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The Shattered Thigh and Other Plays
A selection of the earliest existing plays by a major dramatist in classical Sanskrit
Bhasa is one of the most celebrated names in classical Sanskrit literature. He lived and wrote about two thousand years ago. Though his dates have not been conclusively established, it is certain that Bhasa preceded Kalidasa, the great poet and dramatist of ancient India, who has praised Bhasa by name in one of his own plays.
Bhasa's works were considered lost and it was only in the beginning of the twentieth century that some of his plays were recovered. Six of these, which form the present collection, are based on the Mahabharata, which provides a thematic unity to the plays. Bhasa's strengths were his skilful melding of dialogue, legend and dramatic action. The comparatively short and fast-paced plays in The Shattered Thigh are remarkable in their nearness to modern idiom despite their antiquity.
Of the six plays in this collection four—The Middle One, The Envoy, The Message and Karna's Burden—are one-act plays evoking tragic and heroic emotions. Five Nights and The Shattered Thigh have three and two acts respectively. The latter is a tragedy in which the hero dies on stage, an innovation that is very unusual in Sanskrit drama.
Bhasa is one of the most celebrated names in classical Sanskrit literature. He lived and wrote about two thousand years ago. Though his dates have not been conclusively established, it is certain that Bhasa preceded Kalidasa, the great poet and dramatist of ancient India, who has praised Bhasa by name in one of his own plays.
Bhasa's works were considered lost and it was only in the beginning of the twentieth century that some of his plays were recovered. Six of these, which form the present collection, are based on the Mahabharata, which provides a thematic unity to the plays. Bhasa's strengths were his skilful melding of dialogue, legend and dramatic action. The comparatively short and fast-paced plays in The Shattered Thigh are remarkable in their nearness to modern idiom despite their antiquity.
Of the six plays in this collection four—The Middle One, The Envoy, The Message and Karna's Burden—are one-act plays evoking tragic and heroic emotions. Five Nights and The Shattered Thigh have three and two acts respectively. The latter is a tragedy in which the hero dies on stage, an innovation that is very unusual in Sanskrit drama.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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About the author
Bhāsa
34 books17 followersBhāsa 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 30, 2024
"The Shattered Thighs and Other Plays" is a collection of plays written by the dramatist "Bhasa" who lived around the 1st or 2nd century during the glorious Mauriyan period. His name is mentioned in famous plays that are written in the last centuries, still, His works were lost with time till they were found in Kerala around 1900-1920.
A.N.D Hanskar has translated these works originally written in Sanskrit to English. Even though dialogues in the play have lost their charm during translation, This work is worth a try.
Currently, in the name of creative freedom, Many authors or historians falsify or whitewash history while trying to retell the prevalent stories. If you read their degraded works, You tend to think retelling of prevalent stories in the name of creative freedom should be banned. However when you read the plays written by "Bhasa", You will understand what it means to use creative imagination to explore the possibilities and potential that are missed in the existing stories or literary works.
This book consists of surviving plays written by Bhasa regarding separate scenes of Mahabharata. Here in this book Author is not trying to turn Karna or Dhuryodana into Hero or righteous just like dimwitted idiots of the modern era who call themselves progressive authors. Here in this play, He is trying to allow heroes who are in the path of Adharma to see the lights of the dharmic path. In the process of giving them a voice, he is not trying to twist or falsify the actual characters and their personalities. Here all character holds the same personalities throughout the play, However, the author has given a chance for tragic characters to see the path of righteousness before their tragic fate waiting in the dark corner.
Each play ensures tragic heroes accept their fate for the following path of Adharma and concludes dharma is the way.
"Bhasa" included additional characters or scenes in each play which are not available in the Mahabharata epic. While he is using his creative imagination to enhance the flavor of play, He never crosses the liberty of creative freedom. These new scenes enhanced the richness of the actual epic rather than diminishing it.
The Author has created each play with questions in mind, what if this happened instead of this? He gives life to "what if?" questions in the play and writes stories that are composed of all sorts of Rasas(flavors). Especially the last two plays related to Karna and Dhuryodana are so rich with Rasas that you will wish they were a part of the Mahabharata epic.
However, Rasas overflowing in these plays can be savored to the fullest only if it's read in their native language. if you can't read it in Sanskrit, At least try to find a copy in your native language.
if you found one in Kannada language, please do let me know.
