Vyayoga is a form of Sanskrit theatre. It is basically a one-act play which requires a well known hero and a few male and female characters. The sentiments in this type of drama should be exciting. In the earlier days, this drama was quite popular among the theatre lovers.
The meaning of Vyayoga is actually described as intense or manifold action. Hence, the events related in this drama should have the duration of only a day. The hero of Vyayoga should be a royal sage and not a divine personality. The essential parts of vyayoga are challenge, personal combat and angry conflict.
Dhananjaya in his Dasharupaka added that the hero in the vyayoga should be `uddhata` meaning haughty and proud, and its conflict should not originate on account of a lady. The two characteristics of vyayoga are its stage-worthiness and crisp conversation.
Plot of Vyayoga
Vyayoga used a well-known story for its plot. It represented contentment, not provided by a woman. Hence, it was composed without the typically feminine kaisiki i.e. graceful vritti. Its principal rasas did not include the santa i.e. peaceful, hasya i.e. comic, and sringara i.e. erotic. Bhasa`s Madhyamavyayoga i.e. `Vyayoga of the Middle One` is the typical example, describing the exploits of Bhima overpowering Ghatotkacha in the Mahabharata.
