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