Origin and Development of Allegory in Sanskrit Literature and Drama

Jivanandana of Anandaraya Makhin (Study)

by G. D. Jayalakshmi | 2019 | 58,344 words

This page relates 鈥極rigin and Development of Allegory in Sanskrit Literature and Drama鈥� of the study on the Jivanandana (in English) which is a dramatic play written by Anadaraya Makhin in the 18th century. The Jivanandana praises the excellence of Advaita Vedanta, Ayurveda (medical science) and Dramatic literature as the triple agency for obtaining everlasting bliss.

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Origin and Development of Allegory in Sanskrit Literature and Drama

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Allegory is as old as the Vedic literature. The Vedas contain metaphorical statements to imply immaterial or abstract notions.

In the 峁欢惫别诲补 (VII.104. 22) various 搁腻办峁蝉补蝉 are represented as animals鈥損ig, wolf, dog, wild lizard, eagle and vulture:

ulukay膩tu峁� 艣u艣ul奴kay膩tu峁� jahi 艣vay膩tumuta kokay膩tum |
supar峁嘺y膩tumuta g峁沝hray膩tu峁� d峁涐梗adeva pra m峁涐箛a 谤补办峁 indra ||

In another place, the individual soul (闯墨惫补) and the Supreme soul (Brahman) are described as two birds with beautiful wings (峁欢惫别诲补, I.164.20):

诲惫腻蝉耻辫补谤峁嚹� sayuj膩 sakh膩y膩蝉补尘腻苍补峁� 惫峁沰峁峁� pari峁svaj膩te |
迟补测辞谤补苍测补岣� 辫颈辫辫补濒补峁� sv膩dvattyana艣nannanyo 膩bhic膩ka艣墨ti ||

The tenth 惭补峁囜笉补濒补 of the 峁欢惫别诲补 abounds in the personification of various abstract ideas 碍腻尘补^[1] (desire), 艢谤补诲诲丑腻^[2] (faith), Asun墨ti^[3] (spirit of life) and Anumati^[4] (favour). 厂奴苍峁泃腻^[5] (beauty) is considered as goddess.

峁欢惫别诲补 (IV.58.3) personifies 艣补产诲补 as a bull with four horns (nouns, verbs, prepositions and articles) three feet (past, present and future), two heads (eternal and non-eternal words), seven hands (case affixes) and bound at three places (chest, throat and head).

It is further added that as the bull roars, the great God enters the mortals (尘补谤迟测腻岣�):

catv膩ri 艣峁涐箙g膩 trayo 腻蝉测补 p膩d膩 dve 艣墨r峁 sapta hast膩so 腻蝉测补 |
tridho baddho v峁涐梗abho rorav墨ti maho devo 尘补谤迟测腻膩 vive艣a ||

In the 艢耻办濒补测补箩耻谤惫别诲补, one finds allegory in the personification of the senses.

Manas is personified and its various powers are described as belonging to a human being (XXXIV.6):

su峁Ｄ乺athira艣v膩niva yanmanu峁膩nnen墨yate'm墨峁bhirv膩jina iva |
h峁泃prati峁ａ弓ha峁� yadajira峁� javi峁ａ弓ha峁� tanme 尘补苍补岣� 艣ivasa峁僰alpamastu ||

The 厂腻尘补惫别诲补 (膧驳苍别测补碍腻峁囜笉补, I.9.9.10) speaks of the thoughtful preceptor as the father and faith as the mother of the worshipper:

辫颈迟腻 yatka艣yapasy膩gni岣� 艣raddh膩尘腻迟腻尘补苍耻岣� 办补惫颈岣� |

The allegorical style of representation is found in the 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺蝉 and 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 too. 艢atapatha 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 (I.14-5) deals with Manu鈥檚 efforts for evolution with 艢谤补诲诲丑腻; I岣嵞佲€檚 birth and conversation with Manu is also given in the same 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 (I.6.3).

