PANChARATRAM – a unique Bharata play
Dr. C. L. N. Moorty
Imagine the Mahabharata without Kurukshetra war! How would it be if the hundred Kauravas and
the six Kaunteyas, hand in hand, lived together, happily? What would be the world of philosophy
without the Bhagvadgita?
Bhasa was an unconventional dramatist in all respects. Nothing was a taboo for him. He made revolutionary changes in the
dramatic practices of Sanskrit plays.
He brought fire and water on to the stage first to set it on fire and
later drown it in profuse tears of tragedy.
In a field where there was no trace of any tragedy, he wrote a couple of
plays with tragic sentiment leading the action to a full fledged tragedy in
three acts for the first and last time in Sanskrit dramatic world. He had chartered a new course for many a
character well known in the Epics of India.
No one was a bad person in his world though the Epic might have
portrayed him/her as bad and villainous.
He had reformed and remodeled great characters like Ravana, Kaikeyi,
Duryodhana, Karna. One wonders whether
these are the very persons whom one has hated from childhood as the centre of
evil and destruction. Bhasa makes these
characters as people to be pitied and as those who are more sinned against than
those who are sinners themselves. Bhasa
has retouched the personalities of Rama, Sita, Bhima and Ghatotkacha, and they
come up in new colours. Pancharatram
of Bhasa falls in this class of plays where the wicked are not incorrigibly
bad; they are also good to an extent, and want to be good and be appreciated by
one and all. The arrogant, envious and
wicked Duryodhana of the Mahabharata is made a heroic person of valour
and righteousness, dedicated to the age-old traditions of virtue and merit.
Pancharatram is a play in three acts.
The incidents of the play take place when the Pandavas are in the court
of the king of Virata. It brings
shocking changes in the very story of Bharata.
It completely changes the course of the Mahabharata war, which proved to
be the main cause for liquidating the entire population of India of the
yore. Bhasa has totally done away with
this great tragic war and made the greedy and villainous Duryodhana agree to
give away half of his kingdom to the five Pandavas.
The play begins with Duryodhana performing a sacrifice in a
grand manner with the entire world of kings attending it. Every one is happy, and praises Duryodhana
for his adherence to virtue. When
Duryodhana enters into the rites of the sacrifice, it appears as though the
world itself is consecrated: “nripe diksham prapte jagadapi samam
dikshitamiva”. The world became
altogether full of joy, eloquently extolling the good qualities of
Duryodhana. By the virtues of
Duryodhana, all the universe has become an abode for the gods: “Lokamudaruroha
sakalam devalayam tadgunaih”. Kings
and Brahmins wish him well in many ways: to enjoy the earth by means of valour,
to give up anger, to be accommodative to the kith and kin and considerate to
the Pandavas. Dronacharya and Bhishma
congratulate Duryodhana on his righteous conduct and supporting virtue. He is Dharmamalambamanah and Sukritasya
Bhajanam the receptacle of virtues.
Duryodhana himself feels relieved that he has become the centre of trust
of his people, jadagviswhasthah, that his virtue has been established in
the world and that his infamy has departed, Nashtamayashah. Happy and contented, Duryodhana offers to
give gurudakshina-teacher’s fee to Drona on the completion of the
sacrifice. Drona takes this opportunity
and asks him to give the kingdom back to the Pandavas as his fee. Duryodhana consults Sakuni and Karna before
conceding the request of Drona. Sakuni
discourages and dissuades him from giving any share (even useless and barren land)
from the kingdom to the Pandavas. He
asks Duryodhana not to agree to the demand of Drona. But Duryodhana is determined to fulfil his word to his preceptor. Sakuni becomes irritated, and mockingly asks
Duryodhana to give away the entire kingdom.
Karna encourages him to take to the path of Rama who made brotherhood a
noble quality. When Duryodhana is ready
to give back the share due to the Pandavas, Sakuni asks Drona to reveal the
whereabouts of the Pandavas within three nights. Only then Duryodhana will give half of the kingdom to the
Pandavas. Sakuni’s ulterior motive is
that if the Pandavas were revealed within one year of their life incognito,
then they could be sent once again to forest for another twelve years. Duryodhana also agrees to this condition of
Sakuni. Both Drona and Bhishma become
crest-fallen at the condition. How to
get the information of the Pandavas who after having spent twelve years of
forest life, are now living the last one year incognito as per the
earlier condition set by Duryodhana?
