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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 50 of: Bhasa (critical and historical study)

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External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)


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30
shown by referring to the dream-scene, but it does not
refer to Vasavadatta-parinaya; therefore, according to Dr.
Sarup, Dhātri's speech in the sixth act referring to the
romantic marriage of Vasavadatta illustrates kāma-sṛngāra
(love marriage). Sarvananda's quotation being thus quite
reasonably explicable, it cannot help to proclaim our text
as spurious or stage version.
The most important evidence throwing a flood of
light over the authorship of Svapna is the one from the
Natyadarpana of
RAMACANDRA AND GUNACANDRA,
first given by Dr. Lévi in JA, 1923, p. 197 (foot-note).
It runs:
यथ� भासकृत� स्वप्नवासवदत्त� शेफालिका शिलातलमवलोक्� वत्सराजः--
पादाक्रान्तानि पुष्पाणि सोप्� चेदं शिलातलम् �
नूनं काचिदिहासीना मा� दृष्ट्वा सहसा नत� � ( [yathā ṛt svapnavāsavadatte śephālikā śilātalamavalokya vatsarāja�--
pādākrāntāni puṣpāṇi sopma ceda� śilātalam |
nūna� kācidihāsīnā mā� dṛṣṭvā sahasā natā || (
]
V. L. गत� ) [gatā ) ] "
The words भासकृत� [ṛt ] preceding स्वप्नवासवदत� [Բ岹ٱ ] in the above
quotation are used, according to Dr. Lévi, to distinguish it
from another Svapna by a different author. There are no
instances of two dramatic works being docketted by the
same title as was pointed out above. The term
was prefixed to the word Svapnavāsavadatta as the public
were unfamiliar "with the play or its authorship"." That
it does not presuppose another Svapna is proved by the
fact that the same treatise describes the Mrcch as शूद्रकविरचितम्,
[śū첹ٲ,
]
which could not have been appended to distinguish it from
the Daridra Carudatta which is already distinct.
Now, the printed Svapna does not contain the above
verse (and also the context, according to Dr. Lévi) and
hence it is not the 'authentic' Svapna according to Dr. Lévi,
nor is it by Bhāsa. We shall see whether it can find any
place in the printed drama. It will be seen that it can
occur, if at all, in the fourth act of the play, where Dr. Lévi
finds 'dislocated' elements of the original Bhāsa scene.
Dr. Sukthankar has explained the situation in detail and
1 Cf. Raja, JOR, 1, p. 238, says that Vasavadatta-parinaya might have
formed the concluding portion of the real Svapna; but, as we shall show later on,
there is only one Svapna, represented by the printed text. 2 Sarup, Vision, Intr,
p. 27. The context is on p. 133 of the Svapna; Vision of Vasavadatta, Text, p. 57.
Mr. Sankar, however, leaves Kama-sṛngāra without an example, as no example
was needed, it being a common theme of most Sanskrit plays. AMV, 2, p. 47.
Natyadarpaṇa, GOS. No. 48, p. 84. 4 Thomas, JRAS, 1925, pp. 106-107; Winternitz,
CR, December 1924, p. 341. 5 Thomas, JRAS, 1925, p. 101; cf. Lévi, JA, 1923,
p. 199.

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