sorrow.
R¡m¡ya¸a has stayed behind as a permanent and stable basis of
motivation down the centuries to the writers in all the literatures in
India. Bh¡sa, the earliest and most celebrated dramatist in Sanskrit
Literature was also greatly influenced by the first Indian epic poetry,
R¡m¡ya¸a. Though, Bh¡sa is one of the most distinguished names in
Classical Sanskrit Literature we have got very little about his life history.There are a lot of deferential indications about the greatness of Bh¡sain
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the works of a long line of later eminent poets like K¡lid¡sa and Da¸di.
Among the thirteen plays attributed to Bh¡sa, AbhiÀekan¡¶aka and
Pratim¡n¡¶aka are dealing with the story, characters and situations of
R¡m¡ya¸a. Bh¡sadidn’t narrate the whole story of R¡m¡ya¸a in his
dramas. He found out certain dramatic situations from the ¡dik¡vya
and developed it carefully and successfully as a drama.
Later, another drama of seven acts named Yajμaphala was also
ascribed to Bh¡sa. But most of the scholars refuse its authorship by
Bh¡sa. It deals with the R¡m¡ya¸astory up to the meeting of Para¿ur¡ma
and ¿r¢r¡ma after the breaking of the bow of Lord ¿iva by the latter asthe wager of getting S¢t¡. Da¿aratha, his wives and sons, Sumantra,
VasiÀ¶ha, Vi¿v¡mitra, Janaka, Manthar¡, S¢t¡ , Para¿ur¡ma etc. are
the charecters in the drama. The play describes three types of yajμas –
putrayajμa, viv¡ha and the yajμa of Vi¿v¡mitra. Kaikey¢ appears as a
spouse of great traits who stands along the wishes of her husband, in
the drama. The seethe of the common characters through a variety of
incidents make the drama a great success. But some of the scholars
have different opinion about the authorship of this drama. They did not
accept Bh¡saas the author of Yajμabhala.
Pratim¡n¡¶akaPratim¡n¡¶aka is a drama of seven acts. The first act describes the
story of the journey of R¡ma, S¢t¡ and LakÀma¸a to the forest. The
last act ends with the story of their returning to Ayodhya. Bh¡sadid not
narrate the whole R¡m¡ya¸astory in the drama. He took certain striking
incidents from the R¡m¡ya¸aand developed it as some interesting
dramatic situations. The name Pratim¡n¡¶aka is given by T. Ga¸apati
¿astri, the first editor of the play on the basis of the colophon at the end
of the manuscript.
Pratim¡n¡¶aka starts with the depiction of the coronation of R¡ma.
Bh¡saskillfully incorporate the story of a tree bark there. S¢t¡ isconfabulating with her friends in the first act of the drama. She brings
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Kira¸¡val¢ 51
a tree bark from Avadatika, the servant and wears it for a fun. It is the
time she hears the news of Da¿aratha’s decision to coronate R¡ma and
then the obstruction of the same by Kaikey¢. She accompanied R¡ma
along with LakÀma¸a to the forest wearing the same valkala.
Bh¡sacreate such a dramatic situation there by making a slight deviation
from the original R¡m¡ya¸astory. LakÀma¸a decides to accompany
R¡ma because he considers himself as R¡ma’s right leg and S¢t¡ as
left leg.
‘gurorme p¡da¿u¿ruÀ¡m tvamek¡ kartumicchasi
tavaiva daksi¸ah p¡do mama savyo bhaviÀyati’ (I. 27) Before wearing the tree bark S¢t¡ enquired Avad¡tik¡ -‘hal¡! kim nu
khalu mam¡pi t¡vat ¿obhate.’(Bhasa 2007) She replies -‘Bha¶¶ini!
sarva¿obhan¢yam sur£pam n¡ma. ala´akarotu bha¶¶in¢.’(5) Later, the
tree bark also beatifies S¢t¡ during her existence in the forest. We can
see a similar usage in K¡lidasa’s Abhiμ j¡na¿¡kuntala -‘kimiva hi
madhur¡¸¡m ma¸danam n¡krt¢n¡m.’(I. 20) The king DuÀyanta utters
these words while seeing ¿akuntal¡ at first in a tree bark dress.
Sumantra’s narrations to Da¿aratha about the journey of R¡ma to
the forest, the king’s lamentation, Dasarartha’s death due to the sunder
of his beloved son etc. are the subject of the second act. Da¿aratha’sexpression of grief because of the exile of R¡ma is the central description
of this act. Da¿aratha laments by calling R¡ma his son as Sun, LakÀma¸a
as day and S¢t¡ as shade.
‘s£rya iva gato r¡mah s£ryam divasa iva lakÀma¸o’nugatah
s£ryadivas¡vas¡ne ch¡yeva na d¤¿yate s¢t¡’ (Pratim¡n¡¶aka, II. 7)
Seeing the returning of Sumantra alone without R¡ma in the chariot
from the forest, Da¿aratha says that it is the vehicle send by Yama to
bring him. At the time of Da¿aratha’s demise Bharata was not in
Ayodhya. He was in his uncle’s palace at Kekaya. A Messenger was
send to Kekaya to bring him back. Though the messenger brings Bharatafrom his uncle’s house, he doesn’t reveal the tragic incidents that
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happened in Ayodhya. The entering of Pratim¡gºha by Bharata on the
way to Ayodhya along with the messenger is described in the third act.
Bharata infers the tragic death of his father on seeing the statue of
Da¿aratha along with the forefathers in the statue house.
Though Bharata vituperates his mother Kaikey¢ acrimoniously as the
reason of the exile of his elder brother R¡ma and the death of his beloved
father Da¿aratha, she responds in a calm and cool way as a portliness
mother. She hears Bharata patiently and replies that she only motivates
her husband to keep his rectitude. But Bharata decides to go to the
forest for requesting R¡ma to come back. He says -‘tatra y¡sy¡mi yatr¡sau vartate lakÀma¸apriyah
n¡yodhaya tam vin¡yodhy¡ s¡ydhy¡ yatra ragh¡vah’(III. 24)
The fourth act describes the meeting of Bharata and R¡ma along
with Sumantra in the forest. Though Bharata requests R¡ma to come
back to Ayodhya repeatedly, he rejects. R¡ma advises Bharata to rule
the country on behalf of him. The significant incident describes in the
fifth act is the abduction of S¢t¡ by R¡va¸a. The returning of Sumantra
from the forest, Sumantra’s description of the life of R¡ma in the forest
to Bharata and Kaikey¢ etc. are the subject matter in the sixth act. Here
also Bharata blames Kaikey¢ bitterly.‘yah svar¡jyam parityajya tvanniyogadvanam gatah
tasya bh¡ry¡ h¤t¡ s¢t¡ pary¡ptaste manaorathah.’(VI. 13)
Then Kaikey¢ elucidates the incident how Da¿aratha was cursed by
a sage earlier whose son was died by the hands of Da¿aratha. In
continuation of her words Sumantra explained the story of the cuss in
detail which reduces the culpability accused on Kaikey¢ by Bharata
and also it dignifies her character. The destruction of R¡va¸a by R¡ma
and the coronation of Vibh¢Àa¸a are described in the last act of the
play. While they were enjoying the victory of the battle, Bharata and
Satrughna along with their mothers reached the forest to call back R¡ma,LakÀma¸a and S¢t¡ and they all returned to Ayodhya.
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Kaikey¢ in the R¡m¡ya¸aappears so cruel in her debars and benefits
due to the toxic admonitory of Manthara. Thus she pleads her husband
to put in practice of the two boons that he promised her in the past. She
demands the deportation of R¡ma to the forest for fourteen years and
the coronation of Bharata in Ayodhya. But in Pratim¡n¡¶aka, Kaikey¢
demands the expatriation of R¡ma to the forest and the coronation of
Bharata, her son as the kany¡¿ulka that Da¿aratha promised her earlier.
Kaikey¢ reveals this to Bharata in the third act of the drama – ‘J¡ta!
¿ulkalubdh¡ nanu praÀ¶avy¡.’(Bhasa 2007 p. 34). The significant
point appears here that the king really offered the kingdom to the sonof Kaikey¢ if she married him. Such a diversion in the story brings in
by Bh¡sadignifies the character of Kaikey¢ in the drama.
AbhiÀekan¡¶aka
AbhiÀekan¡¶aka deals with the story of KiÀkindh¡k¡¸da,
Sundarak¡¸da and Yuddhak¡¸da of R¡m¡yana. The drama consists of
six acts. ¿r¢r¡ma, S¢t¡, Laksma¸a, Sugr¢va, B¡l¢, T¡r¡, R¡va¸a,
Vibh¢sa¸a, Lord Varu¸a, Lord Agni, Vidy¡dharas, ¿a´kukar¸a and
other r¡kÀasas, Han£m¡n and other v¡naras etc. are the characters
appeared in the drama. The first Act of the drama describes the fight
between B¡l¢ and Sugr¢va. While they are fighting each other R¡makills B¡l¢ with his arrows as agreed with Sugr¢va. After the death of
B¡l¢, Sugr¢va becomes the king of KiÀkindha and the leader of v¡naras
as per the direction of R¡ma.
