328. 330 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

330 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

Mahavrata which is the penultimate day in a Sattra, there is a mock fight between a brāhmana and a sūdra for a white cir- cular skin that symbolizes the sun, and it is so arranged that it ends in a victory for the arya. Vide H. of Dh. vol. II. p. 1244. In the same rite there was beating of drums, chanting of hymns by the priests whose wives acted as choristers and played on several musical intruments, and servants and maids danced with water jars on their heads and sang songs in which cows were lauded (ibid. pp. 1244-45). Compare for this Tai. S. VII. 5. 10. In the Aśvamedha, after the horse was sacrificed, there was an exchange of obscene abuse between the hotr priest and the crowned queen and the brahma priest and the favourite wife of the king (vide H. of Dh. vol. II. pp. 1234-35). In the Aśvamedha a brāhmaņa and a rājanya were engaged in play- ing on the lute everyday for one year and they sang threc songs each composed by themselves, the brähmana's songs saying1 'you donated this, you performed such and such a sacrifice,' while the gathas of the Rajanya stated 'you fought this war, you won this battle'. Vide H. of Dh. vol. II. p. 1231. The Sat. Br. refers to the Uttaramandrā tune of the Viņā. Several musical instruments are mentioned such as g-fr (Rg. I. 28. 5, VI. 47. 29, Vaj. S. 29. 55-56), गर्गर (Rg. VII. 69. 9), वाप (Rg. IX. 50. 1, IX. 97. 8, X 32. 4, Tai. S. VII. 5. 9. 2 वायः शततन्त्ु- भवति). Persons playing on वीखा, तूखव, दुन्दुभि and blowing a conch are mentioned in वाज. सं. 30. 19 and तै. ब्रा. III. 4. 13. Rg. I. 92. 4 compares Ușas to a female dancer (aa) that puts orna- ments on her body and bares her breast (अधि पेशांसि वपते नृतूरिवा- पोणुते वक्ष उस्रव बर्जहम् ।). Dancing is referred to in Rg. X. 94.4-5. The Vaj. S. (30.6) in its symbolical पुरुषमेध consigns the सूत to नृस्त and the शैलूष to गीत; compare तै. ब्रा. III. 4. 2 (where it is exactly the opposite viz. गीताय सूतं नृत्ताय शैलूषम्). The Ait. Ar. III. 2. 5 speaks of the several parts of a atur which was covered in a hairy skin cover. The कौषी. बा. 29. 5 says त्रिवृद्ध शिल्पं नृत्यं गीतं वादि- afafa. Therefore, it follows that even the earlier period of Vedic Literature knew dramatic spectacles of a religious character.

1. अयजतेत्यददादिति म्ाह्मयो गायति ... अयुध्यतेत्यमुं संग्राममजयदिति राजन्यो ... तिस्नोऽन्यो गाथा गायति तिस्रोऽन्यः । ... शतपथबरा. XIII 1.5.6 .; तस्यै प्रयाजेषु तायमानेषु ब्राह्मणो वीणागाथी दकियत उत्तरमन्द्रामुदाघ्नंस्तिस्त्रः स्वयं संभृता गाथा गायति ... । शतपथ XIII. 4. 2.8.