The Sanskrit drama : $b in its origin, development, theory and practiceKeith, Arthur Berriedale
History
The Sanskrit drama : $b in its origin, development, theory and practice
Keith, Arthur Berriedale
Sanskrit drama -- History and criticism
The work begins with an act of religious devotion, the performance of
the ceremony of the waving of a lamp in honour of Kṛṣṇa, who appears in
the vesture of a herdsman, and thus receives in person the worship of
his votaries. The play is essentially religious and mystic, despite the
fact that the sports of Kṛṣṇa and his comrades, and of Rādhā and her
friends, are duly introduced. In Act III we have from the mouth of
Vṛndā, that is Lakṣmī, a series of verses setting out the mystic
doctrine of the identity of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā; Kṛṣṇa is the highest
being, descended to earth in the guise of a herdsman, and Rādhā
represents his Çakti. In Act IV we have the usual scene of the theft by
Kṛṣṇa of the clothes of the maidens when they bathe in the Yamunā, but
the restoration is made a test of their faith; Kṛṣṇa demands their
devotion as the price of their garments, and asserts that faith in him
is superior to the Vedas, to asceticism, and to sacrifice as a means of
securing knowledge of him. In the last Act we find the spirits of the
night of full moon and of autumn lamenting that the maidens are not
dancing the Rāsa with Kṛṣṇa, who appears, and whom they remind of this
duty of his. He summons his magic power (yogamāyā) and bids her proceed
to the station of the herders to summon the maidens to the dance. Then
it is narrated how he himself goes there, and with his flute draws out
the maidens to join him, while the gods come in multitudes to pay him
honour. Many verses from the Bhāgavata Purāṇa are here borrowed.
Finally the god accepts the homage of the maidens and leads them in the
dance, as is described again in narrative, until the director breaks
off the piece with the assertion that it is impossible to represent
adequately the greatness of the god. We can see at once, even if we
were not told, that the author was under the influence of Rāmānuja, and
the fact that his father bears the name of Devajī [580] suggests a
decidedly modern date.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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