The Sanskrit Drama in its Origin, Development, Theory & Practice c10.s7.1

c10.s7.1

It is characteristic of Bhāsa’s close dependence on the epic that his dramas should show a far more frequent use of the Çloka, 436 out of 1,092 verses. No later writer save Bhavabhūti in his Rāma dramas approaches this frequency, which, it must be noted, is not confined to the epic plays, for the *Svapnavāsavadattā* has 26 Çlokas out of 57 verses. In some plays, it is true, such as the *Madhyamavyāyoga* or the *Pañcarātra*, long series of Çlokas suggest incomplete command of the dramatic art on Bhāsa’s part, but his general preference is clearly an outcome of his desire for rapid movement and simplicity; it is the later love for elaborate descriptions that encourages the use of sonorous and complex metres. The Çlokas are remarkably regular in construction; the diiambus in the second Pāda is insisted on rigidly; the Vipulās¹ are rare, the fourth is unknown, the second sporadic, the first twice as frequent as the third, and the prior foot is rarely² ◡ — ◡ —. The sparing use of the irregular forms is doubtless due to the comparatively small number of Çlokas used consecutively, which minimises the desire for change of form.