Sambodhi 1978 Vol 07

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 67

Prahasanas in Sanskrit Literature
65
The prahasana itself is a perfected form of vithi which faded out very carly. This is evident from the Prahasana taking into its fold the limbs of vithi (vīthyangas). The tendency to ridicule the degraded nature of th: society can be traced even to the vedic period.? This satire found its place in the Vithi and got developed in the Prahasana. By the time of the Nātya Sastra the Prahasana had already come to be accepted as a distinct playform. Its popularity can be assessed from Bharata's statement:
sarvalokaprahasanaiḥ badhyante häsyasamśrayaih8 The Features of the Prahasanas
Bharata speaks of two varieties of the Prahasana. The difference between them lies only in the types of characters that are introduced.
Oprahasanamatah paramaham salakṣaṇam sampravaksyāmil prahasanamapi vijñeyam dvividham śuddham tatha ca sankīrņam// vaksyämi tayoryuktyā prthak prthak laksaņaviseșam/ bhagavattāpasaviprairanyairapi häsyavādasambaddham// kāpuruşasampra yuktam parihasābhāsaņaprāyam/ avikstabhāṣācāram vise şabhāvopapannaracitapadam/ niyatagativastuvişayam śuddham jñeyam prahasanam tu/ veśyācețanapumsakavițadhūrtā bandhaki ca yatra syuhl/ anibhstaveșaparicchadacestitakaraṇaistu sankirņam/ lokopavādayukta yā vārtā yaśca dambhasamyogah// tatprahasaneșu yojyam dhūrtoktivivādasamyuktam/ vithyangaiḥ samyuktam kartavyam prahasanam yathayogam||
The Prahasana is divided into two classes- the suddha (pure) and the sankirna(mixed). The suddha type consists of humorous speeches of holy men (bhagavat), sages (tāpasa), brāhmins (vipra) and others. It may also have the cunning and the wicked (kāpuruşāh). It should be full of humorous speeches having no vikrta language. Its poems should be full of bhāva and its plot should have a fixed goal.
The sankirņa type has harlots, servants, eunuchs, parasites, and deceitful persons as its characters and is full of coarse dress, gestures etc. Popular story or a story full of coarse speech (dambha) may form the theme for a Prahasana. It may also have the vithyangas.
5 Ibid 6 Vithyangas - udghātyaka etc., See Dasarūpaka - edn., Parab. Ch. III 12. 13a. 7 The frog hymn, for instance, where the monotonous recitation of the vedic hymn
by the bards is compared to the croking of the frogs in the rainy season. 8 $1. 29. N.S. Ch. xxxvi 9 Nátya sastra Ch. xviii Si, 1536 - 159a. Nirnayasagar edn. Kāvyāmalā - 42, 1943 -
Page - 302. Sambodhi 7.1-4.