History of Sanskrit Poetics c6.8.5

c6.8.5

In the Aśvamedha a brāhmaṇa and a rājanya were engaged in playing on the lute everyday for one year and they sang three songs each composed by themselves, the brāhmaṇa’s songs saying¹ ‘you donated this, you performed such and such a sacrifice,’ while the gāthās of the Rājanya stated ‘you fought this war, you won this battle’. Vide H. of Dh. vol. II. p. 1231. The Śat. Br. refers to the Uttaramandrā tune of the Viṇā. Several musical instruments are mentioned such as दुन्दुभि (Rg. I. 28. 5, VI. 47. 29, Vāj. S. 29. 55-56), गर्गर (Rg. VII. 69. 9), वाण (Rg. IX. 50. 1, IX. 97. 8, X 32. 4, Tai. S. VII. 5. 9. 2 वाणः शततन्तु-मँबति). Persons playing on वीणा, तूखव, दुन्दुभि and blowing a conch are mentioned in वाज. सं. 30. 19 and तै. ब्रा. III. 4. 13. Rg. I. 92. 4 compares Uṣas to a female dancer (नृतू) that puts ornaments on her body and bares her breast (अधि पेशांसि वपते नृतूिवा-पोर्णुते वक्ष उस्त्रेव बर्जहम् ।). Dancing is referred to in Rg. X. 94. 4-5. The Vāj. S. (30. 6) in its symbolical पुरुषमेध consigns the सूत to नृत्त and the शैलूष to गीत; compare तै. ब्रा. III. 4. 2 (where it is exactly the opposite viz. गीताय सूतं नृत्ताय शैलूषम् ). The Ait. Ār. III. 2. 5 speaks of the several parts of a वीणा which was covered in a hairy skin cover. The कौषी. ब्रा. 29. 5 says त्रिबृदै शिल्पं नृत्यं गीतं वादितमिति. Therefore, it follows that even the earlier period of Vedic Literature knew dramatic spectacles of a religious character.