The afternoon session is over, the priests began to disperse or courtier enters with the actor manager, the latter’s made to stand at a distance, from the fire sacrifice since as an actor, he’s considered lowhorn, the quota rushes into the protected, enclosure of the fire sacrifice and talks the king, the priests around them, is a heated discussion. They discussing the possibility, of having a plate, to which the king is quite shocked and will not allow it and when they discover that, Aravasu got to play the, role in the, in the, in the play, then now they’re all, all the Brahmin’s actually, on the priests a quite shocked: that a Brahmin is going to be acting. So, the actor manager says, to the Brahmins that sirs, as is well known to you, Brahma the Lord of all creation, extracted the requisite elements, from the four Vedas and combine them into fifth Veda and thus gave birth. to the art of drama. So, of course this is the validation the acknowledgement of drama as the fifth Veda, the its, its neck knowledge meant of the divine origins, of, of drama he handed it over to his son Lord Indra, the god the Sky’s Lord Indra in turn passed on the art to Bharata, a human being, for the gods cannot indulge in pretense. So, if Indra is to be pleased and bring to an end this long drought. which ravaged is our land. Messiah is a fire sacrifices not enough, a play has been performed along with it, if we offer him entertainment, in addition to the oblations. the God may grant us the reins we are praying for right. So, this need to enact to perform, along with our fire sacrifice to propitiate, the god of rains Indra and of course the courtier, is very clear that. Aravasu should not be admitted into the sacrificial arena, because he is also going to be acting in the play, which is, the role of a Lower Cosmos and of course the Aravasu sends a message with the actor manager. which says, a message from a brother, dear elder brother, this is a message from Aravasu, elder brother Paravasu which says, the sons of Bharata were the first actors in the history of theater, they were Brahmins But, lost their cars because their profession, a car occurs plunged them into disrepute and district disgrace. If one values, one’s high birth, one should not touch this profession and I accepted this. But, today I’m a criminal. I have killed my father, a normal problem. I already stand honest. I may now become an actor. this follows from your own words. So please, do not bother way now. Right so here, we must remember that. Aravasu you know, performs the function of redeeming, the sin that his brother. performs the function of redeeming, the sin that his brother. Paravasu committed, of killing their father, right. So he, he performs the, the expiatory rites, of redeeming his. his father’s death, at his brother’s hands and he uses this opportunity, to actually you know, seek the possibility of freedom. of freedom from caste, freedom from Brahminical Hinduism, from caste and the freedom to actually marry, the woman he loves, which is Nittilai a. a tribal girl. So, by embracing, a stigma which of patricide. of killing, which he does not commit himself. Aravasu then, gains the freedom of acting of performing, of propitiating the Lord Indra, of also redeeming. his father, his brother’s sin of patricide and not of course to mention also the fact that he can now, he hopes that he would be able to live, happily with Nittilai.

But, as the play’s about to begin, Aravasu was hoping that Nittilai is in the audience watching the play. Right? So, he’s happy when the courtyard might wind up when the courtier and actor manager tell. Aravasu that. Paravasu has given him permission. to act in the play, he says he’s a great Nittilai he tells himself, he’ll be there to watch the play, but where are you? Why aren’t you here. Nittilai. Nittilai I’m, going to act on stage. I hope you’re watching please, please watch, the plays about to begin. Yes after all these years it’s going to happen, but you know and brother knows and I know that this isn’t the real thing, this is a fiction, borrow from the myths, the real play began somewhere else, a month ago, almonth was it really that recent. it seems ages and ages of darkness ago. you and I were going to get married, begin a new life and I had to meet the elders of her tribe. Right? So, there’s a flashback at this point, which goes back to the point when they, were in love and her Aravasu was going to, meet the tribal council of elders, to ask Nittilai. for her hand in marriage and Nittilai in act 1 tells, Aravasu that. she is hopeful that, the elders of our tribe will agree to the marriage, because it’s not often as she says that they get a Brahmin groom. Right? So. they may actually think it’s a matter of Honor, to get their daughter married, to a Brahmin groom and Aravasu says that. he is now free to as he says I’m. about to jettison my caste, my people, my whole heritage for you. Right? So. Nittilai of course is initially modest and she does not wish, wish to be touched, by a man before the marriage and so, she says I cannot be touched, Aravasu says I’m actually, giving up pronouncing my entire cost, my people, my whole, heritage for you, can’t my, can’t you forget a minor custom for my sake and Nittilai says this is, the only custom that actually worth, observing because I actually retained my, my modesty, my reputation.

