336. THE TECHNIQUE OF SANSKRIT DRAMA 373

THE TECHNIQUE OF SANSKRIT DRAMA 373

crowd or commoners. The fickleness is as it were the seed, which is responsible for the development of the action, which culminates in the tragic end of the hero. It is very clearly presented in the introductory scene so that the audience can very well foresee the uncertainty of everything that depends on so uncertain a thing as the attitude of the commoners. Thus, on both the points, the introductory scene in the Shakespearian drama is similar to that in Sanskrit drama. And its occurrence in some and non-occur- rence in others seems to be governed by the same principle as that which guides the Sanskrit dramatist.

II. THE RECOLLECTION OF THE MOTIVE FORCE (VINDU) The action and events, presented in a drama, have to lead to the furtherance f either the main or the subsidiary purpose. The main purpose cannot ba achieved unless the conditions, favourable for its achiev ment, are brought about. But it is the realisation of the subsidiary purpose that brings them about. The events, ierefore, which lead to its achievement, have necessarily to be presented. Thus they throw, for the time being, the main action into the background and bring in a sort of gap. The problem under these circumstances that the dramatist has got to face is "how to begin or resume the presentation of the main events ?" The practice of the Sanskrit dramatist, as stated by Bharata, has been to make the hero recollect the motive force of action as often as the interruption of the main plot may occur or as many times as the situation might change, so that the hero may be able to so adjust himself to the changed1 circumstances, to so utilise the resources at his command and to so deal with the existing situation that he may get nearer the goal. This recollection of the motive 1. A. Bh. (MSS). Ch. 19., V. 24.

374 AMAn CHAPTER VI

force has to be there from the time of fixing upon an objective to that of actually achieving it. This is necessary at every important turn in the events, because so long as he does not mentally survey the entire situation from the begin- ning to the particular point, at which important changes have taken place, in the context of his purpose, it would not be possible for him to utilise his resources well. If we take the Tapasa Vatsaraja for example, we find that the king remembers his love for Vasavadatta1, the motive force of the action in the drama, in every act. But Ratnavalī will probably better illustrate the point. After the introductory scene of the drama, in which Yougandha- rayana speaks of the circumstances, from which the action is to arise, the festive scene is introduced to introduce all the main characters of the piece to the audience. But after this there seems to be a break in the story. The bards are, therefore, introduced to reveal the identity of the king to Ratnavali, who has so far taken him to be Cupid. This revelation makes her remember that to this king it was that she was given by her father and the main action consequently begins. It may be pointed out here that this recollection of the motive force is not always by one and the same person. No doubt when the realisation of the end depends on the action of only one person, he alone is made to recollect it on all important occasions. But when the achievement is due to the co-operation of more than one, anyone of them, according to the need of the occasion, is presented to recollect. For instance, in the case of Ratnavali, it is the king who2 is presented to remember his love for Ratnavali in every act and adjusts his resources according to the need evito 1. A. Bh., (MSS.) Ch. 19. V. 24. 2. A. Bh., (MSS.) Ch. 19. V. 24.