Wit and Humour in Bhasa

Wit and Humour in Bhasa

Dr.C.Rajendran

If all the plays which go by his name were written by himself, Bhasa could doubtlessly be regarded as one of the few writers with perfect mastery over an amazing range of subject matter from the direst tragic situations to the most comic aspects of life .The world of imagination unveiled by the dramatic discourse of Bhasa brings forth the tragic situations of life like death and self-consuming sacrifice as is found in plays like Urubhanga and Karnabhara. But unlike serious playwrights like Bhavabhuti, Bhasa has not turned a blind eye to the comic and humorous aspects of life. Though he never wrote a Prahasana like Mahendravikramas Mattavilasaprahasana or full length comedies, subtle wit and humour make unexpected presence in his plays.

Coming to the lighter aspects in Bhasas universe, it is remarkable that Poet Jayadeva has described him as the laughter of poesy (Bhaso hasah). It is a pity that Jayadeva does not elaborate upon his pithy description, but an impartial analysis of the Trivandrum plays shows that many of them reveal the ardent sense of humour of the author. Humour comes quite naturally to Bhasa without much effort and conspicuous design. In fact, he uses the institution of Vidusaka , the fountain head of much of the stereotyped wit of Sanskrit drama quite sparingly. There are only four plays in which the Vidusaka makes his presence, and the humorous element in Bhasa does not much suffer even if we ignore the deliberate witticisms of the character. This is in striking contrast with most of the playwrights in Sanskrit, Kalidasa not excluded, who reserves all his humour for the Vidusaka scenes. The present paper is an attempt to analyse the nature and tone of Bhasas humour.Anybody who has read the Bhasanatakacakra will be struck by the uncanny capacity of Bhasa to create intensely dramatic and amusing situations when characters have to disguise themselves and appear in front of people whom they know, but are not supposed to recognize or reveal their identity .A classic case is the Svapnavasavadatta, in which Bhasa uses the incognito existence with both pathetic and comic effects. While Vasavadatta, who has to witness the second marriage of Udayana and even weave the garlands of his marriage as a maid, is an example of the former, Yaugandharayana, who assumes the role of an ascetic, is an example of the latter. Vasavadatta is annoyed when being asked to stand back when Queen Padmavati visits the hermitage; Yaugandharayana is amused at the whole scene, especially when he is addressed as an ascetic (tapasvin).In the last scene, when Vasavadatta is at last recognized by her foster mother, Yaugandharayana, in the same ascetic form willfully adds to the confusion by asserting that she is not Vasavadatta. In Pratijna, all the three ministers, Yaugandharayana, Rumanvan and Vasantaka are disguised spies working at tandem to secure the release of their captive master. Recognition of the unseen father after a protracted quarrel with him forms the theme of the delightful little mono act, the Madhyamavyayoga. Here, even though Bhima recognizes Ghatotkaca as his own son born in Hidimba, he is not recognized by his son, who is meeting him for the first time, though he knows that Bhima is his father. In the ensuing amusing encounter, Bhima deliberately provokes his son to create an amusing scene at the latters expense. Accordingly, he taunts not only Ghatotkaca, but Bhima himself and challenges him for a fight. When he realizes that Ghatotkaca is equal to him, he is very much pleased and pretends that he is defeated in the duel. He allows himself to be captured and brought to the presence of Hidimba, who had asked her son to bring a human being for her food... Hidimba asks her son about the human being whom he has brought for food: Let us watch the ensuing scene:

Hidimba: Son, What kind of a man did you bring?

Ghatotkaca: Mother, He is a man only in name, not in valor.

Hidimba: Is he a Brahmin?

Ghatotkaca: No, not a Brahmin.

Hidimba:Or an aged man?

Ghatotkaca: Not an elderly one.

Hidimba: Is he a boy?

Ghatotkaca: Not a boy.

Hidimba: If so, let me see him myself.

(Both roam about)

Hidimba: What? Did you bring this person?

Ghattotkaca: Who is he?

