Essay name: Bhasa (critical and historical study)
Author: A. D. Pusalker
This book studies Bhasa, the author of thirteen plays ascribed found in the Trivandrum Sanskrit Series. These works largely adhere to the rules of traditional Indian theatrics known as Natya-Shastra.
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160
,
over the difficulty by omitting all references to tithi but
one, and naming it as Ratnasasthi. (2) In the first act of
the Car the hero's remarks on poverty come to an abrupt
end by the scene introducing Vasantasen膩. The M峁沜ch
has improved on it by depicting Carudatta as wrapt
in the concentration of mind. This device serves to
connect the events in a sequel. (3) In the fourth act of
the Car Sajjalaka calls out to Madanik膩, while the latter
is attending on the heroine and it is strange that Madanik膩
alone hears him. The M峁沜ch gets over this by making
Sarvilaka wait outside and call out only when Madanik膩
is sent out by her mistress.
At the close of his study, Dr. Sukthankar places
two alternatives before the readers, and no apology is
needed, we think, to quote in extenso that portion of his
article owing to its importance, and the frank, just, and
accurate statements that it contains:
"Let us assume first, for the sake of argument, that
the C膩rudatta contains older material....which was worked
up later into the Mrcchakatika.
"The differences in the technique neither support
nor contradict definitely such an assumption. The nandi
for all we can say, may have been lost. The words
nandyante tatah pravisati s眉tradh膩ra岣� do not militate
against such a supposition: they could be used with or
without a nandi appearing in the text. Moreover, we
cannot, in the present state of our knowledge, rightly
evaluate the absence of all reference to the name of the
play and the play-wright in the sth膩pan膩. To say that in
pre-classical times that was the practice is begging the
question. The only technique of introduction with which
we are familiar is the well-known classical model. Again
the only play which is definitely known to antedate the
classical plays is the Turfan fragment of A艣vaghosa's
drama. Unfortunately, as the beginning of the
S膩riputraprakarana is missing, we are not in a position
to say whether the prologue of the dramas of A艣vaghosa
conformed to the standard of the classical dramas, or that
of the dramas of the group under consideration. We
are therefore bound to admit that at present we have
1 Paranjape, Sahitya Samgraha, I, pp. 103-114; Sukthankar, JAOS, 42,
pp. 70-74,
