The ancient Indian concept of “the eternal nature of things” (sanātana dharma) is a convenient meeting ground for all religions. It is a mistake to describe it as tantamount to Hinduism. Christianity and Hinduism may enter into a meaningful dialogue within its framework. Since for both of them the self‑sacrifice of God is a pivotal idea around which they build their theology. Basic difference between them lays in the fact that the Vedic sacrifice is a creative one, out of which time and space emerged and the Christian sacrifice is a redemptive one that took place within created time and space. Thus the basic question is whether these two concepts of sacrifice are homologous. In the present essay, we try to outline this extremely tantalizing problem.
The paper focuses on the question of the genesis of ancient Indian theatre and argues that it was introduced in the early post-Vedic period as an inalienable part of the pūjā cult. The definition of theatre as Nāṭyaveda and Pañcama Veda (the ‘Fifth Veda’), presented in the Nāṭyaśāstra, should not be taken merely as a kind of eulogy but as a reflection of the ancient tradition, which treated the early ceremonial theatre not so much as an art form and entertainment but as a ritual and a visual sermon intended to elevate and educate the public.
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