44 SANSKRIT STUDIES hesitate to undertake what is described as dhātrīkarma towards the tender children of Sitä. He is a picture of compassion-a perfected saint using his spiritual power for the good of all, a feature which harmonises so well with his character as a poet. RASA The prevailing rasa is karuna, or pathos, which has for its background love-not youthful love, which is apt to be tinged with sensuality, but mature love between two souls that have passed through chastening sorrow and suffering. The subject selected and the dramatic situations invented by the poet are well calculated to impress on the minds of the spectators the depth of the passion depicted. Sītā is a princess naturally tender and deserving of the utmost care. She is utterly innocent and, when exiled, is in a condition of life when pity is excited even in the case of lower beings. To all intents and purposes the separation is absolute and final (niravadhiḥ), and the fact that Rāma deliber- ately exiles her adds to the poignancy of the situation. In the Meghasandesa of Kālidāsa, for example, the separation is to last only for one year, and it is not self-imposed. Yet the grief is intolerable. How much more so should it be in the case of Rama! The scene is laid mostly in the Dandaka forest which, with its countless associations of Sītā, gives, through Väsantī, articulate expression, as it were, to Sīta's love for Rāma, and to the sufferings which were her lot to endure for his sake. These circumstances have their natural effect on Rama. He weeps and faints more than once, and almost goes mad. We must now indicate how the passion progresses from act to act, as the story moves from one stage to another. The opening scene shows the poet's skill in working on the heart and imagination of the audience. We meet Rama and Sītā in the rather sudden stillness that follows the coronation. Fate has already prepared the ground for mischief. Sītā is with child, and the old wives of Daśaratha are constrained to leave her. Even Janaka has to go, and Sītā, who has not known the loving caresses of a mother, feels extremely sad at his departure. It is true that there is Rāma with her, and one would think, as indeed Kausalyā did, that his presence was sufficient to comfort her. But fate's irony wills it otherwise. After this effective opening comes the visit of Sītā and Rāma to the picture gallery, which impresses on
