Dasarupaka (critical study)
by Anuru Ranjan Mishra | 2015 | 106,293 words
This page relates 鈥榗oncise nature of the Dasharupaka鈥� of the English study of the Dasarupaka of Dhananjaya: an important work on Hindu dramaturgy (Natya-shastra) from the tenth century dealing with the ten divisions of Sanskrit drama (nata), describing their technical aspects and essential dramaturgical principals. These ten types of drama are categorised based on the plot (vastu), hero (neta) and sentiment (rasa)
The concise nature of the Da艣a谤奴辫补ka
[Distinction and Peculiarity of the Da艣a谤奴辫补ka闭鈥�顿丑补苍补帽箩补测补 has called the treatise as 鈥淒a艣a谤奴辫补ka鈥� [诲补艣补谤奴辫补办补尘], because he has described only the essential things of the ten 搁奴辫补办补蝉 in it. That is why the Da艣a谤奴辫补ka is concise, not vast like the 狈腻峁瓂补艣腻蝉迟谤补 and involves the description of the ten 搁奴辫补办补蝉 (诲补艣补谤奴辫腻苍耻办腻谤别峁嘺鈥︹�� -I.2 and 诲补艣补谤奴辫补尘别迟补迟鈥︹�� -VI.86). The Da艣a谤奴辫补ka is very different from the 狈腻峁瓂补艣腻蝉迟谤补, in the matters of style and method. It describes the opinions of the 狈腻峁瓂补艣腻蝉迟谤补 in a radical way and in many places establishes its own opinions emphatically. For example, 顿丑补苍补帽箩补测补 has not explained about the origin of the styles (惫峁泃迟颈) as Bharata. He defines them in the straightway that the styles are the actions (惫测腻辫腻谤补) of the hero (苍腻测补办补), i.e. verbal, psychological and physical.
[The concise nature of the Da艣a谤奴辫补ka闭鈥擝harata has given many definitions of the 狈腻峁瓂补. According to him, 苍腻峁瓂补 or drama is a representation of the state of the three worlds (trailokasy膩sya sarvasya 苍腻峁瓂补m 产丑腻惫腻苍耻办墨谤迟补苍补尘鈥摫纺遽弓y补艣腻蝉迟谤补.I.107). Again, a drama involves description of human nature with joys and sorrows in it, by means of representation through the gestures and the like, i.e. words, costume and temperament (yo鈥檡am svabh膩vo lokasya sukhadu岣hasamanvita岣�, so鈥欋箙g膩dyabhinayopeto 苍腻峁瓂补mityabhidh墨yate 鈥摫纺遽弓y补艣腻蝉迟谤补.I.119). Further, drama is an imitation of actions and conducts of people with various emotions and it depicts different situations (n膩n膩bh膩vo-pasa峁僷annam n膩n膩vasth膩ntar膩tmakam, lokav峁泃t膩nukara峁嘺m 苍腻峁瓂补m鈥摫纺遽弓y补艣腻蝉迟谤补.I.112). Again, drama is the imitation of the seven divisions of world (saptadv墨p膩nukara峁嘺m 苍腻峁瓂补m鈥摫纺遽弓y补艣腻蝉迟谤补.I.117).
顿丑补苍补帽箩补测补 in the Da艣a谤奴辫补ka has always tried to make descriptions of matters very concise. At the beginning, he has pointed out that 苍腻峁瓂补 is not different from 谤奴辫补 and 谤奴辫补ka. His definition of 苍腻峁瓂补 is 鈥�avasth膩nuk峁泃ir苍腻峁瓂补m鈥� (Da艣a谤奴辫补ka.I.7)and it means that what imitates the situations of the world constitutes 苍腻峁瓂补 (Da艣a谤奴辫补ka.I.7). This definition of 苍腻峁瓂补 is different from that of Bharata. Here, Bharata has provided a number of views to define 苍腻峁瓂补, whereas 顿丑补苍补帽箩补测补 has taken only three words to define it (苍腻峁瓂补).