The Ch膩ndogya Upani峁d (V.1.6-15) narrates the superiority of 笔谤腻峁嘺 over the various sense organs when all of them fight with each other to establish their own supremacy; the B峁沨ad膩ra峁噛aka Upani峁d (VI. 7-14) also talks of a similar quarrel among the various senses.

The 碍补峁环辞辫补苍颈峁诲 (III.3) is a fine illustration of allegorical expression as it says that the body is the chariot, the soul is the owner, the intellect is the charioteer, and the manas is the reins:

膩tm膩na峁� rathina峁� viddhi 艣补谤墨谤补峁� rathameva tu |
产耻诲诲丑颈峁� tu 蝉腻谤补迟丑颈峁� viddhi 尘补苍补岣� pragrahameva ca ||

In the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 (Adiparvan, 66.14-5ab), Dharma has been personified and described as having ten wives鈥�碍墨谤迟颈, 尝补办峁墨, 顿丑峁泃颈, 惭别诲丑腻, 笔耻峁ａ弓颈, 艢谤补诲诲丑腻, 碍谤颈测腻, Buddhi, 尝补箩箩腻, and Mati:

n膩mato dharmapatnyast膩岣� k墨rtyam膩n膩 nibodha me |
办墨谤迟颈谤濒补办峁墨谤诲丑峁泃颈谤尘别诲丑腻辫耻峁ａ弓颈岣� 艣raddh膩 kriy膩 tath膩 ||
buddhirlajj膩 mati艣caiva patnyo dharmasya t膩诲补艣补 |

It is further said (膧di. 66.32-3) that Dharma had 艢补尘补, 碍腻尘补 and 贬补谤峁 as his sons and 笔谤腻辫迟颈, Rati and 狈补苍诲腻 as his daughters-in-law, respectively:

trayastasya 惫补谤腻岣� putr膩岣� sarvabh奴tamanohar膩岣� |
艣补尘补岣� k膩ma艣ca har峁艣ca tejas膩 lokadh膩ri峁嘺岣� ||
k膩masya tu ratir产丑腻谤测腻艣amasya pr膩ptira峁単an膩 |
nand膩 tu 产丑腻谤测腻 har峁sya y膩su lok膩岣� prati峁ａ弓hit膩岣� ||

In the Bh膩gavata Pur膩峁嘺, the story of king 笔耻谤补帽箩补苍补 may be interpreted allegorically.

In Buddhist literature, allegory is found in the story of M膩rapar膩jaya, and also in the story of 础箩补辫腻濒补 under the Banyan tree. In Jain literature too, one finds many allegorical tales.

In Sanskrit dramatic literature, the Buddhist dramatist 础艣惫补驳丑辞峁 is the first to depict allegorical figures such as Buddhi (intellect), 碍墨谤迟颈 (fame) and 顿丑峁泃颈 (firmness) in his 厂腻谤墨辫耻迟谤补笔谤补办补谤补峁嘺. 叠丑腻蝉补鈥檚 叠腻濒补肠补谤颈迟补 has allegorical shadow, since the curse and the goddess of the kingdom are presented as characters. In 叠丑补惫补产丑奴迟颈鈥檚 鲍迟迟补谤补-谤腻尘补肠补谤颈迟补, the rivers 罢补尘补蝉腻 and 惭耻谤补濒腻, 笔峁泃丑惫墨 (mother earth) and V膩sant墨 (forest deity), though features of nature, get personified.

The complete allegorical play-writing seems to have developed, according to Dr. V. Raghavan, as a special genre of 苍腻峁璦办补蝉 from the time of Jayanta Bha峁弓a (10 C.A.D.) who wrote the 膧驳补尘补岣峚尘产补谤补 as a metaphoric representation of abstract ideas. Followed by 碍峁涐梗峁嘺尘颈艣谤补鈥檚 Prabodhacandrodaya, this class of dramatic literature has been produced in various parts of the country. The purpose of such a writing has helped in propagating various schools of philosophy and ideals of good life and society. The major well-known plays falling under this type are briefly introduced below.