Svapnavasavadatta of Bhasa

by Bhāsa, Moreshwar Ramchandra Kale (Editor), L.S. Bhandare (Editor)

Svapnavasavadatta (The dream of Vasavadatta) is a Sanskrit play in six acts written by the ancient Indian poet Bhasa. It is probably the best known of Bhāsa's works.

The plot of the drama is drawn from the romantic narratives about the Vatsa king Udayana and Vasavadatta, the daughter of Pradyota, the ruler of Avanti, which were current in the poet's time and which seem to have captivated popular imagination. The main theme of the drama is the sorrow of Udayana for his queen Vasavadatta, believed by him to have perished in a fire, which was actually a rumour spread by Yaugandharayana, a minister of Udayana to compel his king to marry Padmavati, the daughter of the king of Magadha. It forms, in context, a continuation of his another drama, Pratijnayaugandharayana.

The complete text of the Svapnavasavadatta was long lost until it was discovered in Kerala in 1912.

Genres: Plays, Indian Literature, Drama, Fiction

207 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1929

About the author

Bhāsa is one of the earliest and most celebrated Indian playwrights in Sanskrit. However, very little is known about him. He is dated between the 2nd century BCE and 2nd century CE. Based on the language used, his date is also supposed to be around 5th century BC. The plays of Bhāsa had been lost for centuries. He was known only from mention in other works such as Kālidāsa's first play Malavikagnimitram, or the the famous text on poetics Kavyamimamsa written during 880–920 AD by Rajashekhara a famous poet, dramatist and critic.

This was until 1912, when Mahamahopadhyaya T. Ganapati Sastri came upon 13 Sanskrit plays at a nampoothiri home named Manalikkara Madom (present Kanyakumari District) that were used in the Koodiyattam plays. Unlike other classical plays, none of them mentioned the author, but one was the Swapnavāsavadatta. Comparing the style of writing and techniques employed in these plays and based on the knowledge that Swapnavāsavadatta was Bhāsa's work, all of them were credited to him. Some scholars have disputed Bhāsa's authorship of all the plays but over the years the plays have generally come to be ascribed to him.

Reviews

[Revanth Ukkalam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The play is more significant than it is beautiful. It is the starting point of historical drama in India and perhaps even theatre itself. Bhasa is the forefather of both Kalidasa and Shudraka. It is a true forgotten text saying a forgotten story. Back to Vatsa folks!

[Ramaprasad KV · Rating 4 out of 5]

ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತ ಕವಿ ಭಾಸನ ಸ್ವಪ್ನವಾಸವದತ್ತ ನಾಟಕದ ಕನ್ನಡ ಅನುವಾದ.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This play is based on the legend of King Udayana and Vasavadatta. Udayana has been told that Vasavadatta was killed in a fire, and his sorrow has been deeply felt. His kingdom is invaded and he needs an alliance with Magadha to save it. His Chief Minister, Yaugandharayana, has arranged that Udayana will remarry with Padmavati, sister to the King of Magadha, to cement the alliance.

It is the Chief Minister that spread the report that Vasavadatta perrieshed in the fire. Vasavadatta conceals her true identity, and attaches herself to the future wife. She renounces her happiness for the sake of the kingdom, and in doing so becomes the noble and perfect stereotype of a woman of nobility. She overhears Udayana clearly articulate his undying devotion to his deceased Vasavadatta, and this grants her great consolation. In a dream sequence Udayana believes he sees the actual Vasavadatta, and ultimately all is restored to happiness.