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 heroic (vīra) sentiment corresponds to the emotion of energy; it
may take the three forms of courage in battle as in Rāma; compassion as
in Jīmūtavāhana; and liberality as in Paraçurāma. Assurance,
contentment, arrogance, and joy are the transitory states connected
with it. The sentiment of fury (raudra) is based on anger; its
transitory states are indignation, intoxication, recollection,
inconstancy, envy, cruelty, agitation, and the like. The comic (hāsya)
sentiment depends on mirth, which is caused by one’s own or another’s
strange appearance, speech, or attire. [685] The transitory states in
connexion with it are sleeping, indolence, weariness, weakness, and
stupor. The sentiment of wonder (adbhuta) is based on astonishment; the
transitory states are usually joy, agitation, and contentment. The
sentiment of terror (bhayānaka) is based on terror; the states
associated with it are depression, agitation, distraction, fright, and
the like. The pathetic (karuṇa) sentiment is based on sorrow; its
associated states are sleeping, epilepsy, depression, sickness, death,
indolence, agitation, despair, stupor, insanity, anxiety, and so forth.
The sentiment of horror or odium (bībhatsa) is based on disgust; its
associated states are agitation, sickness, apprehension, and the like.
In each case the theorists give in full the determinants and the
consequents of each emotion, which becomes a sentiment, and a special
colour is ascribed to each; it is not surprising to find that red is
associated with fury, black with fear; whiteness may, in association
with the comic sentiment, be explained by the flashing teeth of a
laughing maiden, and the dark (çyāma) colour of the erotic sentiment is
a reflex of the favoured hue of the beloved; grey accords with pathos,
but the connexion of yellow with wonder, dark blue with horror, and
orange with heroism is not obvious. It is also artificial to find four
primary and four secondary sentiments laid down; the erotic, the
furious, the heroic, and that of horror, whence in order are supposed
to develop the comic, the pathetic, that of wonder and that of terror.
The Nāṭyaçāstra recognizes these eight only, [686] but later
authorities add the sentiment of calm (çānta) based on indifference to
worldly things (nirveda), although this is in the Çāstra merely a
transitory feeling. Those who follow the Çāstra contend that there is
no such sentiment, for it is impossible to destroy utterly love,
hatred, and other feelings, which have been operative from time without
beginning; others admit the existence of the sentiment, as does
Mammaṭa, but not in drama, on the ground that indifference to all
worldly things is incapable of being represented. But this also is
erroneous; the actor’s power of representing indifference is not in
point, as it is the spectator who is to feel the sentiment, and the
fact that the Çāstra places it first in the list of transitory states,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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