The story in the second act happens in La´ka. Han£m¡n reaches
La´ka in order to find out S¢t¡. The conversation between R¡vana and
S¢t¡, meeting of Han£m¡n and S¢t¡ etc. are the subjects here. The
avocations of Han£m¡n in La´ka are described in the third act. He
destroys the A¿oka garden and kills Aksakum¡ra. At last he is defeated
by Indrajit and put before R¡va¸a. Han£m¡n discloses the aim of his
arrival to R¡va¸a. He is released by igniting fire on his tail. Dialogues between R¡vana and Vibh¢sa a also count in here. Han£m¡n informs
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54 Kira¸¡val¢
the condition of S¢t¡ in La´ka to R¡ma, LakÀma¸a, Sugr¢va and others
in the fourth a Act.
During their debate, Vibh¢Àa¸a who is afraid of his brother, R¡va¸a
reaches there and takes refuge in R¡ma. Hearing the words of
Vibh¢Àa¸a, R¡ma asks Varu¸a to give a way to La´ka through the
ocean. Varu¸a appears before him and accepts to give his requirement.
They are all along with v¡naras go to La´ka through the path given by
Varu¸a along the ocean. Fifth act of the drama is the conversation
between R¡va¸a and S¢t¡. R¡vana requests S¢t¡ repeatedly to accept
him and to refuse R¡ma.‘s¢te bh¡vam parityajya m¡nuse’smin gat¡yuÀi
adyaiva tv¡m vi¿al¡kÀi! mahat¢m ¿riyamav¡pnuhi.’ (V. 9)
The war between R¡ma and R¡va¸a is presented in the drama
through the words of two vidy¡dharas in the last Act. S¢t¡ enters in
fire to prove her chastity at the end of the play. But Lord Agni gives
back her to R¡ma. AbhiÀekan¡¶aka says the story of two coronations
made by R¡ma – the coronation of Sugr¢va in the first act and the
coronation of Vibh¢Àa¸a in the last act. The character B¡l¢ comes in
the first act of the drama. The questions rise by B¡l¢ prior to his death
and the replies of R¡ma are enthusiastic thought provoking.Bh¡sa gives much importance to the character of B¡l¢ in
AbhiÀekan¡¶aka. He is described as a tragic character in the play. R¡ma
decided to kill B¡l¢ because of the agreement done with Sugr¢va in the
presence of Han£m¡n. While B¡l¢ questions R¡ma in the last moments
of his life, he replies some other reasons based on dharma.
‘ bhavat¡ v¡narendre¸a dharm¡dharmou vij¡nat¡
¡tm¡nam m¤gamuddi¿ya bhr¡t¤d¡r¡bhimar¿anam’(I. 20)
But Bali doesn’t satisfy with his reply. He points out that Sugr¢va
also did the same deed. But he was not punished. Rama replied that
‘da¸ditastvam hi da¸dyatv¡d, ad¸dyo naiva dandyate.’11 Byincorporating such a discussion Bh¡sahighlights the character of B¡l¢
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Kira¸¡val¢ 55
in the drama.
Bharata and Kaikey¢ are the two shining characters in the
Pratim¡n¡¶aka. Considering Kaikey¢ as the reasons for the two evils,
ie. R¡ma’s sojourn and Da¿aratha’s death, Bharata scolds her angrily.
He calls her as a river of polluted water in between the holy rivers
Ganga and Yamuna, ie. the other two mothers, Kausaly¡ and Sumitr¡.
‘mama m¡tu¿ca m¡tu¿ca madhyasth¡ tvam na sobhase
ga´g¡yamunayormadhye kunad¢va prave¿it¡.’ ( III. 16)
Bharata questions Kaikey¢ for connecting r¡jya¿ulka and the
expatriation of R¡ma to the forest in the third Act of Pratim¡n¡¶aka.Then Kaikey¢ replies that she will say the reason in the correct place
and in the correct time. She discloses the curse story of Da¿aratha in
the correct time in the sixth act and in the correct place in the presence
of Sumantra, the other person who knows the details of the curse.
AbhiÀekan¡¶aka and Pratim¡n¡¶aka were performed in the Kerala
stage as a serial by professional actors called C¡kyars. These two plays
along with the ¡¿caryac£d¡ma¸i of ¿aktibhadra are referred to as
R¡m¡ya¸atrilogy in Kerala.
Works Cited
Bhasa. The Abhishekanataka of Bhasa. Ed. Sastri T. Ganapati.Trivandrum: TSS, 1913. Print.
Bhasa. Pratimanatakam : Ed. Rupanarayana Tripathi and
Manikya Lala Sastri. Jayapura: Hamsa Prakasana, 2007. Print.
Kalidasa. The Abhijnanasakuntalam. Ed. M. R. Kale and
Raghavabhatta. Bombay: Gopal Narayan &, 1920. Print.