मुद्राराक्षस

by Viśākhadatta, रांगेय राघव (Translator)

Translation of Sanskrit Grantha "Mudrarakshas)

Genres: Plays, Classics, History, Indian Literature, Drama, India

104 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 550

Reviews

[Ujjwala Singhania · Rating 4 out of 5]

This classic drama by Vishakdutt is based on the political intrigues during Chanakya's time. He is shown as the negative character while Rakshas is a mighty and loyal minister set to defeat Chanakya at his own game. Since, it's a political drama there are no female characters or sringar or hasya ras in it.

[Akshay · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mudrarakshasa" is a Sanskrit play composed by Visakhadatta in the early 7th century. Spanning over a year, the story is purely a political drama minus a female protagonist. The theme of the play is mainly about the elevation of Chandragupta Maurya to the royal throne of Magadha. It also highlights the means of winning over of Rakshasa, the hostile minister of Dhanananda to the side of Chandragupta, followed by the measures to strengthen the rule of the Mauryas by Chanakya. Being a historical and political drama, "Mudrarakshasa" represents a curious state of public morals wherein methods such as fraud are assassination are used as the simplest means to remove inconvenient obligations to uproot troublesome allies and have open enemies removed. I must clarify that though such acts are not held in themselves as crimes or that their perpetrators, if instigated by vice or ferocity, are not condemned as culprits, it is only the commission of the crime proposes a political end that it is represented as venial, and is compatible with an amiable goal.

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Sanskrit play, written by Vishakhadatta somewhere between the 4th and 8th centuries CE, Mudra- Rakshasa, or The Signet Ring, is unusual in that, unlike most Sanskrit plays of the period, its theme was not love, but politics: Mudra-Rakshasa is about the plotting and machinations of the famous statesman Chanakya, as he endeavours to further strengthen the rule of Chandragupta Maurya, whom he had established on the throne at Pataliputra after destroying King Nanda. The play, which is in seven acts, begins with Chandragupta already the king, while Malayaketu—the son of a former, now dead, ally of Chandragupta's—has joined hands with Rakshas, the once-minister of Nanda, in an attempt to regain the kingdom.

Over seven acts, the play switches back and forth between Chanakya-Chandragupta and Rakshas-Malayaketu, as each side tries to outwit the other and gain the upper hand, by the use of spies, secret agents, hostages, and subterfuge. Chanakya's eventual victory in this battle of wits is a foregone conclusion, but the way he manages to achieve this, the convoluted and complex web he weaves in order to get what he wants, is fascinating.

And confusing. I have to admit I kept losing track of secondary characters, and found it hard to remember who was who, how they were connected, or even whom they were actually allied with. There is also the fact that elapsed time between one event and another is often telescoped, leading to confusion: someone sending for something, and it being brought in right away, even if from another part of the land. There are other problems, too, for a modern reader reading a translated version: several of the idioms and words seem just too archaic and even absurd now (one more 'ichoral exudations of elephants' and I would have bust a blood vessel. And somehow a Maurya-era character saying "Lack-a-day!" makes me laugh).

On the plus side, though, this is an intriguing play, and I can imagine that it would make for a very interesting theatre production.

A few words about this particular edition. Professor KH Dhruva's book on Mudra-Rakshasa is a strictly academic work, including an introduction (which provides the historical background of the period), the Sanskrit text of the play, the English translation, and copious notes. The notes, while they shed light on the nuances of the play (for instance, the metaphors, similes and other intricacies of language; historical details; various interpretations of certain words, and so on) can be properly read only if you can read Devanagari. I found the notes both illuminating, as well as, at times, rather baffling.

A play worth reading if you're interested in ancient India and its politics, but this might not be the most user-friendly edition out there for a layperson.

[Ravinder Singh Dhull · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice book beautifully translated by Shri Ranghey Raghav. It takes us to the era of Chanakya and Chandragupta. The play is more or less concentrated into the talks between main characters such as Chanakya, Rakshas, King (Nanda) and it has been beautifully separated into separate chapters by the writer. The play was originally written in Sanskrit and is one of the epic of Sanskrit Literature.

Must read once.

[mwr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful language. There are some nice aphorisms that apply to societies where loyalty is more important than in ours. Or maybe it would be fealty rather than loyalty. In any case, this is excellent. I may read more sandskrit dramas.

[Sanjay Shah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for Indian classical lovers

Very well translated. Must read for those who wants to read Indian classical drama. Shakespeare came long after this. One can find all the aspects of good drama in this

[Dany · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boy, a scholar’s handwriting is always illegible however hard he tries. (Kautilya)

Let just one thing not desert me, for it can do more
than a thousand armies—
My mind, to whose power a dynasty destroyed
bears witness. (Kautilya)

If you see a man who knows about administering,
Who cultivates the right circles.
And likes to get in a good spell,
He must be a snake charmer, if he’s not a politician. (The Snake Charmer)

I go on painting a picture on a nonexistent canvas. (Rakshasa)

A kingdom brings little pleasure if the king is intent on doing his duty.
In seeing to others’ interests a king loses sight of his own.
And a sovereign whose interests are unregarded is surely no sovereign.
For if he puts another’s good before his, why, he is in bondage.
And how is a man in bondage to know what pleasure means?
And even where a king is his own master, success is a hard mistress:
If he is stern, she recoils; if he is mild, she fears contempt and shuns him.
Fools she can’t stand, yet never loves the over-learned.
A hero she is afraid of, a coward she despises— Success is as hard to please as a capricious whore. (Chandragupta)

The stupid always appeal to Destiny. (Kautilya)

When I think how little Fate has been my ally in the struggle
And how devious has been the plotting of Kaut ́ılya,
For all my successful winning of his subordinates,
My nights pass in sleepless bewilderment.
Contriving the first faint outlines of a plot, and then elaborating,
Causing the hidden seeds to germinate unsuspected,
Cleverly managing the crisis, drawing together all the sprawling threads—
In these painful anxieties of creation I am working like a playwright. (Rakshasa)

When someone has renounced family, shame, honor and reputation
To sell himself to a rich man, being greedy for a moment’s wealth,
When he does that other’s bidding, what has he, a mere hireling,
Who has passed beyond problems of right and wrong, to do with such reflections? (Bhagurayana)

Turning friend into foe, foe into friend,
On grounds of practical advantage,
Politics takes a man while he still lives
Into another birth where earlier memories are lost. (Bhagurayana)

A post of authority causes even the most blameless man much anxiety.
Fear of his master may possess a servant,
Or fear of the people about him may grip his heart;
An exalted post earns the envy of the wicked,
And in his thoughts one who has climbed high can
foresee a fall as great. (Rakshasa)

Alas, the good and evil turns of man’s condition creep up on him
all unnoticed! (Rakshasa)

The things that happen make us all Fate’s servants in the end. (Rakshasa)

[Ritwika Chakraborty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read the bengali translation by Harinath Nyayratna but couldn't find its mention on goodreads. Hence reviewing here.

I haven't watched a single episode of game of thrones yet, but I can confidently tell you this book or play is the best Indian political drama I've ever read till now.

This play revolves around the uprising of Chandragupta Maurya after Nanda dynasty got wiped out. Why I've used the term wipe out, can only be understood once you read this book.

It all started from the confrontation between egomaniac emperor Maha Nanda and his minister Shakatar, followed by the imprisonment of Shakatar by Maha Nanda and eventually Shakatar's retribution.
Then Chanakya came into the picture and the mayhem started.

Damn.. what a shrewd man Chanakya was! No wonder he's considered the best strategist when it comes to politics, diplomacy.
He was the mastermind behind everything. Chandragupta, Malayketu, Rakshasa - Chanakya used these three protagonists like his puppets.

Few things to mention: the translated version that I've read is written of Sadhu Bhasha.. so readers might find some words difficult to comprehend and also the print is not very clear.

This version was translated in the year of 1867. I'm surprised to see there hasn't been any translation (in bengali) done on this masterpiece ever since.

This is a play filmmakers should consider making, this is a political drama our educators should think of including in the school syllabus.

Indian history isn't always about Vedas, Mughals, colonization, Gandhis. There are many more things to explore, many dimensions to add.

It's time our students learn about the ancient Indian authors and read their plays, stories, poems in details.. instead of just memorizing the list of texts which they will forget after the exam is over.

[Aaron Thomas]

This is a surprisingly talky play for a Sanskrit drama. It is unlike the others I've read. This is probably somewhat because of the subject matter – which is entirely of political intrigue – but it is oddly static even so. One indication of this is how frequently various characters are encouraged by other characters to sit. There's a lot of sitting in Rākṣasa's Ring. The edition itself, however, is absolutely gorgeous. It's a side-by-side edition with a very clear translation and some lovely poetry.

[Dhanushree Bhanawat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A play originally written in Sanskrit. It's the story of how Chanakya's ploy to get his king - Chandragupta Maurya, a strong position in the modern day city of Patna unfolds, by garnering allegiance of Rakshasa, using 'Sam, Dam, Dand, Bhed'.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visākhadatta’s Mudrārākṣasa stands apart in the world of Sanskrit drama because it turns its gaze not to romance, allegory, or spiritual elevation but to the hard, unlovely mechanics of politics.

Where Kālidāsa composed courtly love stories and Bhāsa dramatised mythic grandeur, Visākhadatta wrote a thriller about strategy, loyalty, and the manufacture of legitimacy. The play stages the fall of the Nandas and the rise of Candragupta Maurya not with clashing armies but through whispered intrigues, forged letters, bribery, and the psychological unravelling of loyalties.

At its centre is Rākṣasa, the proud and eloquent minister of the defeated Nandas, whose honour and unbending loyalty make him the true dramatic protagonist. Opposed to him, though not always morally inferior, is Cāṇakya (Cauṭilya), the strategist whose brilliance lies in his capacity to manipulate symbols, reputations, and bureaucratic rituals of authority.

The action revolves around the signet ring (mudrā) as an emblem of power, and the final resolution is not a bloody coup but Rākṣasa’s reluctant realignment, a capitulation of conscience as much as politics.

The power of the play lies in its ambivalence. Rākṣasa is no villain, and Cāṇakya is no hero. The audience is made to admire the ingenuity of strategy while also recognising the ethical costs of manipulation.

Characters beyond the central pair—agents, wives, displaced elites—are sketched with economy but fill out the world of intrigue, where personal loyalty and public legitimacy intersect. The language alternates between taut prose and metrical bursts, the rhetoric itself functioning as dramatic propulsion.

Visākhadatta captures the anxieties of succession, the instability of power, and the precarious balance between honour and expediency, themes that resonate with modern political sensibilities.

Moreshwar Ramchandra Kale’s edition and translation provide a clear and accessible gateway into this drama. His English is idiomatic without surrendering precision, and his notes anchor the text in its Mauryan historical context. Where technical terms demand explanation, Kale supplies it, and his sensitivity to the play’s performative quality ensures that the translation reads as theatre rather than a stiff artefact. As with any translation, some loss occurs—the compact wordplay, the resonance of Sanskrit meter—but Kale chooses readability and clarity over pedantic literalism, a trade-off that benefits most modern readers and stage practitioners.

What emerges is a drama of remarkable modernity. The play anticipates the bureaucratic state, where documents and seals wield as much power as soldiers, and where legitimacy is manufactured through symbols as much as through bloodlines.

Its moral texture is shaded, refusing to hand down simple verdicts. That ambivalence is precisely what makes it compelling for contemporary audiences, who can see in it both a historical reconstruction and a mirror of their own political world. If women remain marginal and if the play risks admiring cunning too uncritically, these are as much provocations as limitations. Kale’s translation allows the reader to confront these tensions directly.

Mudrārākṣasa thus endures not only as a jewel of Sanskrit dramaturgy but as a timeless inquiry into the ethics of power. It shows us how empires are built less by the clang of swords than by the subtle work of persuasion, deception, and realignment.

To read it in Kale’s edition is to enter a world at once distant and familiar, where statecraft is theatre and theatre is statecraft, and where the dramas of ancient Pāṭaliputra anticipate those of every modern capital.

[Rohini Biswas · Rating 3 out of 5]

विशाखदत्त रचित 'मुद्राराक्षस' नामक नाटक का संस्कृत साहित्य में बहुत महत्त्वपूर्ण स्थान है. यह नाटक मौर्यकालीन भारतीय राजनैतिक परिस्थिति पर प्रकाश डालते हुए राजनीति के षड्यंत्र, कुचक्र और दांव- पेंच को प्रकट करता है. 


'मुद्राराक्षस' का अर्थ है राक्षस की अंगूठी, जिसमें उसकी मुद्रा अर्थात मुहर भी है. कथानक में यह अंगूठी बहुत ही महत्त्वपूर्ण है. यह कथा चाणक्य की चतुरता पर अधिक बल देती है, चन्द्रगुप्त की वीरत पर नहीं. कहानी के मुख्य पात्र हैं- चाणक्य, चन्द्रगुप्त, राक्षस, मलयकेतु, शकटदास एवं चन्दनदास. 


इस नाटक में सभी पुरुषपात्र ही हैं, केवल एक स्त्री-पात्र है (चंदनदास की पत्नी) जिनका कथानक से मूलरूप से कोई सम्बन्ध नहीं है. केवल करुण रस पैदा करने के लिए उन्हें स्थान दिया गया है. 


इस नाटक का कई भाषाओं में अनुवाद हुआ है. मैंने रांगेय राघव द्वारा हिंदी में अनुवादित किताब पढ़ी है जो बहुत सरस है. जिन्हें इतिहास का ज्ञान है और मौर्यकालीन राजनीति का बोध है उनके लिए इस नाटक की गहराइयों को समझना सहज होगा. चूंकि मुझे इतिहास और राजनीती का ज्ञान न के बराबर है, मुझे कहीं-कहीं पर पात्रों और उनके चरित्रों को समझने में मुश्किल हुई.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rákshasa’s Ring is a play from 6th century CE India on political intrigue that anticipates Machiavelli’s The Prince by a thousand years, including spies, double-agents, double-dealings, and a plot twist as damning as Othello’s “evidence” against Desdemona, all translated into idiomatic English (with facing Sanskrit text in transliteration).

The action begins shortly after Chandra Gupta has deposed the Nanda family and established himself as the new Emperor. Chandra Gupta’s top minister, Kautílya, seeks to convince the Nanda family’s loyal top minister, Rákshasa, to serve under rather than oppose Chandra Gupta. After Kautílya succeeds in setting up half of Rákshasa’s allies for “crimes” leading to their execution and the arrest of Rákshasa himself, Kautílya is at the point he can make an offer Rákshasa can’t refuse—and that will allow Kautílya to retire from politics.

[Chitram Banerjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

[This review is not for this particular edition, but for the original book itself]

This is a play based on true events during the overthrowing of the Nanda dynasty and the foundation of the Maurya Empire in India about 2300 years ago. The play itself was written in Sanskrit by Vishakhdatta about 1500 years ago.

The story is about the head-to-head political confrontation between the best political minds of the time: Chanakya and Rakshasa. Both the rivals are respectful to each other but are determined to go any lengths to achieve their goals.

A hair-raising thriller full of emotional drama and almost Machiavellian amorality, Mudrarakshas has stood the test of time and is nowhere behind any modern espionage movie.

[Akshay Bhatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book: Mudrarakshash
Written by: Vishakhadutt
Originally Written in Sanskrit Language translated in Gujarati Language.

This is one of the best novel and play. I wonder why Indian novelists/writers were not recognized all over the world in literature work.

Whole world knows Shakespeare. While comparing Shakespeare's work with our Indian novelists like Great Kalidas, Vishakhadutt there is no value of Shakespeare. Believe me.

Must read this book in language you know. This is the most appreciated political drama.

FYI: This is not story, this is a real history. Timeline of this history is after conquering Magadh by The Great Chandragupta under guidance of The Great Economist, Politician and Thinker Chanakya (Vishnugupta).

[Zoonanism · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining drama

on page 117 Coulson gives the following translation for the hordes who have supposedly besieged Pataliputra

Chaka-Scythians
Yavana-Greeks
Kirata-Hill tribesmen
Kamboja-Cambodians?
Persians-Parasika
Bahlika-Bactrians

Now Kamboja as far I know and one can gather from wiki too, should refer to who ever lived in Caucasus Indicus/Hindu Kush, so they'd be a proto-Pathan/Eastern Iranian horde

Bit odd then to be offered Cambodians instead?!

[Debapriyo Sarkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A display of shrewdness of Chanakya who believed the end justifies the means.

[Pramod Pant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant !
Must be great when played on stage.

[Elizabeth Gunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

*read for university

I was getting it, until I wasn’t.

[Amit Ahirwar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fuhhgjju juuuuhg juu

[Lulu]

dated variously from the late 4th to 8th (likely mid-6th?)

Alexander the Great as homosexual?

[Revanth Ukkalam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is one of the most popular primary sources in studying Ancient India. Megasthenes and Vishakhadatta are indeed a great pair. The latter however is amazingly gripping. No wonder Chanakya has become immortal in India's story. Is it not strange that even Mudrarakshasa has succumbed to nationalist tendencies of interested parties?