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.
Page 297 of: Bhasa (critical and historical study)
297 (of 564)
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277
The following is one of the few popular songs in
eulogy of drink met with in this play alone; possibly these
were the remnants of the drinking songs in ancient India
(IV. 1, 2, pp. 57-58):
啶оぐ啶｀ぞ 啶膏啶班ぞ啶灌た 啶い啷嵿い啶� 啶оぃ啷嵿ぃ啶� 啶膏啶班ぞ啶灌た 啶呧げ啶苦い啷嵿い啶� 啷�
啶оぐ啶｀ぞ 啶膏啶班ぞ啶灌た 啶灌ぞ啶︵ぞ 啶оぃ啷嵿く啶� 啶膏啶班ぞ啶灌た 啶膏啶溹さ啶苦う啶� ||
[dhara峁嚹� sur膩hi matt膩 dha峁囜箛膩 sur膩hi alitt膩 |
dhara峁嚹� sur膩hi h膩d膩 dha峁噛膩 sur膩hi sa峁僯avid膩 ||
] I
We shall consider the relationship of Bh膩sa's
Udayana plays with other dramas on the subject by
different dramatists towards the close of our critical study
of the Svapna; we have sufficiently referred to the alleged
alternative title Vatsarajacarita' by which
by which
some
scribes designate the Pratij帽膩. Great capital has been
made of the popularity of the third act of the Pratij帽膩,
known as Mantr膩nka, on the Kerala stage and the fact
is taken as the evidence of the Kerala origin of the group.
The portion in the printed text corresponds with the
actors' versions and fits in well with the other acts of the
play. So it is clear that the Mantranka forms an integral
part of the Pratij帽膩 and is not a distinct stage version
prepared by the actors. The popularity of any drama on
the Kerala stage cannot be taken to postulate its Kerala
origin.
厂痴础笔狈础痴膧厂础痴础顿础罢罢础.
Title. The play receives its name from the vision.
(svapna) of Vasavadatta which king Udayana gets in
his semi-drowsy state described in the fifth act (Dream
scene ). 啶膏啶掂お啷嵿え啶ㄠぞ啶熰啶�, 啶膏啶掂お啷嵿え啶掂ぞ啶膏さ啶︵い啷嵿い啶� [svapnan膩峁璦ka峁�, svapnav膩savadatt膩 ] and 啶膏啶掂お啷嵿え啶掂ぞ啶膏さ啶︵い啷嵿い啶 [蝉惫补辫苍补惫腻蝉补惫补诲补迟迟补尘 ] are the titles of
one and the same play.
the same play.
They are to be explained
respectively as 啶膏啶掂お啷嵿え啶啶班ぇ啶距え啶� 啶ㄠぞ啶熰啶� [svapnapradh膩na峁� n膩峁璦ka峁�] ; 啶膏啶掂お啷嵿え啶︵啶粪啶熰ぞ 啶掂ぞ啶膏さ啶︵い啷嵿い啶� 啶膏啶掂お啷嵿え啶掂ぞ啶膏さ啶︵い啷嵿い啶�,
啶むい啷嵿お啷嵿ぐ啶むた啶ぞ啶︵啷� 啶む啷嵿啶ㄠ啶︵啶啶距ぐ啶� [svapnad峁涐梗峁� v膩savadatt膩 svapnav膩savadatt膩,
tatpratip膩dake tacchandopac膩ra岣� ] ; and 啶膏啶掂お啷嵿え啶︵啶粪啶熰ぞ 啶掂ぞ啶膏さ啶︵い啷嵿い啶� 啶呧い啷嵿ぐ [svapnad峁涐梗峁� v膩savadatt膩 atra ] according to
Dr. Ganapati Sastri. Prof. Ray, however, prefers to take
the title to mean 'the drama, the subject matter of which
is the dream and V膩savadatt膩' ( 啶膏啶掂ぎ啶多啶� 啶掂ぞ啶膏さ啶︵い啷嵿い啶� 啶� 啶膏啶掂お啷嵿え啶掂ぞ啶膏さ啶︵い啷嵿い啶 )
[svama艣ca v膩savadatt膩 ca 蝉惫补辫苍补惫腻蝉补惫补诲补迟迟补尘 )
] as "it emphasizes both the incidents referred to in the
title.'
18 2
1 To recapitulate: Vatsarajacarita is said to be the composition of Sudraka,
and on account of the alternative title, the Pratij帽膩 has been ascribed to Sudraka
(Raja, JOR, 1, p. 243; Sankar, AMV, 2, p. 60). But the fact that Abhinavagupta
styles Ratnavali as Vatsar膩jacarita (Dhvanyalokalocana, Kavyam膩l膩, XXV, p. 162)
goes against this assumption, as also the announcement of the proposed publication
of the Vatsarajacarita in the Daksina Bh膩rati Series (Kavi, JAHRS, 2, p. 143).
It is not clear, if the Pratij帽膩 be really the Vatsarajacarita of S眉draka, why there
is no reference to the name of the author and the work in the prologue. 2 Svapna,
1924 edition, p. 8. 3 Svapna, Intr., p. XLVIII.
