Dasarupaka (critical study)
by Anuru Ranjan Mishra | 2015 | 106,293 words
This page relates 鈥楽tatus of Women in the Mattavilasa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)
Part 13 - Status of Women in the Mattavil膩sa
Though Mattavil膩sa has not elaborated on the status of women of that time and the same needs to be obtained only from the history. However, we can understand the status of woman in general from the two characters, i.e. 狈补峁�, the actress or the wife of the stage-manager and Devasom膩, the fiancee of 碍腻辫腻濒颈办补. In general, women were free in this period. There were no restrictions placed on them. The beautiful intoxicated women could dance near the sacrificial ground.
Their dance used to be in abandon and hence upper garments used to slip down and they were trying to put them back to their place:
耻肠肠丑谤颈迟补颈办补丑补蝉迟腻鈥︹赌︹赌补迟迟补惫颈濒腻蝉补苍峁泃迟腻苍颈
鈥揗attavil膩sa, Unni, p.41.
The female ascetics also used to drink heavily:
matt膩miva matt膩miva m膩m 产丑补峁嘺蝉颈
鈥揗attavil膩sa, Unni, p.38.
Although female ascetics drank wine, they were afraid of destruction of their penance:
m膩 m膩 mama k膩ra峁嚹乨 vratabha峁単ena 迟补辫补岣� 办丑补峁囜笉补测颈迟耻尘
鈥揗attavil膩sa, Unni, p.39.
The women believed in the offerings (vrata)and penance (tapa), which led to extra ordinary merits.
According to 碍补辫腻濒墨, Devasom膩 got her beauty due to the offerings:
tapas膩 k膩mar奴pat膩 pr膩pyata iti
鈥揗attavil膩sa, Unni, p.38.
They obeyed and gave respect to their partners and were dedicated to them.
The wife was allowed to go out with husband, even she could watch drama and musical performance with her husband:
腻谤测补! kim cirasya 办腻濒补蝉测补 yauvanagu峁嘺bharamattavil膩saprahasanam dar艣ayitum膩gato鈥檚i
鈥揗attavil膩sa, Unni, p.35.
Those days, men could marry many women even older than themselves and the stage manager had two wives:
蝉补尘腻蝉腻诲颈迟补岣� khalu 尘补测腻 yav墨yas墨m bh膩ry膩m鈥︹�︹�yal墨k膩y膩m jye峁ａ弓h膩y膩m
鈥揗attavil膩sa, Unni, p.35.
C. Minakshi (1938, Administration and Social Life under the Pallavas) states that there a few evidences are available about the status of women during the Pallava dynasty. The queens of the Pallavas were cultured and pious and vied with their lords in religious charity and in the construction of the monuments for their favorite deities, which even today stand as works of art and beauty. Even ordinary women were pious minded and made endowments to temples; and the Brahmin women donated paddy for lamps and worship. The women were allowed to have their own property (蝉迟谤墨诲丑补苍补 and 补峁単补尘补峁噄)鈥�,