Arts

Arts Jan 30, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Viśākha-datta - Mudrārākṣasa (Part 4)

Because he was so smart, Cāṇakya always exercised caution in his actions; he was all eyes at all times; he was able to estimate the enemy’s strategy by merely l...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Jan 23, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Viśākha-datta - Mudrārākṣasa (Part 3)

The Viṣṇu- and the Bhāgavata-purāṇas narrate the story of Candragupta Maurya in brief. However, as Dhanika says, it is quite likely that the seed story of the M...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Jan 09, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Viśākha-datta - Mudrārākṣasa (Part 2)

The following is a summary of the story of the play Mudrārākṣasa – [Upon the elimination of the lineage of the Nandas, Amātya-rākṣasa joins hands with Malayake...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Jan 02, 2025

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Viśākha-datta - Mudrārākṣasa (Part 1)

We can gather quite a few biographical details about Viśākhadatta from the prastāvanā of his play Mudrārākṣasa; he was the grandson of Vaṭeśvara-datta and the s...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Dec 28, 2024

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Kālidāsa - Abhijñāna-śākuntalam (Part 6)

From the discussion carried out so far, I hope the reader does not come to the conclusion that Kālidāsa is conservative or is always other-worldly in his though...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Dec 26, 2024

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Kālidāsa - Abhijñāna-śākuntalam (Part 5)

Unlike in the epic, Duṣyanta in the play, does not seek to marry Śakuntalā in a hurry. Kālidāsa introduces Śakuntalā to Duṣyanta little by little; the poet has...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Dec 19, 2024

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Kālidāsa - Abhijñāna-śākuntalam (Part 4)

The playwright has constructed the plot and stitched together incidents to align with the fundamental philosophy of the story and the nature of its characters....

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Dec 13, 2024

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Kālidāsa - Abhijñāna-śākuntalam (Part 3)

Mālavikā is a princess who was born and brought up in a palace; she is well-versed in dance and music; she was always a part of the life of antaḥpura and looked...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Dec 06, 2024

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Kālidāsa - Abhijñāna-śākuntalam (Part 2)

The Śākuntalopākhyāna of the Mahābhārata has taken the form of an impressive nāṭaka in the skilled hands of Kālidāsa’s. The story in the epic is akin to gold or...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Nov 28, 2024

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Kālidāsa - Vikramorvaśīyam and Abhijñāna-śākuntalam (Part 1)

By the time of Kālidāsa, the role and characteristic features of the vidūṣaka had taken a concrete form. The vidūṣaka in the Vikramorvaśīyam is endowed with qui...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Nov 21, 2024

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Kālidāsa - Vikramorvaśīyam (Part 5)

The poet has clearly indicated the difference between the personalities of the queen on the one hand and Urvaśī on the other; their names are suggestive of the...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj

Arts Nov 07, 2024

Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Kālidāsa - Vikramorvaśīyam (Part 4)

In the Vikramorvaśīyam, the poet has brought in several elements to amplify vipralambha-śṛṅgāra; as mentioned before, Purūrava gets separated thrice from Urvaśī...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj