Studies in the History of Sanskrit Poetics v2.c86.43

v2.c86.43

²⁵ The Pratināyaka or the enemy of the hero is dhīróddhata, haughtiness being his essential characteristic; but he is described also as stubborn and vicious (Daśa° ii 9; Sāhityadarpaṇa iii 130, p. 136). The pīṭhamarda of the hero possesses, in a lesser degree, the qualities of the hero (e.g. Makaranda in the Mālatī-mādhava). The term pīṭhamardikā in the feminine occurs in the Mālavikāgnimitra in the sense of a trusty go-between, applied to the nun Kauśikī. The viṭa, usually neglected in the serious drama, except in Cārudatta and Mṛcchakaṭika, appears in all his glory in the Bhāṇa, for which he is prescribed as the hero.