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.