Mahakavi Bhasa, who flourished around the 4th Century BCE, composed three plays based on the life of Bhagwan Shri Rama: Abhisheka Nataka, Pratima Nataka, and Yajnaphalam.
In all three of his plays, the great poet Bhasa presents Lord Shri Rama not merely as a heroic human figure, but as the Supreme Divine Being. To understand this viewpoint, we may consider a brief illustrative example. This example is taken from Abhisheka Natakam, one of Bhasa’s plays, where he explicitly reveals the divinity of Lord Rama through a short but significant dramatic episode.
The Gandharv speaks:
नमो भगवते त्रैलोक्यकारणाय नारायणाय ।
ब्रह्मा ते हृदयं जगत्रयपते रुद्रश्च कोपस्तव
नेत्रे चन्द्रदिवाकरौ सुरपते जिह्वा च ते भारती ।
सब्रह्मेन्द्रमरुद्गणं त्रिभुवनं सृष्टं त्वयैव प्रभो !
सीतेयं जलसम्भवालयरता विष्णुर्भवान् गृह्यताम् ॥ ३०॥Salutations to Rama who is Lord Narayana, the cause of the three worlds. O Lord of the three worlds, Brahma is your heart, Rudra is your anger, the Moon and the Sun are your eyes (as you are Lord of purush sukta), and O Lord of gods, Saraswati is your tongue. O Supreme Lord, you alone have created the three worlds along with Brahma, Indra and the Marut gods. O Vishnu, this Sita, who is born from the water, should be accepted by you.
In next shloka, the great poet Bhasa portrays the avatari form of Lord Rama –
मग्नेयं हि जले वराहवपुषा भूमिस्त्वयैवोद्धृता
विक्रान्तं भुवनत्रयं सुरपते पादत्रयेण त्वया ।
स्वैरं रूपमुपस्थितेन भवता देव्या यथा साम्प्रतम्
हत्वा रावणमाहवे न हि तथा देवाः समाश्वासिताः ॥ ३१॥O descendant of the Raghu dynasty, when the earth was submerged in water, you alone lifted it up by taking the form of the Varaha form. O Lord of gods, you measured the three worlds with your three steps as Vamana. And just as now, by your own free will, you have appeared in a divine form and slain Ravana in battle, never before were the gods so completely reassured and consoled.
– Abhisheka Natakam: Act 6: Verses 30–31