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.
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110
serve to establish their identity. He takes the Car as an
abridged version of the M峁沜ch compiled in 750 A.D.,
whereas we credit the author of the Car with originality.
Internal evidence is against the ascription of the
Padmaprabh峁泃aka to S眉draka, the author of the Mrcch;
both are different persons.
Vi峁嚹乿膩savadatta, which is at present being serially
published in the Journal of Oriental Research, Madras,
bears many resemblances to the Bh膩sa plays; but the
treatment is quite different, and there are discrepancies in
the originals of the Udayana legends used by Bh膩sa and the
author of the Vi峁嚹�. The reference to a
啶︵い啷嵿い啶ぞ啶む啶ぞ啶ㄠぎ啷佮う啶え啶距く 啶啶班ぞ啶啷嵿啶む [dattam膩tm膩namudayan膩ya pr膩yacchat ] which is also found in the
M盲lati-Madhava, places the work after the 7th century, as
suggested by Prof. Dhruva. This accords well with the date
of Saktibhadra, and lends some support for our assumption
that it may be the Unmada by Saktibhadra, especially as
the latter is found to know Bhasa's works well. The title
Unmada may have been changed by some irresponsible
scribe, such cases, fortunately, being very rare; and the
absence of the names of the author and the work can be
explained on the ground of the MS being neither complete
nor correct. The find of complete MSS, especially from
the other parts of India, will set all doubts at rest as to the
authorship and title of the V墨峁嚹�.
Thus we find that there are at present no other
works of Bh膩sa besides those published in the T.S.S. No
other confirmation besides the statement in the
Arthadyotanik膩 on the S膩kuntala has been found so far,
for the inference of a work on dramaturgy by Bh膩sa.
The catalogues of MSS of various libraries consulted by
us do not show traces of any of the still undiscovered
compositions of Bh膩sa. Private communications from
Dr. Keith, Dr. Barnett and Dr. Winternitz also confirm
the view that there is at present no MS that is, or can
be, ascribed to Bh膩sa in the British or Continental
Libraries. The Curator of the Government Manuscripts
1 Kavi, Avantisundarikatha, Intr., p. 8, identifies Vatsar膩jacarita with
Vi峁嚹乿膩savadatta; cf. Sarasvati, QJMS, 12, p. 276. 2 Pradhanani Pratij帽膩, 2nd
edition, Intr. p. 19, n. 25 & 26; also Bhattanatha Swami, IA, 45, p. 192. The reference
is to 啶むぞ啶ざ啷嵿ぎ啶曕啶多啶掂ぐ啶膏啶むじ啷嵿く 啶膏啶ㄠた啶多啶氞た啶む啶洁お啶� 啶︵ぞ啶む啶... ( [t膩ma艣make艣varasutasya suni艣cito'pi d膩tum... ( ] I, 4, p. 2 ) and 啶膏啷嵿啶ぞ啶� 啶︵ぞ啶膏啶ぞ啶啶むた 啶多啶侧啶曕 啶啶班い啶苦啷冟す啷嵿く 啶�
[sa帽jay膩ya d膩sy膩m墨ti 艣ulka峁� pratig峁沨ya na
] gaanfal脿 acqzung: 1 (p. 8) from the Vi峁嚹乿膩savadatta, Madras Or. Ser. 3
Keith, SD, p. 105; Sarup. Vision, Intr., p. 37.
