Sanskrit dramas by Kerala authors (Study)
by S. Subramania Iyer | 1971 | 172,221 words
This essay represents and English study of the Sanskrit dramas by Kerala authors. The influence that Sanskrit has exerted on the people of Kerala in their cultural, social and literary fields is of great significance to them. Their language and literature, religion and philosophy, art and architecture, all have their roots deep in Sanskrit. In this...
6. Time and place of action
The first act of the Vassumati Vikrama begins in the early morning.as is clear from Mantragupta's remarks. The place of action is at first the palace of the king. It shifts later to his garden. The first act appears to end in midnoon. The vidushaka informs the king about the advent of 72 midnoon andhis own appetite. There is no interval between Acts I and II. In this connection the remark of Vatandhaya on seeing his friend lost in thoughts of Vasumati as to whether he (the king) has not yet completed his madhyahna 73 sandhya is worthy of notice. It has its background at first in the garden of the king and then later on in the garden of the minister. It appears to end in the evening. 74 72 aye, samupasthitaiva samprati cakravakamithuna- nandasaksini prabhatiki vela ! Ibid., Act. I, p.11 72 gata devi ! sucayati ca mama jvalajatharanala agatam madhyaddrsamayamh Ibid., Act. I, p.41 73 api madhya sandhyajapo na nivrttah ! madhyaha Ibid., Act.II, p.49 74 aye, parapatitaiva bhagavati sandhya ! Ibid., Act.II, p.79
469 469 There is no gap of time between Acts II and III. At the end of the interlude to the third act, Susila des- 75 cribes the Sunset. The place of action is the garden of the king. There is no interval between Acts III and IV. The place of action continues to be the king's garden. The fourth act seems to take up the entire night and it appears to end in the early morning of the next day. The king describes the garden of the minister as follows. tadanenaiva navakusumodgirna paragapamsulena guncad �bhramaraghurnitasamukhenamatyabhavano - pavanavartmana gacchavah ! 76 (Let us go through the garden which is covered by the pollen from the freshly blossomed flowers and with the sky filled with humming bees.) This nevertheless indicates early morning when flowers blossom and bees gather to take honey from them producing a humming sound. There is no time gap between Acts IV and V. The season seems to be the rainy season. The fifth act ends in the evening. There is an interval of one night between Acts V and VI. From the words of Vatandhaya one comes to know 77 that it begins in midnoon. It has its background in the king's garden. The play ends in the evening. From the above survey it can be seen that the play runs into three days and that there is a gap of one night between Acts V and VI. 75 Ibid., Act.III, V.2, p.82 76 Ibid., Act.V, p.150 77 Ibid., Act.VI.