Both the acharyas want that the Pandavas must not be disturbed in
their secret sojourn, otherwise they would have to go through the cycle of
spending twelve years in forest and another year incognito once
again. Drona protests against the condition
and says that, in reality, the fee that Duryodhana wanted to give him is not
being paid. At that very moment Bhishma
gets information that Kichaka of Virata kingdom, has been killed along
with his one hundred brothers by some one with his bare hands. Immediately Bhishma realizes who could kill
in that manner and in convinced that the Pandavas are in the court of King
Virata. Drona thus accepts the
condition of Duryodhana and Bhishma undertakes the capture of the cows of
Virata. Thus Act One ends.
Thus second Act is laid in the court of King Virata. It narrates how the army of the Kauravas is
defeated and how Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna who happened to be on the side of
the Kauravas is captured. The credit
for the victory goes to the prince, Uttarakumara, the son of the King of Virata
but in reality Arjuna in the guise of Brihannala, has defeated the army and
Bhima has captured Abhimanyu. There is
a touching incident of the meeting between father Arjuna and son
Abhimanyu. The Act ends with the
Pandavas declaring themselves free as the stipulated period of one year of life
incognito has been completed. The
surprised king of Virata, in gratitude, offers his daughter Princess Uttara in
marriage and Arjuna takes her as his daughter-in-law for his son Abhimanyu.
The third and last Act is once again laid in the court of
Duryodhana. News comes that Abhimanyu
who fought on the side of the Kauravas, has been captured in the seizure of the
cows of King of Virata. Both Drona and
Bhishma are surprised at the capture of Abhimanyu. Duryodhana feels uncomfortable at what has happened. He feels guilty, and declares that though
his enmity with the Pandavas is well known, now Abhimanyu is more a son to him
than to the Pandavas. The boy has
fought on his behalf. It would be his
endeavour to see that Abhimanyu gets released.
Differences and enmity may be there between the elders, but the children
must not be dragged into them: “Sati
ca kulavirodhe naparadhyanti balaah”.
Duryodhana readies himself for the release of Abhimanyu. Karna agrees with Duryodhana and says that
it would be a situation of utter shame if they, the well-known warriors could
not rescue Abhimanyu. Better all of
them take to the barks of renunciation.
On the other hand Sakuni tries to convince Duryodhana that nothing
serious has happened and that some how some one would see to it that Abhimanyu
is released and the Kauravas need not worry themselves with that. From the description of the fight and the
manner in which Abhimanyu is captured, Bhishma concludes that only Bhima could
have done that, and Drona happily supports Bhishma from his own experience of
Bhima’s prowess. Sakuni does not see
the truth and criticises the Sires with over-enthusiasm of seeing the Pandavas
everywhere as though the world were bereft of any valorous person. Both Bhishma and Drona try their best to
convince every one that it must have been the Pandavas who stayed at the court
of the king of Virata, who defeated the Kauravas and captured Abhimanyu. At that very moment, a charioteer comes with
an arrow from the battlefield. When the name inscribed on it is read, it is known
that the arrow is that of Arjuna and thus within five nights the whereabouts of
the Pandavas is revealed and that half of the kingdom should be given to them
by Duryodhana. Sakuni does not agree to this conclusion and says that the arrow
might belong to any soldier who might have been Arjuna’s namesake. Duryodhana also declares to every one that
he will not part with the kingdom unless he is given an authentic proof of
existence of the Pandavas. In the meanwhile price Uttarakumara comes from the
kingdom of Virata and extends invitation to the Kauravas for the marriage of
Princess Uttara with Abhimanyu. Bhishma and Drona are extremely happy with this
news. Now Drona accosts Duryodhana to stand by his word to him and hand over
half of the kingdom to the Pandavas as his Gurudakshina. Duryodhana concedes to the words of his
preceptor and declares that he will share his kingdom with the Pandavas. He declares that generally people die and
become mortal, while the one who stands by truth ever remains immortal even
after his death –“Mritepi hi narah sarve
satye tishtanti”. The play ends
with the assurance that the prospect of bloodshed has gone and that the king
can rule with ease.