A.N.D Hanskar has translated these works originally written in Sanskrit to English. Even though dialogues in the play have lost their charm during translation, This work is worth a try.
Currently, in the name of creative freedom, Many authors or historians falsify or whitewash history while trying to retell the prevalent stories. If you read their degraded works, You tend to think retelling of prevalent stories in the name of creative freedom should be banned. However when you read the plays written by "Bhasa", You will understand what it means to use creative imagination to explore the possibilities and potential that are missed in the existing stories or literary works.
This book consists of surviving plays written by Bhasa regarding separate scenes of Mahabharata. Here in this book Author is not trying to turn Karna or Dhuryodana into Hero or righteous just like dimwitted idiots of the modern era who call themselves progressive authors. Here in this play, He is trying to allow heroes who are in the path of Adharma to see the lights of the dharmic path. In the process of giving them a voice, he is not trying to twist or falsify the actual characters and their personalities. Here all character holds the same personalities throughout the play, However, the author has given a chance for tragic characters to see the path of righteousness before their tragic fate waiting in the dark corner.
Each play ensures tragic heroes accept their fate for the following path of Adharma and concludes dharma is the way.
"Bhasa" included additional characters or scenes in each play which are not available in the Mahabharata epic. While he is using his creative imagination to enhance the flavor of play, He never crosses the liberty of creative freedom. These new scenes enhanced the richness of the actual epic rather than diminishing it.
The Author has created each play with questions in mind, what if this happened instead of this? He gives life to "what if?" questions in the play and writes stories that are composed of all sorts of Rasas(flavors). Especially the last two plays related to Karna and Dhuryodana are so rich with Rasas that you will wish they were a part of the Mahabharata epic.
However, Rasas overflowing in these plays can be savored to the fullest only if it's read in their native language. if you can't read it in Sanskrit, At least try to find a copy in your native language.
if you found one in Kannada language, please do let me know.
December 22, 2019
A breezy little collection of plays, all of which are based on the grand epic Mahabharata. Some of these are fictional. Some are reenactment of scenes from that glorious work of Vyasa. Good enough for a simple weekend read.
April 20, 2014
Mahabharata, the longer and the more complex of the two great Indian epics - the other being Ramayana - continues to fascinate people more than two thousand years after it was composed. The story of Mahabharata continues to be told in different forms: folk-songs, plays, books, films and television serials. India used to come to a near-stop on Sunday mornings when a serialized version of the Epic was telecast about twenty five years back. Since then other TV channels have re-told the story and even today another version is being aired.
Mahabharata is also the source and inspiration for countless stories and plays throughout these two thousand years. The best known Sanskrit playwright, Kalidasa, freely used stories from the Mahabharata. Even Kalidasa was humble enough to acknowledge the fame of Bhasa, an earlier playwright. Bhasa's plays had been lost until thirteen of them were discovered in the twentieth century.
In this short book noted Sanskrit scholar A.N.D. Haksar presents his translations of six of Bhasa's plays based on episodes in Mahabharata. Between them they cover the period from the exile of the Pandava brothers after they lost their Kindom to their cousins Kauravas to the death of the last of the Kauravas.
Mahabharata is popularly presented as the story of the victory of good over evil, with the Pandavas being equated with good and the Kauravas with evil. However, the reality is more nuanced. The Kauravas did try a lot of dirty tricks to get rid of their rivals: from poisoning to setting fire to a house in which the Pandavas were staying; and finally got the better of them thanks to a loaded dice. However the Pandavas too had to get off their high moral horse at least four times during the battle to get rid of the four principal commanders of the Kauravas - Bhishma, Drona, Karna and finally Duryodhana. They couldn't have beaten them in a fair fight.
Haksar's translation is readable and simple. For the sake of those who are unfamiliar with the Epic he provides a decent summary in the introduction. It is a good introduction to Bhasa.
Bhasa's plays take the episodes from the Epic and embellish them with his imagination to highlight the emotional drama and moral anguish that is the hallmark of the great story. It was a good read for someone like me who has known the story since childhood. It would also be a good introduction to the riches of Sanskrit literature and the Hindu Epics for someone unfamiliar with them.
Mahabharata is also the source and inspiration for countless stories and plays throughout these two thousand years. The best known Sanskrit playwright, Kalidasa, freely used stories from the Mahabharata. Even Kalidasa was humble enough to acknowledge the fame of Bhasa, an earlier playwright. Bhasa's plays had been lost until thirteen of them were discovered in the twentieth century.
