महावीरचरितम् (महाकवि भवभूति - वीररस-प्रधान रामकथा नाटक सम्पूर्ण ७ अङ्क सटीक)

Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [10 Scene 2 (iv. 2³—iv. 26¹¹). A yard adjoining Vālmīki’s hermitage. Enters Janaka, seated sorrowing at the foot of a tree. His lamentations for his daughter (iv. 3-5) are interrupted by the appearance of Arundhatī and Kausalyā, who, led by a chamberlain and under instructions from Vasiṣṭha, are coming to meet Janaka. Janaka is not at first well- disposed towards Kausalyā, the mother of ‘that shepherd of the people’, meaning Rāma (iv. 10³); but he soon relents at the sight of the grief- stricken old widow of his late friend Daśaratha (iv. 13, 14). A noise of the boys making merry over their holiday-games is heard from behind the curtain (iv. 18¹). Among the boys all watch with interest one—evidently a Kṣatriya youth (iv. 20)—who resembled in his looks not only Rāma but Sītā also (iv. 19, 22). Arundhatī, who has had the secret (iv. 18⁷) from Bhāgīrathī (the Ganges), knows that he must be one of the twin sons of Rāma. They send the chamberlain (iv. 20³) after the boy, who comes and announces himself (iv. 21³) as Lava. They inquire after his parentage (iv. 22¹), but he naïvely answers (iv. 22⁵) that he belongs to Vālmīki (who of course never married). A voice behind the curtain conveys to the soldiers of the army Prince Chandraketu’s order (iv. 22⁹) to the effect that they must not molest the hermitage in any way. Janaka and Kausalyā rejoice at the prospect of meeting Chandraketu (iv. 22¹⁰ ᶠᶠ˙), and in reply to Lava’s inquiry they tell him that Chandraketu is no other than Lakshmaṇa’s son (iv. 22²⁰). Lava, who knew Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa by heart, was instantly able to identify Chandraketu. Janaka now asks Lava (iv. 22²³) if from the Rāmāyaṇa he could tell them some of the Later History of Rāma. Lava replies that Vālmīki has composed that portion, but, wishing to give a dramatic representation of it, he has sent it, in charge of Lava’s brother Kuśa, to the sage Bharata.¹ The published portion of the Rāmāyaṇa, he adds, ends with the abandonment of Sītā (iv. 22⁴³). The memory of that event calls forth a passionate expression of grief from Janaka (iv. 23), and Lava now learns who all the elders were (iv. 23²). At this point a number of disorderly boys break in upon the stage and inform (iv. 26) Lava of a wonderful sight—a horse—that they have seen. They drag Lava off the stage (iv. 26²). The rest of the party also go away anxious to meet Vālmīki and learn from him, if possible, the secret of Lava’s parentage (iv. 26¹¹). Scene 3 (iv. 26¹²—iv. 29¹). Another open space near Vālmīki’s hermitage: the sacrificial horse in sight. Re-enter ² the boys with Lava. Lava at

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¹ Author of the Nāṭyaśāstra, the earliest extant book on Hindu dramaturgy. This whole account sounds like a bit of auto-biography: cp. Introduction, § 4. ² Not strictly ‘re-enter’. The boys merely withdraw to a remote part of the stage