Global Journal of Human-Social Science, A: Arts and Humanities, Volume 21 Issue 12

Volume XXI Issue XII Version I 52 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2021 A © 2021 Global Journals The Indian Theory of Drama purport to convey precise meanings; therefore the need was to recreate it into g ā na or Dhruva —theatrical songs. Only then they could be able to express any sentiment or evoke rasa by making svara and t ā la auxiliaries to pada; “they were there to lend the power of melody and rhythm to the sentiments expressed in the sung text.” (Lath 8) Bharata’s experiment in giving a theory of music is so perfect and eternal, that even today no one could add an eighth svara . g) Plot of N ā tya In a very meticulous tone, Bharata gives a prescription of Itiv ṛ tta or drama-building (plot construction), which is mainly based on the theory of Karma ( NS XXI). Bharata enumerates two kinds of plot, viz, the one as Ā dhik ā rika - the principal one and the other as Pr ā sa ṅ gika - the subsidiary one. He explains that which is conceived as resulting in fruition forms the principal one while the other is to be known as the subsidiary. ( NS XXI 2-3) In any action that a man undertakes to achieve an object, Bharata explains, in bringing off the final results proceeds in regular order by five stages or avasthas. The five stages of the development of story are described as five sandhis (joining, combining) and each sandhi means the joining of an outward circumstances ( arth-prakriti ) with a voluntary action of the hero. The five avasth ā s , the corresponding five arth-prakritis , and the five sandhis are as follows: Sr. No. The five avasthas (stages) The five arth-prakritis (elements of the plot) The five sandhis (juncture) 1. Ā rambha (begining), Beeja (seed; sown in limited measure) Mukha or the original cause (opening one, joining ā rambha and beeja ) 2. Praytna (Making effort) Bindu (contributory incident; prolongs the plot) Pratimukha or progression (raising hopes and combining ytna and bindu ) 3. Praptayasa or prapti-sambhav (meeting of obstacles and possibility of achievement) Pataka (major sub-plot) Garbha or development (raising doubt in which praptayasa and pat ā ka joins) 4. Niyatapati (removal of obstacle and certainty of achievement) Prakari (minor sub-plot or stray incidents; forrms the part of the main plot) V ī mar ś a or pause (situation under control, here are joined niyatapati and prakari ) 5. Phalagam (final achievement or denouement) K ā rya (denouement; fruition of the effort is enunciated) N ī rvaha ṇ a (conclusion phal ā gam and k ā rya are combined) ( NS XXI 6-40) Bharata talks about the organic development of drama which first sprouts, then grows, and finally, there is fruition. It is worth noting that he sets yardstick of linear time scale, and point, and line in general geometrical terms. Vatsyayan elaborates its further Bharata explores ‘time’ multidimensional through a tripartite module of the notions of avastha , arth-prakriti, and sandhi , employing consistently the metaphor of b ī ja (seed), bindu (point) and suggesting Purusa as an unspoken term of reference through the notion of mukha, pratimuka, garbh etc. In the first, ie. avastha (states), the movement is from the point of view of the hero, the chief protagonist. This is clear enough in the names of the five stages… This suggests a clear linear order of progression. (75-76) Bharata prescribed coalescing of these five stages into a single unit, without violating their proper sequence, to bring forth the desired ultimate fruit. In some cases, as warranted by specific reasons, one or two junctures may be dropped. ( NS XXI 17-18) Apart from these subtle enumerations, Bharata delves deeper to speak about the theoretical arrangement of these junctures and their further division into twenty one special junctures. No treaties in world offers such systematic and scientific elaboration of the plot construction of drama. Aristotle, who considers the plot as the most significant of six elements of drama, seems rudimentary if compared to Bharata’s conceptions. III. Certain indispensable concepts and stylizations, borrowed directly or indirectly from N ā tya śā stra, are universally accepted in almost all the regional theatres in India. It has an everlasting influence of the theatrical tradition of many other Asian countries. Tripathy observes that “in India, various concepts- fundamental philosophy of art- have percolated so deeply through various forms of dance and drama that despite all geographical, social and anthropological differences, this single unique text of Bharatamuni has served the cause of sustenance of and synthesis between the diverse regional theatrical traditions of India.” (5) It is not so much the story of the hero or the heroine; Bharata affirms the fabrication of the story as a primal postulate. Bharata has made deliberate efforts to see that a drama and a dramatic performance must first be a work of art and then literature, our friend,