Hidimba: Stupid! It is a god

Ghatotkaca: Ah, whose god?Hidimba: Mine and yours.

Ghatotkaca: What is the evidence?

Hidimba: This is the evidence. Victory to you, my Lord!

Bhimasena: (seeing) Who is she? Why, it is queen Hidimba! When we were roaming in the forest after losing our kingdom, you destroyed our distress taking pity on us. O Hidimba? What is all this?

Hidimba: (in his ear) My lord, it is like this.

Bhimasena: You are a demoness by birth, not by conduct.

Hidimba: (to Ghatotkaca) Stupid, salute your father!

Ghatotkaca:O father! If I did not salute you before out of ignorance, please pardon that lapse of me, who am your son

Bhima: Come, come, my son! The transgression was pardoned. (Embraces him.)The hearts of your fathers are eagerly awaiting fires which are to destroy the forests of the sons of Dhrtarastra.It is during the conversation between Bhima and Ghatotkaca that we understand the whole episode was deftly conceived by Hidimb, who very much wanted to meet her husband. Bhasa creates pure mirth in this delightful scene which ends in a happy family reunion for Bhima .Situational humour is at its height in several plays like the Dutavakya .Here Duryodhana warns all those assembled that they are not expected to stand up when Krsna enters the assembly. He warned that anybody disobeying the order will be fined by twelve measures of gold. He also rejected contemptuously the suggestion made by some members of the assembly that Krsna had to be received properly. He wanted to imprison Krsna and thus drive the Pandavas to desperation and certain defeat. Apparently, he felt that Krsna need not be given any undue respect .He was very much angry when the chamberlain announced Krsna as purusottama, the Supreme Being and relented only when the latter corrected himself by saying that Kesava the messenger has come .Bhasa the humorist is at his best when he makes Duryodhana wonder what he himself will have to do when Krsna enters the assembly, as he himself is wont to stand up automatically. Duryodhana invents an ingenious method to do so and that is to concentrate his attention in a portrait depicting, of all things, the molestation of Draupadi in the assembly. The irony of the scene will not escape a sensitive reader if he remembers that Krsna is about to meet Duryodhana on a pacifist mission. But Krsna seems to have the last laugh in the scene: When he enters the place, not only the entire assembly stands up, but even Duryodhana , who reprimands the erring people, falls down from his seat to his utter stupefaction. He removes the ignominious portrait at the very command of Krsna.A truly humorous situation occurs in Pratijnayaugandharayana, a play which is really the story of Yaugandharayana outwitting King Mahasena and his ministers and frees King Udayana from their captivity .Yaugandharayanas spies had virtually invaded the city of Ujjain where Udayana was held captive. The high drama begins when a soldier of Mahasena searches for Gatrasevaka, the mahout of the elephant Bhadravati which is to take her to the lake for water sports. Gatrasevaka is actually a disguised spy of Yaugandharayana impersonating as the mahout. His name itself is a source of humour, which means one who serves ones own body, and he shows no commitment whatsoever to his job. The soldier learns that he has gone to a liquor shop and the frustrated soldier also goes to the same place in search of him.The ensuing dialogue deserves to be quoted in full:Soldier: Here comes Gatrasevaka after getting drunk laughing and laughing and boozing and boozing, with eyes as red as hibiscus. I am not gong to stand in front of him

(Enter Gatrasevaka as indicated)

Gatrasevaka: Who is calling me Gatrasevaka ! Gatrasevaka !in this highway? I was seen coming out from the shop. In fact my father- in -law threw at me a piece of meat mixed with ghee, pepper and salt. Your wife will be happy when you get drunk, but her mother will take a stick. There are some who do not make a lake of liquor listening to the woes of their wives and children. I say they are idiots.Lucky are those boozed with drinks

Lucky are those soaked in drinks

Lucky are those bathed in drinksLucky are those choked with drinksSoldier: O Gatrasevaka! How long I have been searching you? Her lordship Vasavadatta wants to take bath, but Bhadravati is not seen. And you are wandering here drunk.Gatrasevaka: Yeah. She is drunk, that guy is drunk, I am drunk, and you are drunk. Everything appears to be drunk.

