The Social Organisation in North-East India in Buddha's Time c17.17

c17.17

It seems to me that by this naṭa or naṭaka we are not to understand actors, as in later times, for in our text dramatic performances are nowhere described. A sort of pantomime which is performed by two dancers is no doubt described; probably, in this we are to look for a fore-runner of the later Indian drama. "At that time there were"—so it is narrated in the Suruci Jātaka (IV. 324)—"two skilled dancers, named 'Dull ear' and 'White ear'; they tried to make the king laugh. One of these, 'Dull ear,' set up at the gate of the palace a big tree called Atula, threw a ball of rope and climbed, after attaching the rope to a branch of the tree, the Atulamba tree with the help of the rope. The tree of Vessavaṇa¹ is also called Atulamba. Now the servants of Vessavaṇa arrested him, hacked his body to pieces and let these pieces fall. The other dancers joined the pieces together and sprinkled them with water, upon which the dancer revived and danced in a garment of flowers. The other dancer, ‘White ear’ set up a funeral pyre and went with his followers into the fire. When he disappeared and the funeral pyre was burnt out, people sprinkled water upon the ashes. On this, the dancer rose with his followers and danced, decked in a garment of flowers.”