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

7] Synoptic Analysis of the Play expresses hopes (ii. 8³ f.) of soon meeting Rāma there. It is midday (ii. 9); so they both retire. Scene 2 (ii. 9³—ii. 30¹). The forest of Daṇḍakā, particularly that portion of it called Janasthāna. Enters Rāma, in his aerial car¹ named Pushpaka, sword in hand, and makes a pass as if to kill some one behind the curtain (ii. 10¹). Enters a celestial being who explains that he is no other than Śambūka, the Śūdra ascetic of the Daṇḍakā, just killed by Rāma (ii. 11 and ff.). The mention and the actual sight of Daṇḍakā and Janasthāna arouse very painful memories in Rāma (ii. 17—ii. 18). Śambūka's eloquent description (ii. 19¹-21) of the forest scenery affects Rāma all the more, and Rāma consequently dismisses him (ii. 21¹). Śambūka, however, goes away to pay his respects to the sage Agastya, who lived near by, before mounting the car to heaven (ii. 21³). A pathetic soliloquy (ii. 22–28) by Rāma follows. It is interrupted by Śambūka who reappears with the word that Agastya's wife, Lopāmudrā, desires that Rāma will stop a while at her hermitage before returning to Ayodhyā (ii. 28¹ ff.). Rāma accepts the invitation and goes away followed by Śambūka, expressing, however, the intention of visiting the old familiar scenes once more (ii. 28⁶) before leaving for his kingdom. ACT III. THE SHADOW TRANSLATION, PAGES 41–59. The interest of this Act is mainly psychological. Act i saw the separation of Rāma and Sītā, and the motif of Acts ii–vii is their union, which, to be complete, must be both mental and physical.² Act iii achieves the former, and Acts iv–vii the latter. Accordingly, what seems here to be lacking in dramatic movement is more than made up by the richness and faithfulness of its psychology. Scene 1, Interlude (iii. 0¹—iii. 5²). That part of the Daṇḍakā called the Pañchavaṭī. Time: afternoon of the same day as Act ii. Enter two River-goddesses, meeting. The first, Muralā, is the bearer of a message from Lopāmudrā, who has asked (iii. 0⁴—iii. 2) the river Godāvarī to try, by means of cool scented breezes, to soothe and revive Rāma in

¹ It is not clear whether Rāma gets down from the Pushpaka before striking the blow. Probably he does. ² The same motif underlies Acts vi–vii of Kālidāsa's Śākuntala, but his treatment is somewhat different from that of our poet. Compare Introduction, sections 39 and 41.