Indological Studies

Author(s): H C Bhayani
Publisher: Parshva Prakashan

Page 71

6. THE CHARACTERIZING FUNCTION OF VERSE IN
SANSKRIT DRAMA
The use of prose and verse in the Sanskrit drama has received less discriminating attention as compared to its other aspects. The earlier category mistake of assessing Sanskrit drama by Western dramatic models has been corrected since long, and it has been recognized that the aims and objectives, and the consequent structure of the Sanskrit drama were basically different from those of the Western drama. The former was primarily and essentially poetic and this fact governed its use of prose and verse generally and with respect to each other.
Simple, conversational prose was used for the ordinary dialoguel but at times we also find descriptive passages in the highly ornate style of a prose Kāvya, though this is more frequent in the case of monologues. Verses are interspersed in the prose dialogue to such an extent that the medium of Sanskrit drama can be properly described as prose-cum-verse. The verse in Sanskrit drama is a basic constituent of the structure. Far from being decorative or adventitious (or even a harmful legacy of the epic source-as some would have it), it has got its definite and exclusive functions, for which ordinary prose just could not do.
We can broadly distinguish three functions of the verse in Sanskrit drama-besides of course, the conventional use of verse for the introductory Nändi and the concluding Bharatavākya. (1) Verse is used to describe time, place and certain types of situations. (2) It is used to describe the mood, emotional impact or reaction of a character with regard to some happenings or the actions of other characters in the play. (3) It is used to describe from the viewpoint of some character present on the stage another character as it enters or is seen involved in some action or situation etc. Or else it may contain the self-introduction of a newly
But dialogue in verse was not unknown.