In this short book noted Sanskrit scholar A.N.D. Haksar presents his translations of six of Bhasa's plays based on episodes in Mahabharata. Between them they cover the period from the exile of the Pandava brothers after they lost their Kindom to their cousins Kauravas to the death of the last of the Kauravas.
Mahabharata is popularly presented as the story of the victory of good over evil, with the Pandavas being equated with good and the Kauravas with evil. However, the reality is more nuanced. The Kauravas did try a lot of dirty tricks to get rid of their rivals: from poisoning to setting fire to a house in which the Pandavas were staying; and finally got the better of them thanks to a loaded dice. However the Pandavas too had to get off their high moral horse at least four times during the battle to get rid of the four principal commanders of the Kauravas - Bhishma, Drona, Karna and finally Duryodhana. They couldn't have beaten them in a fair fight.
Haksar's translation is readable and simple. For the sake of those who are unfamiliar with the Epic he provides a decent summary in the introduction. It is a good introduction to Bhasa.
Bhasa's plays take the episodes from the Epic and embellish them with his imagination to highlight the emotional drama and moral anguish that is the hallmark of the great story. It was a good read for someone like me who has known the story since childhood. It would also be a good introduction to the riches of Sanskrit literature and the Hindu Epics for someone unfamiliar with them.
September 12, 2013
It is an interesting read, especially if you are a 'Mahabharata' enthusiast. Bhasa's imaginary plots gives the original text a new dimension and the readers, their food for thought.
The book encouraged me to think beyond the obvious and challenge the stated facts. I thoroughly enjoyed my ride through it!
The book encouraged me to think beyond the obvious and challenge the stated facts. I thoroughly enjoyed my ride through it!
September 24, 2019
Must read for anybody who is interested in our heritage. Shattered Thighs is the only tragedy in Sanskrit drama. You feel deep sympathy for Duryodhana after reading it. Bhasa violated the prescription of Bharata Muni that death shud not be depicted in stage.
April 18, 2020
Plays, I've read them for the first time. All the stories were known to me. Except where the author took certain liberties with the story line in the plays.
The translation is good but can do with a few more edits.
There is nothing that stood out in the book, it just highlighted the goods of the characters that is already common knowledge.
It's a good book to add to your Mahabharata reading list.
The translation is good but can do with a few more edits.
There is nothing that stood out in the book, it just highlighted the goods of the characters that is already common knowledge.
It's a good book to add to your Mahabharata reading list.
August 6, 2022
I found the plays very quick to read but also pretty engaging and interesting. Ive read an abridged version of the Mahabharata so I'm familiar to the story. Reading this has made me interested in knowing more about Sanskrit drama and also the other plays of Bhasa.
May 28, 2020
Only rating “The Shattered Thighs,” haven’t read “the other plays.” I would like to see this performed but just reading it, I didn’t connect to the story as much as I would have liked.
April 2, 2022
GOOSEBUMPS!
August 20, 2023
Should have been in the school curriculum. Sheer brilliance!
Read
February 19, 2011Bhasa is one of the earliest and most celebrated Indian playwrights in Sanskrit. However, very little is known about him.
Kalidasa in the introduction to his first play Malavikagnimitram writes - Shall we neglect the works of such illustrious authors as Bhāsa, Saumilla, and Kaviputra? Can the audience feel any respect for the work of a modern poet, a Kālidāsa?
So we know he lived before Kalidasa. As the date for Kalidasa varies from the 1st century BCE to the 4th century CE, Bhasa 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 Bhasa had been lost for centuries. He was known only from mention in other works like the famous text on poetics Kavyamimamsa written during 880-920 AD by Rajashekhara a famous poet, dramatist and critic. In the Kavyamimamsa, he attributes the play Svapna-vasavadatta (Swapnavāsavadatta) to Bhasa.
The first person to revive Bhasa in modern Indian theatre was a Professor of Ancient Indian Drama at National School of Drama, and theatre director, Shanta Gandhi, who first directed productions of Madhyamavyayoga (1966) (The Middle One) and Urubhanga (The Broken Thigh) in Hindi. A decade later, his work was approached by playwright Kavalam Narayan Panikkar and theatre director, Ratan Thiyam using Manipuri dance and theatre traditions.
