Arts

Arts May 01, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Bhavabhūti (Part 3) - Mahāvīra-carita

Mālyavanta is distressed that his plans are failing. (The burning of Laṅkā; Akṣakumāra is slain; Hanūmān offers Rāma’s ring as a token of recognition to Sītā);...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Apr 17, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Bhavabhūti (Part 2) - Mahāvīra-carita

One of the manuscripts of the Mālatī-mādhava states that the work was authored by Bhaṭta-kumārila’s student (prose at the end of Act 3); the colophon at the end...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Apr 10, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Bhavabhūti (Part 1) - Life and Works

Bhavabhūti is the author of three plays, namely – Mahāvīra-carita, Mālatī-mādhava, and Uttara-rāma-carita. It is quite probable Mahāvīra-carita was the first pl...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Apr 03, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Harṣavardhana (Part 8) - Nāgānanda

Moonrise किं पद्मस्य रुचिं न हन्ति नयनानन्दं विधत्ते न वा वृद्धिं वा झषकेतनस्य कुरुते नालोकमात्रेण किम् । वक्त्रेन्दौ तव सत्ययं यदपरः शीतांशुरभ्युद्गतो दर्प...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Mar 27, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Harṣavardhana (Part 7) - Nāgānanda

In this way, the poet has pictured dāna-vīra rooted in dayā; śṛṅgāra, hāsya, karuṇa, and adbhuta rasas are secondary in the play. In other words, they become th...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Mar 20, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Harṣavardhana (Part 6) - Nāgānanda

Some wonder why and how Harṣa was inspired to write a story connected with the bodhi-sattva; it is not difficult to surmise a possibility. Though there is some...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Mar 13, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Harṣavardhana (Part 5)

There is nothing special in the characterisation in the Ratnāvalī and Priyadarśikā; the characters are well known through the works of Bhāsa and Kālidāsa; their...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Mar 06, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Harṣavardhana (Part 4) - Priyadarśikā and Ratnāvalī

Kathā-sarit-sāgara was composed in the eleventh century CE (between 1063 and 1081 CE) based on the Bṛhatkathā, which was in paiśācī prākṛta; the Bṛhatkathā-mañj...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Feb 27, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Harṣavardhana (Part 3) - Priyadarśikā and Ratnāvalī

Sāṅkṛtyāyanī had designed a play that showcased the manner in which Vatsa-rāja, who taught music to Vāsavadattā fell in love with her. The play was planned to b...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Feb 20, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Harṣavardhana (Part 2)

Jayāpīḍa (around 800 CE) says that Ratnāvalī was authored by the king. Jayadeva (around 11th Century CE) also concurs with this opinion – he says that the play...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Feb 13, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Harṣavardhana (Part 1)

We know the biographical details of only a few kings who ruled ancient India.  Other than Candragupta Maurya and Aśoka, the most famous of them, we know ab...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Feb 06, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Viśākha-datta - Mudrārākṣasa (Part 5)

The nature of various characters in the play is clear. In the world of Sanskrit literature, it is rare to find such well-defined characters and sets of events t...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj