Paramita Bhattacharya

In what ways does Abhigyan Shakuntalam conform to the description of a ''good'' or

''successful'' drama or play as given in Natyasastra...?

Introduction:
In the Natyashastra, Bharat muni tells that natya was
extracted from the Vedas: spoken or recited words from the Rig-veda, song from Sama-veda,
action from Yajur-veda and emotions or sentiments from the Atharva-veda. With all these
ingredients Brahma created the fifth Veda, the Natya-veda as a source of entertainment pleasing
to the eyes and soothing for the ears. Theorists have agreed that Indian drama has its roots in
classical Sanskrit poetics and thus we see the Sanskrit drama presenting harmonious characters
and emotions that evoke deep sentiments in the spectators heart. Comprising of thirty-six
chapters and six thousand sutras or verse stanzas, Bharatas Natyashastra highlights all aspects
of drama such as plot construction, stage setting, characterization, dialogue, song and dance
performances and the ultimate central subject being, Rasa .
The concept of Rasa is the most important and significant
contribution of the Indian mind to aesthetics. Every dramatic presentation was aimed at evoking
in the minds of the audience a particular kind of aesthetic experience, which is described as
Rasa. The aesthetic relish is produced (rasanishpattih) by a combination of the determinants
(vibhava),

consequents

(anubhava),

and

transitory

states

or

fleeting

emotions

(vyabhicharibhava). The terms vibhava, anubhava, and vyabhicharibhava refer only to stage
representations, not to realities of life. We as spectators enjoy the emotions with the performing
artists and this enjoyment is what is called natya-rasa. The particular combination of poetry,
action, plot, movement, sound, and gesture brings about this rasa.
The Natyashastra gives a detailed description of all aspects
of the art of acting especially hand gestures and bodily movements like angika (bodily
movements), vaachika (speech), aharya (costume and make-up) and sattvika (psychological
energy of the actor). Bharata also describes rangpatti (curtains and scenery), rangabhoomi
(theatrical space) and dhwani-prabhava (sound effects). So, by far we have understood at least

this that it is Natyashastra that has guided Indian dramatic theorists and artists who have
showered us with various forms of indigenous forms. If we are talking about Indian dramatic art
then one name that crops up in our mind as an ardent bearer of Bharatas legacy is Kalidasa.
Kalidasa was probably the first playwright who gave his own
definition of dramatic art. He further states that drama is Lokcharita, replay of life of the people
governed with three gunas- tama, raja and satva. In the Lokcharita we find several rasas or
emotional states. By showing guna-governed Lokcharita rasa drama entertains people of
different tastes and choice at the same time. Bharata in Natyashastra says the lokcharita is the
theme of drama. He says dramatic performance is an imitation of the life of people. Ancient
Greek thinkers too said that drama or tragedy is imitation of life. Kalidasa however deletes the
word imitation because for him drama was life itself and so what he was showing to us was
lokcharita itself.

Kalidasas play: Abhigyan-Shakuntalam

Kalidasa's Abhigyan Shakuntalam is a play, based on the
story of Dushyanta and Shakuntala in Mahabharata. Goethe after reading this drama became so
enthralled that he said
If you want the bloom of youth and fruit of later years,
If you want what enchants, fulfills and nourishes,
If you want heaven and earth contained in one nameI say Sakuntala and all is spoken.
J.W.von Goethe, Willst du due Blute
Kalidasas play can be fruitfully seen in the light of the
dramatic conventions compiled by Bharata in his Natyashastra. In terms of characterization of
the male and female protagonists and the technical details of the plot is described according to
traditional Sanskrit nataka. But his innovation lies in portraying King Dushyanta and Shakuntala
in rich array of images and metaphors. Kalidasa borrows the plot from Mahabharata where
Dushyanta after promising his love for Shakuntala returns to his kingdom incidentally forgetting
her as years pass. But when she appears before him with her grown-up boy, he remembers

alright, but afraid of incurring the blame of his subjects, he pretends not to know her.
Anticipating the reasons for Kalidasa changing this story, Robert Antoine S.J. in his essay "The
Curse in Oedipus Rex and Abhijnanasakuntalam" says: Kalidasa [perhaps] felt that the stature
of the king lacked in dramatic dignity. The repudiation had to be genuine, that is, based on a
genuine lack of memory. If, at the same time, it could be shown that the king's oblivion was the
result of some failing inherent in the love-situation of the protagonists, the nataka would have a
plot of rare dramatic density. The curse of Durvasa becomes the pivot of the drama and ...
transforms a rather insipid epic story into a well-knit and highly dramatic action.
Similar to the English drama, Sanskrit drama also has a main
plot and a subplot, aadhikarika and prasangika. The aadhikarika is concerned with the main
characters that are the hero and the heroine. The prasangika is the action of the characters other
than the hero and the heroine. There are three elements requisite for the development of the plot.
These are beeja or the seed, bindu or the drop and karya or the final issue. A dramatic plot
develops under five stages or Arasthas. They are: Arambh or the beginning Yatna or the effort
Praptyasha or prospect of success Niyatapti or certain attainment through the removal of
obstacles Nirvahana or attainment of the desired goal. The end is postponed by the intervention
of a new problem. Like in Shakuntala Shakuntalas meeting with Dushyanta is postponed with
the curse of Durvasa, nirvahana is the end of the play.
The Abhigyan Shakuntalam contains over two hundred verses
uttered mostly by major characters. The languages spoken by characters are according to their
social status. Vidusaka speaks in Prakrit, Sauraseni; Maharashtri is spoken by royal servants and
high class women; other members of the royal palace speak Magadhi. The low class people
speak varieties of Prakrit like abhiri, paisaci etc.
According to the Natyaveda, a nataka should be a
Representation of both virtue and vice. Production of rasa is one of the main functions of drama.
Kalidasas Shakuntala is a repository of various rasas. The plot moves from Dushyanta and
Shakuntala falling in love to their secret marriage, then their separation and finally reunion of the
lovers. Rabindranath Tagore has explained this theme of Love in Kalidasas Shakuntala:
Kalidasa has shown that while infatuation leads to failure beneficence achieves complete
fruition, that beauty is constant only when upheld by virtue, that the highest form of love is the

tranquil, controlled and beneficent form, that in regulation lies the true charm and lawless excess,
the speedy corruption of beauty. He refuses to acknowledge passion as the supreme glory of
love; he proclaims goodness as the final goal of love.
The title of the play Abhigyan Shakuntalam has the theme
hidden in it. Etymologically Abhigyana means Recognition. Thus translated into English the
title means Recognition Shakuntala. In a Sanskrit drama the typical characteristic of the
vidusaka is that he is a companion to the hero who exhibits his sharp wit and is a constant source
of fun. This is probably the only play of Kalidasa where the vidusaka and the nayika do not meet.
Madhavaya does not get any opportunity to see Shakuntala. In Abhigyan-Shakuntalam neither
the hero, the heroine nor the jester fit the norms of a typical Indian classical hero, heroine or
jester. The play opens with the benedictory stanza called nandi, followed by the prologue. In the
prologue the manager and an actress prepare the audience for the course of action that is to be
staged. The manager and the audience become enchanted by the actresss song of summer
forgetting momentarily the everyday world (laukika) and enter the realm of imagination
(alaukika). The mind of the poet, hero and the audience is symbolized here by the director who
holds together the various strands of the play so that the rasa can be realized and savored.
In the Sanskrit literature an act of remembering is a
conventional technique for relating the modes of love-in-seperation (vipralambha- sringara) and
love-in-union (sambhog-sringara). We find these acts of remembering and memory in this play
particularly in the fifth, sixth and seventh acts.
Bharata in his Natyasastra has given an elaborate theory of
Rasa. The doctrine of Rasa is well utilized by Kalidasa in his works and where Shakuntala is the
best example. Bharata classifies the Rasa under eight categories (ashtarasa) and gives the
corresponding Bhava which gives rise to the rasa. These are known as Sthayi Bhava or pervading
stable emotion. They are rati(love), hasa(mirth), shoka(grief), krodha(anger), utsaha(heroism),
bhaya(fear), jugupsa(disgust), and vismaya(wonder). The corresponding eight Rasa are
sringara(amorous),

hasya(humorous),

karuna(pathetic),

raudra(furious),

vira(valorous),

bhayanaka(horrific), bibhatsa(repugnant), and adbhuta(wondrous). Vibhava is the cause (karana),

the main stimulating cause being termed as alambana vibhava (the determinant), and, the
environmental factors that are additional causes termed as uddipana vibhava (excitant).

Anubhava is the consequent physical reaction through action, word and facial expression that
follows (anu), as the impact of the vibhava.
For instance, in the play Kalidasa uses King Dushyanta's
coming to the hermitage to pay respects to the sage, as the alambana vibhava. The girls' talk the
bee, their attire, the flower garden and such others become the uddipana vibhava. On
Dushyanta's entry, fleeting emotions like confusion, wonder, fear, curiosity, bashfulness and such
others seem to fill the minds of all the characters present. The blossoming of love between
Shakuntala and Dushyanta is gradually established through the reactions of both of them to the
conversation of the sakhis with the King. Bharata says that Bhava and Rasa are mutually
dependent. The performer or producer, be it an actor, dancer, singer, instrumentalist, or stage
craftsmen, should be conscious of the sthayi bhava and the rasa that they are striving to establish.
This will help them realize their 'siddhi' through 'Rasoutpatti'.
Kalidasas works show his belief in the doctrine of Bharatas
rasasutra. The vibhavas, anubhavas and vyabhicharibhavas are dealt with so minutely in his
works that its union with sthayibhavas produces rasa, which is relished till today. Sringara, love
in its many aspects is a perennial theme of lyrical poetry. The play is about love of Dushyanta
and Shakuntala hence sringara is the rasa that ornaments the play. The beautiful surrounding,
the inner joy of Dushyanta and of course the beauty of Shakuntala triggers the feeling of love in
him. Though standing behind the bushes he too is unable to control himself from adoring and
appreciating Shakuntalas magical youth,
Her lower lip has the rich sheen of young shoots,
Her arms the very grace of tender twining stems;
Her limbs enchanting as a lovely flower
Glow with the radiance of magical youth .
But this vipralamba is not the resultant of any hatred. It brings out the ingrained feelings of love.
Act three of the play is full of the erotic elements of sambhoga sringara. In Act V when
Dushyanta failed to recognize Shakuntala despite all her trials to remind him of their intimacy,
the calm and innocent girl lost her temper. Such a reaction by Shakuntala was the result of
Dushyantas refusal to recognize her and accept her. These are certain examples of Kalidasa s
treatment of raudra rasa. Veera rasa is the heroic sentiment that is characterized by expression

of energy. The energy identifies a king. There are only a few instances of veera rasa in the play.
This kings heroic energy is exposed again at the en d of act six when Dushyanta accepts the
proposal of Indra to help him fight against the Titans. The example of adbhuta rasa in AbhigyanShakuntala is when Dushyanta and Matali pass over Hemakuta, the king is astonished.
The repudiation of Shakuntala is no doubt vipralamba
sringara. But it also arouses the pathetic sentiment i.e., karuna rasa. The curse of Durvasa, loss
of Dushyantas memory are the cause of the lovers suffering. These determinants have lead to
the shedding of tears, sorrow and grief for both Dushyanta and Shakuntala. Such consequents
combine with the vyavicharibhavas like the kings fainting to produce karuna rasa. Another
example of sorrow in the drama is Shakuntalas departure from Kanvas ashrama , the scene is
full of sorrow. In Act V when Dushyanta failed to recognize Shakuntala despite all her trials to
remind him of their intimacy, the calm and innocent girl lost her temper. Such a reaction by
Shakuntala was the result of Dushyantas refusal to recognize her and accept her. These are
certain examples of Kalidasas treatment of raudra rasa. We see raudra in Shakuntala too:
Sakuntala (in anger): Ignoble man! You who are like a well
covered with grassyou judge every one by the measure of your own heart who would stoop
to imitate your conduct practicing falseness putting on the mantle of virtue?
The first act of Shakuntala shows Santa Rasa. On the hermits
request the king withdraws his arrow. The furious mood that ventured to kill the deer now cools
down with a desire to get purified with the sight of the holy hermitage. The tranquility of both
the hermitages, Kanvas and Kasyapas are examples of santa rasa.
The examples of the various rasas in Abhigyan-Shakuntala
show Kalidasas deep insight into the Bharatas rasasutra.
The Natyashastra prescribes the time of day for the
performance of plays of particular styles and themes, but the chief determining factor for
performance is rasa. Plays such as Abhigyan-Shakuntala, in which the erotic mood (sringara
rasa) is predominant, are to be staged in the evening. The Natyashastra seem to assume that the
director knows in most cases how to dress the characters. Ascetics wear garments fashioned from
the tree bark. Tattered strips of cloth; this must be kept in mind while visualizing Shakuntala in
the early acts of the play and the other residents of the ashrama.

The description of the gaits in Natyashastra not only includes

dancelike movements which reflect a psychological sate, they may also be instructions for
miming particular actions in the absence of props. In the play Abhigyan Shakuntalam the king
must represent riding on a chariot. Beginning in samapada sthana (feet in sama one tala apart),
he begins to move forward with short quick steps. To show that he is riding on a chariot he
mimes holding a bow with one hand with the chariot pole on the other. The charioteer follows
along parallel steps in katamukha to represent the use of whips and reins. In the chapter on
costume there are instructions for making masks in the Natyashastra. In Dushyantas deer hunt
the absence of animal characters from the text would not necessarily imply their absence from
the stage. Flying is another type of movement that could be represented by a special gait that can
be shown in Act sixth of Abhigyan Shakuntalam with the nymph Sanumati and the in Act seven
in the aerial chariot scenes.
Kalidasa uses the technique to transport the audience through
both earthly and cosmic spaces. The opening follows Dushyanta from the forest into Kanvas
hermitage, which he explores until he comes across Shakuntala and her friends.
The cast of minor characters is introduced in the play by
Kalidasa to define dramatic structures and relationships. Notable are the buffoon and
Shakuntalas two companions as well as the policemen, the fisherman, Matali and Marica. In
Kalidasas drama the king, Kanva and various minor characters play much larger roles. The
divine voice (vak) speaks only to Kanva to let him know that his daughter is pregnant. This is
necessitated by the demands of classical aesthetics. Kalidasas concern with the nature of sacred
law and religious duty (dharma) comes into sharper focus.

Conclusion:
Kalidasa satisfies all the expectations to the spectators. The
earthly excitement is fulfilled through the love of Dushyanta and Shakuntala. Their places of

union give the feeling of heavenly presence. Monier Williams has compared the various aspects
of the Sanskrit dramatists work Abhigyan Shakuntalam:
Shakuntala combines the majesty of Homer with the tenderness of
virgin, the luxuriance of Ovid and the depth of Shakespeare. And yet it is simple and contains
enough to suggest the old Athenian boast of beauty without extravagance.
The last two acts of Shakuntala are Kalidasas own creation. The simple, direct and brief
dialogues make his language easy and effective. His power of characterization reveals his clear
understanding of the tender emotions of human heart. Kalidasa knew well that no heart accepts a
tragic end to life.. Hence no story of Kalidasa ends in permanent separation of the lovers. He was
concentrated equally on theme, plot, dialogue, characterization and poetry.
Every drama is incomplete without its natural surroundings.
Kalidasa has dealt in detail each aspect of India. The geographical features include the beauty of
Indian mountains, clouds and lakes too. The flora and fauna are given equal importance.
Sometimes they are personified. In the scene of Shakuntalas departure the deer holds the hem of
her garment. The koel sings trees give silk garments and ornaments to wear. The traditional
Hindu society is respected by him.
Kavya or poetry are of two types sravya and drisya.
Sravya-kavyas include poetry, stories, romances etc. These are either read or listened to when
recited by others. Drisya-kavyas are dramas that are enjoyed through performances on stage.
Abhigyan Shakuntalam is an example of this type. Due to the affect of lyrical verses the emotions
no more sound as dry pieces of conversation.
The treatment of rasa by Kalidasa in his works has been
highly appreciated by all his readers. The dominating rasa in Abhigyan Shakuntalam is no doubt
sringara, but Kalidasa knows that man has several other sentiments ingrained in him. So he deals
with karuna, raudra, veera and santa rasas too.
Abhigyan Shakuntalam as a play shows tenets of being a
good or successful play following the light shown by Bharata in his compilation of the
dramatic convention in Natyashastra.

Works Cited
1. Widows, Pariahs and Bayaderes:India as a spectacle Binita Mehta. google.books.com
2. Eng Kalindi Charan Panigrahi- K.Krishnamoorthy google.books.com
3. The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre- Asia/ Pacific- edited by Don
Rubin, Chua Soo Pong , Ramendu Majumder.- google.books.com
4. The plays of Kalidasa : Theatres of memory-edited by Barbara Stoller Miller; Motilal
Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited. Delhi.
5. History of Indian Theatre: Classical Theatre- Manohar Deshpande; google.books.com
6. The Natyashastra (A treatise on Ancient Dramaturgy and Histrionics) ascribed to
Bharata Muni. Vol I (Chapters I-XXVII). Completely translated by Manomohan Ghosh
M.a., PhD, Kavyathirtha.