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 129 of: Bhasa (critical and historical study)
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109 1
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up by passages bodily taken from the Karna, Svapna,
Avi and Mattavil膩sa. The name D膩maka appears in
the B膩l, and the confusion between Brahmadatta and
Kampilya is taken from the Svapna and Avi. The
description of 膧艣rama shows borrowing from the Svapna,
and the reference to is from the Mattavil膩sa. The
story of Karna and Parasurama is identical with that in
the Karna, and so is the Bharatav膩kya. The mangala
stanza has been incorporated from the Artha艣膩stra.
Mr. R. Kavi could not venture an opinion about the portions
borrowed from the Mattavil膩sa, and yet he concluded
that this work must take the seat in the thirteen works!
D膩maka may have been the compilation of a single 'lucky'
C膩ky膩r, but the mass of evidence given above speaks
conclusively against its being an original composition.
We concur with Dr. Jolly in assigning it to Caky膩r
workmanship after the seventh century A.D.
By no stretch of imagination are we able to ascribe
the term 'drama' to Traivikrama. "It is but an apology.
There is no plot, no construction, no characterization in
the dramatic form". It is no doubt unique in that there
is no prologue, the stage manager enters with his mistress,
and there are no characters besides these two. It is only
a dialogue about V膩man膩vat膩ra in which the S奴tradh膩ra
narrates the events in verse, while the Nati's task is only
to say at intervals. The later limit for the date of the
Traivikrama has been supplied by the Sakuntalacarcan膩,
which has been placed in the fourteenth century. The
play itself speaks of its date as twelfth century. So its
ascription to Bh膩sa, or to any other dramatist prior to the
twelfth century, is quite impossible. Prof. Pisharoti is right
in fathering it on some C盲ky膩r, preferably N墨lakantha.
Mr. Sankar ascribes to Bh膩sa in addition to the
Svapna, Pratij帽膩, Abh, Pa帽c, Dv, Bal and Avi, the
authorship of the Padmaprabh峁泃aka and Mrcch. His
identification of Bhasa with S奴draka does not seem to be
based on conclusive grounds. 'Vatsar膩jacarita' may be
the scribe's alternative title for the Pratij帽膩; this cannot
1 Arthasastra, XIV, 3, p. 421;
啶膏啶掂ぐ啷嵿ぃ啶啶粪啶 啶啶班す啷嵿ぎ啶距ぃ啷�啶� 啶啶班す啷嵿ぎ啶距ぃ啶� 啶� 啶曕啶多ぇ啷嵿さ啶溹ぎ啷� 啷�
啶膏ぐ啷嵿さ啶距ざ啷嵿 啶︵啶掂い啶� 啶掂え啷嵿う啷� 啶掂え啷嵿う啷� 啶膏ぐ啷嵿さ啷嬥ざ啷嵿 啶むぞ啶じ啶距え啷� 啷�
[suvar峁嘺pu峁墨 brahm膩峁嚹箖 brahm膩峁嘺峁� ca ku艣adhvajam |
sarv膩艣ca devat膩 vande vande sarvo艣ca t膩pas膩n ||
] 2 Pisharoti, Shama'a, 1924, p. 214. 3 Problem of Bh膩sa, AMV, 2, pp. 59, 60, 164.