Soldier: Let it be so. Why are you loitering here without taking Bhadravati to the palace?Gatrasevaka: Here I am loitering, here I am drinking, I am drinking with this. Dont get angry. What should I do?Soldier: Enough of this prattle. Bring Bhadravati

Gatrasevaka: Come on Bhadravati! Alas! I have pawned the goad of Bhadravati

Soldier: Why should the calm Bhadravati want a goad? Go, bring her quickly

Gatrasevaka: Come on Bhadravati! Alas! I have pawned Bhadravatis chainSoldier: Bhadravati can be bound by even flowers. Why should she require a chain? Go, bring her quickly!

Gatrasevaka: Come on Bhadravati! Alas! I have pawned Bhadravatis bell!

Soldier: Bhadravati is going for a bath. Why should she want a bell? Go, bring her quickly!Gatrasevaka: Come on Bhadravati! Alas! I have pawned Bhadravatis whip!

Soldier: What is the use of a whip? Go, bring her quickly!Gatrasevaka: Come on Bhadravati! Alas! I--

Soldier: What did you do?Gatrasevaka: Alas, Bhadra-

Soldier: What Bhadra?

Gatrasevaka: Alas! Bhadravati--Soldier: What happened to her?Gatrasevaka: Bhadravati also has been pawned!

This humorous dialogue finally culminates in the revelation of Gatrrasevaka that he is actually a spy employed by Yaugandharayana when he hears the news that Udayana has eloped with Vasavadatta.

Bhasa creates a very humorous situation in Avimaraka which is a plot of several confusing identities. Here Avimaraka , the son of the Sauvira King , who lives incognito secretly courts Kurangi, the daughter of King Kuntibhoja. The Sauvira King In the final act, sage Narada himself comes over to earth to unravel the mystery surrounding Avimaraka. King Kuntibhoja wants to conduct the marriage of his daughter ,but is told by Narada that she is already married to Avimaraka. The scene is portrayed with great humor by Bhasa:Kuntibhoja: Lord, is the Sauvira prince alive?

Narada:Indeed

Kuntibhoja :Then why is he not seen?

Narada: Since he is engaged in marriage.

Kuntibhoja: Where?

Narada: In the city of Variantya

Kuntibhoja: Is there such a city called Vairantya? OK, Whose daughter has he married?

Narada: Of Kuntibhoja.

Kuntibhoja: Who is he?

Narada: Why, arent you Kuntibhoja, the father of Kurangi, the lord of Varantya, and the son of Duryodhana?

Kuntibhoja: Why should there be so many questions? Your Lordship says that he is entangled with Kurangi, my daughter!

Narada: Exactly!Commenting on the passage, Keith writes:

That sovereign may be justly excused his difficulty in apprehending the situation; he is reduced to such confusion that he is dubious about his own capital Vairantya, but finally, when assured that the hero is the son-in-law of Kuntibhoja, asks who that worthy may be, to be reminded politely that he himself is Kuntibhoja , father of Kurangi, son of Duryodhana and lord of Vairantya.This power explains the description of Bhasa as the laughter of poetry given to him by Jayadeva in his Prasannaraghava-.

The play Daridracarudatta furnishes another example of the hearty sense of humour of the author. Of course, structurally and thematically it is very similar to Sudrakas Mrcchakatika, even though the latter is more full fledged and it is difficult to determine who borrowed from whom. Be it as it is, there are excellent instances of situational humour in this short play. The second act of the play begins with a Vasantasena deeply engrossed in the thoughts of Carudatta, with whom she has fallen in love. Even though nobody has said anything to her, she absent-mindedly queries what then(tatastatah) to her puzzled servant who gently chides her, reminding her that she has, in the first instance not said anything to her at all. Another amusing scene involves Maitreya, the jester who loses all his sleep when commanded by Carudatta to keep the ornaments of Vasantasena safely. By a strange irony, on one night, a burglar breaks open the house of Carudatta in search of wealth. He sees Maitreya gripping something tightly and ascertaining that he is asleep, throws some flies to the lamp and blows it out Maitreya, who was not sleeping at all, becomes frightened and believing that a burglar has entered the house, hands over his ornament to the burglar himself, thinking that it is Carudatta. The most amusing yet poignant scene follows the next day morning:Maitrya: O Carudatta, I have some good news Carudatta: What is the good news? Have I got Vasantasena?

Maitreya: It is not Vasantasena, she! it is Vasantasena ,him!

Carudatta: O Radanika, what is all this?

Radanaika: Lord, A burglar entered our house breaking the wall on the side of the garden

Carudatta: What? A burglar, you say?

Maitreya: Friend, You always say that Maitreya is a fool, he is ignorant. But at least today I did the right thing by handing over the gold bundle to you .

Carudatta : What! Did you say you gave me the gold bundle?

Maitreya: Of course! Why?

Carudatta: At what time?

Maiterya: At midnight!

Carudatta: What? At Midnight? Did you say you gave me?

Maitreya: O Carudatta! I did give it you when you were awake

Carudatta: Alas! It has been stolen.

The full irony, however, is to follow. It so happened that the burglar, Sajjalaka was a good man desperately in search of money to free Madanika, the servant of Vasantasena ,his love from slavery so that he could marry her. Thus he accosts Madanika and Vasantasena with the stolen ornaments which were actually deposited by Vasantasena in the house of Carudatta. Meanwhile, Maitreya has already given Vasantasena a pearl necklace which Carudatta understands wife had given him to save the honour of her husband. She knew that Carudatta will never overcome the shame if he could not give Vasantasena her deposit back. The embarrassment Sajjalaka had to suffer creates amusing scenes until finally, a compassionate Vasantasena hands over Madanika, fully decorated with the same ornaments to him and sends both of them ceremoniously in a cart.Bhasa has portrayed some very amusing characters also in his plays. The most notable one is Sakara, the arch villain who assumes archetypal proportions in the more elaborate Mrcchakatika. Sakaras ludicrous speech dialect with a preponderance of sibilant sounds is itself a source of fun. His mannerism is matched by his deplorable ignorance in Puranas and Itihasas and total lack of logic in his prattling. Another humorous character is Santusta, the jester friend of Avimaraka. He claims that he is a Brahmin worthy to be invited for feasts and in support of it, points out that he has studied five verses from a treatise of dance called Ramayana. But when the maid asks him to read the letters on a ring, he says that these letters are not there in his book. The same Santusta, when he sees both Avimaraka and Kurangi weeping, exclaims:

Why are you weeping? Enough of the distress. Otherwise I also will have to weep. But tears will not come out of my eyes. In fact, when my father expired, I took all the efforts to weep, but not even a single drop of tear would come. What about the sorrow of others?

Vasantaka, the Vidusaka of Svapnavasavadatta is another comic character who is a simpleton. He does not know even to distinguish between the name of a city and a king. In the samudragrhaka, King Udayana asks him to tell a story:Vasantaka: Let me tell you another story. There is a city called Brahmadattam and a King called Kampilya.

Udayana: What? What?

Vasantaka:(repeats)

Udayana: Foo1! Say that Brhamadatta is the king, Kampilya is his city!

Vasantaka: What, Is Brahmadatta the king and Kampilya the city?

Udayana:It is so.Vasantaka: Then you please wait for a moment. Let me commit it to my tongue. King Brahmadatta, City Kampilya(repeats it several times)Now please hear. What, you have fallen asleep!

To conclude, we can see Bhasa the humourist at his best in his plays based on popular stories. In the case of his plays based on Ramayana , he always creates a sublime mood and avoids comic scenes . In the Mahabharata plays, it is only in Madhyamavyayoga and to a certain extent , in Dutavakya that we see him create lighter moods. But Bhasa is at his hilarious best in his plays based on Udayana story and other popular themes as in Avimaraka

A.B.Kieth, Sanskrit Drama, p. 109.

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