The Sanskrit drama : $b in its origin, development, theory and practiceKeith, Arthur Berriedale
History
The Sanskrit drama : $b in its origin, development, theory and practice
Keith, Arthur Berriedale
Sanskrit drama -- History and criticism
We learn also from Dhanika of two further dramas, of unknown authorship
and date; they are mentioned [472] as illustrating the two kinds of
Prakaraṇa as a dramatic form, the basis of distinction being whether
the heroine is the wife of the hero and therefore a lady of good family
or whether she is a courtesan. Of the latter class we have an example
in the Taran̄gadatta, and of the former in the Puṣpadūṣitaka; the latter
name occurs in the slightly altered form of Puṣpabhūṣita in the
Sāhityadarpaṇa. As an example of the Samavakāra the Daçarūpa [473]
mentions the Samudramanthana, a title doubtless as well as the
description of the drama in question.
2. MURĀRI
Murāri tells us that he was the son of Çrīvardhamānaka of the Maudgalya
Gotra and of Tantumatī; he claims to be a Mahākavi, and arrogates the
style of Bāla-Vālmīki. His date is uncertain; he is certainly later
than Bhavabhūti since he cites from the Uttararāmacarita, [474] while
we have evidence from the anthologies that he was reckoned by some as
superior to Bhavabhūti, apparently his predecessor. A further
suggestion as to date may be derived from the Kashmirian poet
Ratnākara, [475] who in his Haravijaya makes a clear reference to
Murāri as a dramatist, for the effort of Bhattanatha Svamin to disprove
the reference must be deemed completely unsuccessful. As Ratnākara
belongs to the middle of the ninth century A.D., this gives us that
period as the latest date for Murāri. Curiously enough, Professor
Konow, [476] who accepts the disproof of the reference to Murāri in
Ratnākara, admits that the reference to Murāri in Man̄kha’s
Çrīkaṇṭhacarita [477] (c. A.D. 1135) suggests that he was regarded by
that author as earlier than Rājaçekhara, a fact which accords
excellently with his priority to Ratnākara, and is far more important
than the fact that he is not cited by the authors on theory of the
eleventh century A.D. A further effort to place him late is that of Dr.
Hultzsch, [478] who infers from verse 3 of the Kaumudīmitrāṇanda of
Rāmacandra, pupil of Hemacandra, that that dramatist was a contemporary
of Murāri. But the evidence is clearly inadequate; the words used are
perfectly compatible with the fact that Murāri was dead, and there are
grave chronological difficulties in the way of the theory. It is
practically impossible that a contemporary of Rāmacandra could have
been cited by Man̄kha at the date of the Çrīkaṇṭhacarita. Moreover
Murāri seems to have been imitated by Jayadeva in the Prasannarāghava.
[479]
Of his place of activity we know nothing definite. He mentions,
however, Māhiṣmatī as the seat of the Kalacuris, and it has been
suggested that this indicates that he lived under the patronage of a
prince of that dynasty at Māhiṣmatī, now Māndhātā on the Narmadā.
3. THE ANARGHARĀGHAVA
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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