A so-called Convention of the Hindu Drama

Mano Mohan Ghosh

A so-called Convention of the Hindu Drama

Vol. 9 · No. 4December - 1933pp. 981–983English

Summary

The article challenges the common misconception that the *Bharata-Natyasastra (NS)* prohibited death-scenes on stage, tracing the error to early Sanskrit scholars like M. Ganapati Sastri and Prof. A. C. Keith, who incorrectly attributed such a rule to the *NS* based on the *Sahitya-darpana (SD)*. The *NS* explicitly describes death as one of the *vyabhicari-bhavas* (incidental emotions) and provides detailed instructions for depicting it, including death from wounds, poisoning, or accidents (Chapters VI.85, VII.35-80, and XXVI.96-107). Chapter XX of the *NS* further clarifies that while death-scenes are permissible in certain *Rupakas* (like *Ihampga*), they should not occur in *Nataka* or *Prakarana* where the hero is present. The *Dasarupa* largely aligns with the *NS*, permitting death-scenes in specific contexts. The confusion arose from misinterpreting the *SD* and misapplying rules from *Nataka* to all Indian dramas. The article emphasizes that neither the *NS* nor the *Dasarupa* enforces a blanket ban on death-scenes, correcting historical inaccuracies in Sanskrit scholarship.

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Conclusion

This study challenges the long-held belief that the *Bharata-Natyasastra* prohibited death-scenes and tragedy in Hindu drama, demonstrating that the text explicitly permits and even elaborates on the depiction of death through detailed stage directions and thematic enumerations. By tracing the misconception to early Sanskrit scholarship—particularly the *Sahitya-darpana*'s narrow focus on *Nataka* and its misinterpretation by scholars like Wilson—the analysis corrects a historical inaccuracy that has skewed understanding of Indian dramatic traditions. The findings underscore the importance of re-examining foundational texts and contextualizing scholarly interpretations, revealing the *NS*'s nuanced approach to dramatic representation and its allowance for death-scenes within specific frameworks, thereby reshaping modern perceptions of classical Indian theatre.

Key passages

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“A very common belief among the stndents of the Sanskrit liferature is that the Bharata-Natyasastra (¥9.) never permitted death-scenes on the stage.”
“But o study of the fext of the ટ”. shows that the above belief is ervoneous.”
“Thus 60૩૯ the belief that the NS, did not permit death-scenes on the stage in any kind of play.®”

Works cited in this article

Saaskrit Dramea
Dasarmipa

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Texts & works

Balacarita
Sahitya Darpana 8
Bharata-Natyasastra
Pratima
Dasarmipa

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In this issue

Vol. 9 · No. 4

829–834Kalidasa in ChinaLouis Finot 835–853Vamana's Theory of Riti and GunaPrakash Chandra Lahiri 854–865Krsna and JarasandhaSadashiva L. Katre 866–871The Rise of Najib-ud-daulaJadunath Sarkar 872–879The Architecture of the Taj and its ArchitectShyam Chand Mukherjee 880–885The Puranic Traditions - (about earlier homes and migrations of the Indian Aryas)Narayana Tripathi 886–897The Origin of the MalpahariasSasanka Sarkar 898–911Some Sanskrit Texts on PaintingV. Raghavan 912–922Two Types of Subjectivism in Monistic VedantaMakhanlal Mukherji 923–929The Date of KarkacaryaG. B. Makoday 930–933Literary Reference to SamudraguptaRamesh Chandra Majumdar 934–942An almost Contemporary Account of Mahmud's Invasions of IndiaSri Ram Sharma 943–947Daspalla Copper-Plate AgreementBinayak Misra 948–950King Narasimha of Gaunda and the study of the Mahabhasya in BengalJogendra Chandra Ghosh 951–956Early History of the Gahadavala DynastyDhirendra Chandra Ganguly 957–966Epigraphic NotesDineshchandra Sircar 967–968The Art of Pantomime in KeralaC. S. Srinivasachari 969–972The Dasas of the Karnatak CountryS. Hanumantha Rao 973–977Hindu Theatre (Part 1)D. R. Mankad 978–979AryadevaVidhushekhara Bhattacharya 979–980Sankaracarya and DharmakirtiVidhushekhara Bhattacharya 981Sankara's Reference to a Buddhist PassageVidhushekhara Bhattacharya 981–983A so-called Convention of the Hindu DramaMano Mohan GhoshCurrent article 984–986Varahamihira and BuzurjmehrAdinath Neminath Upadhye 987–988Syntactic Position of the Preposition in ArdhamagadhiAdinath Neminath Upadhye 989–991Vainyagupta DvadasadityaRamesh Chandra Majumdar 991–994Hindu Theatre (Part 2)V. Raghavan 995–1003The Seventh All-India Oriental ConferenceP. C. Bagchi 1004–1030ReviewsBatakrishna Ghosh, Edward J. Thomas 1031–1039Select Contents of Oriental Journals 1041–1042Addendum: Some Sanskrit Texts on PaintingV. Raghavan

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