Bharata Vakya is an authentic statement thanking the audience and praying for the wellbeing of the people and their ruler at the end of a Sanskrit play. Each Sanskrit play is divided into sandhis (junctions). Sandhis help in development of ankas (acts). Thus, we have a full-length play which consists of five sandhis. Again, each sandhi is further divided into separate and specific sandhyangas. The sandhyanga dictate the order of regular development of each sandhi. It is the sandhyangas that bring about unity and consistency in a play.
There are 12 sandyangas in the mukha sandhi; 13 sandhyangas
in the pratimukha sandhi; 13 in garbha sandhi, and 14 in nirvahana sandhi. Each
sandhyanga is properly and meaningfully designated.
The last two sandhyangas of nirvahana sandhi are
kavyasamhara and prasasti. Prasasti is the final part of the play in which the
troupe prays for peace and well-being of the king and the country.
Abhinavagupta, one of the great commentators of Natyashastra,
has considered prasasti also as Bharata vakya. He has positively interpreted
prasasti in his Abhinavabharati (chapter 19, verses 69-104). Moreover, he
chooses to interpret the actual Bharata vakya occurring in the play Ratnavali (7th
century CE) as prasasti.
By about the 12th century CE prasasti came to be
replaced by a distinct Bharata vakya, not closely related to the play proper.
Prabuddha Rauhineyam, a Sanskrit play of the 17th century CE, distinct
from the dasarupakas and uparupakas, carries Bharata vakya at the end of the
play.
A century later, translation of classical Sanskrit plays
into regional languages was taken up. In these translations, Bharata vakya was added
in the manner found in Prabuddha Rauhineyam. Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam
(Manipravalam) and Telugu theaters followed by practice of Bharata vakya.