Sanskrit Drama: It's characteristics in the classical Indian context.
The metaphorical language of Sanskrit drama lay in its cumulative performance consisting of art, music, songs, recitations and most significantly the delicate gestures. The roots of this art form lay in Vedas and local ceremonies, but it was identified as a distinguished genre only in the first and second century CE. Asvaghosa was the first celebrated playwright but the narrative was largely enriched by Bhasha, who lived around the third to fourth century CE and Kalidasa, who wrote around the fourth century CE. The target audience of this genre was limited to the upper class and caste, although the plays had evidence of being performed bilingually, both in Sanskrit and Prakrit.
The inherent characteristic of the Sanskrit drama is that it progresses through its dialogues and is not solely dependent on its plot. Therefore, it interconnects Literature of that epoch with its performativity on a platform. Indian classical drama extracted the essence of Vedic rituals and that led to a vital similarity with the Greek tradition of invocation. The initialisation of the performance was done by a set of Vedic rituals, known as Purvaranga and superiority was given to the oration of Nandi, a set of prayers that dwelled on God's dominance over art. The plot was fragmented into distinct sections so that the audience was familiar with the sequence. The Mukha (origin) was followed by the Pratimukha (incident), which was in turn followed by Garbha (womb or body), the Vimarsha (crisis)and concluded by the Nirvahana (completion). All these attributes depict that this form of art was extremely organised and its advancement occured through a predefined framework.
Natyashastra written by Bharatamuni around 3rd century CE prepared ground for an evolution in the Sanskrit drama tradition. The purpose of the genre was not to excite its viewer, or merely entertain. It was to instill a spiritual and social metamorphosis on the influx of onlookers. The Rasa or the poetic feeling associated with the plot was the core of Sanskrit drama and contributed to its intellectual reasoning. It was in the nature of the Sanskrit drama to be abundant in the Rasa or a delightful aestheticism so that the act could provide the audience with a cathartic experience. For instance, Abhijananasakuntalam written by Kalidasa explores the intricacies of affection through the complications of a social world.
Another intrinsic feature of the Sanskrit drama is marked by the absence of tragedy. Dramas which conventionally align with the dogma of Natyashastra function on the principle of eternal bliss. In Hinduism, death does not symbolise an end but rather a transformation of soul, thus every ending is ultimately a beginning. Sanskrit dramas inculcated this theory usually by adopting a conclusion that magnified a cheerful ending. However, Bhasa's unconventional works such as Uru-Bhanga and Karnabhara echo a tragic ending. This writer was more in accordance with the epic tradition of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Thus, through Bhasa's works, sympathy became a crucial emotion in the Indian classical drama culture.
("King Udayan in Bhasa's Swapnavasavadattam Koodiyattam—the only surviving ancient Sanskrit theatre. Artist: Mani Damodara Chakyar")
Altogether, it is prominent that Sanskrit drama was a hollistic composition of various forms of art. It did not follow a linear expression and propagated through the various explorations done by Bhasa. The genre reflected the lifestyle of that period and how art governed the societal understanding.