So that, nothing there can be no mishap. before our, Aravasu says all these days I couldn’t touch you because Brahmans don’t touch other cars. Now, you come in, now you can’t touch me because among hunters, those don’t touch their betrothed, are you sure someone won’t think of something else, once we married, then later on Aravasu again, expresses his desire, for sheer happiness and joy to be with Nittilai he has none of the ambitions, of the spiritual Aesthetic ambitions that, his brother and father and Yavakri have, his cousin. Yavakri has he says I’ll never be loner like father or uncle I shan’t, ever conduct the royal sacrifice, like Paravasu or perform penance like cousin Yavakri, all I want is to dance and sing an act and be with Nittilai, it doesn’t matter a flake of counter, counter dung to my father, with him alive or dead, my sister lives wrapped up in a world of her own: that leaves only my brother, Sushi’s he’s not concerned with these temporal ambitions, of power and he’s not concerned with the sacrifice, so he’s free to do what he likes and Andhaka, who was the bland. the blind Shudra in the play, asks and what would happen if, Paravasu his brother forbids the barrage and he says Aravasu says I’ll tell him, I can’t give up my Nittilai she’s my life. I can’t live without her I’d rather be an outside outcast. So, he’s willing to actually sacrifice his, his cost community, for his love for Nittilai and Nittilai of course is very concerned, hoping that they will get married because marriage is the only guarantee that she and her, trouble community has that, she will not be misled and betrayed, by a man who was willing to marry her, before the marriage. Then through Andhaka. Nittilai and Aravasu learn of Yavakri’s, pens that Yavakri performs these self- modifications and penance for years, to win the favor of Indra, 10 years under curses, 10 years of rigorous penance and still Lord Indra would not oblige, finally Yavakri stood in the middle of a circle of fire. And started offering his limbs to the fire, first his fingers, then his eyes, then his entrails, his tongue and at last his heart: that’s when the God appeared to him, restored him limbs and granted him the boon. Andhaka later on says. 115 every Brahmin on the face of this earth, wants to gain spiritual powers, but few succeed, in my lifetime, I have known only two who did, your uncle as in referring to Aravasu’s uncle, your uncleaned your father, Aravasu.

But, they got their knowledge from human gurus, by diligent study. Yavakri has gone beyond even them. he received as knowledge from the gods, direct your uncle was sure he would feel. how he tried to dissuade, the boy from taking on this ordeal. But, I said to him, master let him go to the jungle, you don’t know your son. I do. I brought him up, on this lap of mine, he would succeed in anything he tries, you mark my words. So. Andhaka is raised. Yavakri from the time he was a child and he stands convinced that. Yavakri is determined, to win greater powers and to be blessed the line with rain, through his, his harsh, severe austerities and penance. to win Lord Indra’s favor. And now, he has come back so unlike Aravasu father and an uncle, who won their spiritual power, through who gained the spiritual power, through human gurus, Yavakri wins it, through the sheer determination and arrogance of. of office penance, of Ass Tapasya to actually acquire, power spirit power from Indra himself. And Nittilai is one of those characters, embodying the. the profane non Brahmanical. world of the tribes, the tribal world of the tribes, of the sutras, who calls me questions. the ritual discipline and form of ascetic Brahmanism, she says you know, their fire sacrifices are conducted in covered enclosures, they mortify themselves, in the dark of the jungle, even their gods appear so, secretly, why? What are they afraid of? Look at my people, everything is done in public view, the priest announces that he invoked the deity, at such-and-such a time, on such and such a day and then the right in front of the whole tribe, he gets possessed and the spirit answers your questions, you can feel it come and go, you know it’s there, not mere hearsay. So, here in the tribal community you have a man who gets, possessed who becomes the conduit, the medium through which, the earthly world communicates with the spirit world. Unlike the world of Vedic Brahmanism, where everything happens, as a secret ritual: that is only, privy to by Brahmins, you have a fire sacrifice that happens in private, with in the presence in the front.

In the presence of the king and the Brahmins. So, this is the contrast that she draws between the two worlds, he difference to come out of difference between the world with Brahman and the world with the tribe, of the tribal. Nittilat says my point is since Lord Indra, appear to Yavakri and Indra is their god of rains, widened Yavakri asked, for a couple of good showers, you should see the region around a village, washed every room, every morning, women with babes, on hips shrunken children, shriveled old men and women gather in front of my father’s house. for the gruel he distributes, no young people, they have all disappeared and father says, all the land needs is a couple of heavy downpours: that will revive the earth, not too much to ask of God is it. So, she is, she’s very practical. she says what is, what. what stop Yavakri from asking Indra, for rains. So, that they can. you know, overcome the famine and the drought that has ravaged the land for decades. So, she is more interested in actually you know, using divine divinity God and divine power to you know, save her people from starvation and death. But. Andhaka says, half agree in that, these divine powers, should not be used to solve day-to-day problems, they are meant to lead to inner knowledge. Right? So, there’s obviously a distinction being made between. inner knowledge, inner spiritual knowledge, self-knowledge, absolute infinite knowledge and power that’s required to actually help. humanity. Right? So. you have to the sacred, the divine the ritual and, and human individual ambition. opposed to power that can be used divine power, the power of humanity: that can be used to, to secure humanity’s own welfare. Nittilai later on says, actually I want to ask Yavakri two questions, can he make it rain and then. can you tell when he is going to die, just to, what is the point of any knowledge? If you can’t save dying children and if you can’t predict your own moment of death. Right? So. she’s the voice of secular humanism, which is completely crushed and killed, by the end of the plane. and of course, the Yavakri makes an appearance later on, in another part of the stage, which is the Hermitage, Hermitage of Raibhya, in the father Aravasu, Vishakha about 26, but she does not look like she is, she’s happy. I mean, she is she looks completely sullen and Haggard his description, she was once an attractive woman.