The legendary Natyasastra scholar and Koodiyattam maestro Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar choreographed and started to perform Swapnavāsadatta and Pancharātra for the first time in the history of Koodiyattam.
[Translator of this work, A.N.D.(Aditya Narayan Dhairyasheel) Haksar, was born in Gwalior and educated at the Doon School and the universities of Allahabad and Oxford. A well-known translator of Sanskrit classics, he has also had a distinguished career as a diplomat, serving as Indian high commissioner to Kenya and the Seychelles, minister to the United States, and ambassador to Portugal and Yugoslavia. Haksar’s translations from the Sanskrit include Hitopadesa, Simhasana Dvatrimsik, Tales of the Ten Princes and Subhashitavali, all published as Penguin Classics. He has also compiled A Treasury of Sanskrit Poetry.]
Kalidasa in the introduction to his first play Malavikagnimitram writes - Shall we neglect the works of such illustrious authors as Bhāsa, Saumilla, and Kaviputra? Can the audience feel any respect for the work of a modern poet, a Kālidāsa?
So we know he lived before Kalidasa. As the date for Kalidasa varies from the 1st century BCE to the 4th century CE, Bhasa 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 Bhasa had been lost for centuries. He was known only from mention in other works like the famous text on poetics Kavyamimamsa written during 880-920 AD by Rajashekhara a famous poet, dramatist and critic. In the Kavyamimamsa, he attributes the play Svapna-vasavadatta (Swapnavāsavadatta) to Bhasa.
The first person to revive Bhasa in modern Indian theatre was a Professor of Ancient Indian Drama at National School of Drama, and theatre director, Shanta Gandhi, who first directed productions of Madhyamavyayoga (1966) (The Middle One) and Urubhanga (The Broken Thigh) in Hindi. A decade later, his work was approached by playwright Kavalam Narayan Panikkar and theatre director, Ratan Thiyam using Manipuri dance and theatre traditions.
The legendary Natyasastra scholar and Koodiyattam maestro Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar choreographed and started to perform Swapnavāsadatta and Pancharātra for the first time in the history of Koodiyattam.
[Translator of this work, A.N.D.(Aditya Narayan Dhairyasheel) Haksar, was born in Gwalior and educated at the Doon School and the universities of Allahabad and Oxford. A well-known translator of Sanskrit classics, he has also had a distinguished career as a diplomat, serving as Indian high commissioner to Kenya and the Seychelles, minister to the United States, and ambassador to Portugal and Yugoslavia. Haksar’s translations from the Sanskrit include Hitopadesa, Simhasana Dvatrimsik, Tales of the Ten Princes and Subhashitavali, all published as Penguin Classics. He has also compiled A Treasury of Sanskrit Poetry.]
October 15, 2014
I heard a lot about the great Sanskrit Playwright Bhasa's plays especially "Urubhangam" (Shattered Thigh) and Karnabharam (Karna's Burden). But due to lack of knowledge of the language it was hard for me to go through the plays. Moreover, I was looking for a book which gives some light on the sanskrit plays of the 2nd century era. The elements, features or rather rasas which is described in the introduction of this book was quite informative. The translation is quite simple and information given is worth reading. The six plays describing the some events of Mahabharata was quite interesting especially the last two plays.
October 22, 2016
Bhasa, predates Kalidasa and it is was a fortunate event that Bhasa's plays, were found in the beginning of the twentieth century. Before that, Bhasa was a well known Sanskrit literate through the dedications of Kalidasa, Bana Bhatta and the likes, but not a single one of his play had been recovered.
All six of the plays are taken from Mahabharata, but Bhasa has taken artistic liberties to be unfaithful to change the stories in order to feet the dramatic needs.
All six of the plays are taken from Mahabharata, but Bhasa has taken artistic liberties to be unfaithful to change the stories in order to feet the dramatic needs.
December 29, 2025
a series of quite short plays based on episodes in the mahabharata. fast-paced & quite interesting in illustrating indian mythology & culture, esp with the intros by A.N.D. Haksar. i liked the Middle One the most, arjuna is cool, and duryodhana seems like a p complex antagonist. it embodies the classic martial heroic ideal, but also generates quite a bit of moral complexity in how both sides use deception & break the rules of war etc
April 12, 2013
Hard to appreciate the melodrama and even contrivedness of the early plays. The last two were interesting though.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews