Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c10.s1: Nāṭyaśāstra as a Saṁvāda Text
Vāda in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c10.s1
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Nāṭyaśāstra as a Saṁvāda Text
c10.s1.1
*Nāṭyaśāstra* is one of the most voluminous texts on performing and visual arts, theatre, aesthetics, poetry and drama produced more than two thousand years ago. Bharatamuni who is said to be the author of the *Nāṭyaśāstra*, came to be regarded such a great authority on *nāṭya* (theatre) in his life, so that some other *munis* (sages) out of their curiosity and a keen desire to understand *nāṭya* approached him and asked him a number of questions about it. Bharata’s replies to their questions and counter-questions in the presence of his actor-students, led to the compilation of a voluminous text — the *Nāṭyaśāstra*, which was structured in the form of a dialogue. This is the structure adopted in the Āgama texts also.
c10.s1.2
*Nāṭyaśāstra* starts with a debate and ends in the resolution of another debate. In the series of replies to questions and counter-questions, Bharata Muni narrates how *nāṭya* originated and evolved. He recounts his experiments and the failure of the debut performance under his direction. *Samudramanthana*, the play he chose to present on the occasion of the festival of Indra was disrupted by the demons who thought that the performance is a humiliation to them. Virūpākṣa, their leader started arguing and questioning the propriety of the performance. Then followed a discussion on the nature of *nāṭya* and the demons were reconciled.²
c10.s1.3
The debate with the demons involved physical violence, as they tried to disrupt the performance. The debate in the last chapter of *Nāṭyaśāstra* suggests that the violence of speech is much more dangerous. Bharata was aware of diverse regional theatre practices represented by the minor forms of drama which were later on termed as *uparūpakas*. In the last chapter of *Nāṭyaśāstra*, he informs that his sons, trained by him in Nāṭyaveda, later on began to perform the *śilpakas*³ of rustic nature (*grāmyadharmaka*). The sons of Bharata, in the *śilpakas* performed by them, presented the life and deeds of the sages residing in the vicinity of Himalayas by the way of *viḍambana* (caricature) and *vyaṅgyakaraṇa* (satire). The sages being laughed at in this way, got infuriated and cursed the actors to be expelled from the divine region of the Himalayas and to become *śūdras*.
c10.s1.4
The first production of a play by Bharata Muni aroused a fierce debate on the character of demons portrayed there. The performance of the *uparūpaka* described at the end of dialogues and discussions by Bharata Muni also generated a heated debate. But like the first debate, this also finally resulted in reconciliation. The sages did not revoke their curse, but the disciples of Bharata who have been arguing with their mentor agreed to move from north to south to continue their activities of the *nāṭya* in a more meaningful way.⁴
Linked texts (1)
- Nāṭyaśāstra — Bharata, Sanskrit