At Play with Krishna: Pilgrimage Dramas from Brindavan by John Stratton Hawley, and: Javanese Wayang Kulit by Edward Van Ness, Shita Prawirohardjo (review)

Reviews 87 printed, a congruence Lost Angels does not uniformly provide. Turning from the informative books on censorship by Conolly and Stephens, he would settle for a work that kept contempt for facts under modest con­ trol. Even so, Lost Angels affords a sprightly application of its schema. CARL WOODRING Columbia University John Stratton Hawley (in association with Shrivatsa Goswani). A t Play with Krishna: Pilgrimage Dramas from Brindavan. Princeton: Prince­ ton University Press, 1981. Pp. xvi + 340. $27.50. Edward Van Ness and Shita Prawirohardjo. Javanese Wayang Kulit. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981. Pp. xiii + 95. $16.95. Rarely, if ever, is a new book on Asian drama and theatre unwelcome. The ever-expanding body of literature in this special area of interest testi­ fies to the continuing need to expose widely differing audiences in the West to the rich cultural traditions of Asia. The books under review could not be more dissimilar in their outward appearance. One is a paperback, less than a hundred pages in length; the other a hardcover, just over three hundred pages. And yet in structure, and to some extent in objective, the works are alike. Both set out to say something about the cultures and peoples with which they deal, as well as to highlight a specific theatre form. The more challenging and intellectually stimulating of the two is Hawley’s A t Play With Krishna. Essentially, this is a collection of plays representing the famous ras lila of North India. In particular, the plays are transcriptions of productions that Hawley witnessed in the city of Brindavan, one of the major pilgrimage cities of India for the worship of Lord Krishna. The work opens with an informative preface outlining Hawley’s objectives. In the very first sentence the author boldly asserts, “More than one book has been written to tell the story of Krishna, but in this one he will speak for himself.” This assertion, however true it may be, is somewhat troubling as one proceeds to reflect on the content and form of the book. But more of that in a moment. Chapter One is invaluable, truly one of the most enlightening descrip­ tions of the atmosphere that surrounds a pilgrimage site in India. Appropriately titled “Pilgrimage to Brindavan,” it takes the reader on a magical odyssey through the lanes and alleys of the city, lingering here and there to focus attention on the sights, sounds, smells and significance of such diverse things as a temple, a tree, a crossroad, to peep through a door or window (assisted at times by tastefully selected photographs); in short, to savor the environment, the social and religious importance of this fascinating city as a prelude to presenting the plays which sym­ bolize Krishna’s merry and magical romps among the people of the region. At the heart of Hawley’s work are four ras Bias—“The Birth of Krishna,” “The Theft of the Flute,” “The Great Circle Dance,” and ‘The 88 Comparative Drama Coming of Akrur.” Each is prefaced by a perceptive introduction, laying the groundwork for the ritual, religious and social implications of the plays and drawing useful parallels with comparable western literature. For example, the events surrounding Krishna’s birth and the coming of the Christ child are contrasted and compared. The four plays chosen from among those most commonly performed constitute a chronological sequence depicting Krishna’s own experiences in Brindavan, beginning with his miraculous birth through the moment when he is called upon to depart the city to confront his evil adversary. Examining the pattern that Hawley has constructed, beginning with the excitement of the birth of the divine child, through his childhood, full of mischievous pranks, through the great circle dance when those who love Krishna share their joy by dancing with him in the moonlight, through his imminent de­ parture from Mathura, the reader, just as the spectator in performance, is made to feel that he has allowed himself to be temporarily swept into Brindavan’s magic circle. Krishna’s charm ensnares you and when he must depart and you must reenter the daily world, the experience is painful. With all the sensibility of a gifted artist, Hawley...