Sanskrit Drama and Mahakavya

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Sanskrit drama is part of Sanskrit literature, the classical literature of India, which flourished from about 1500 BC to about AD 1100. The earliest extant critical work on Sanskrit drama is attributed to Bharata, the legendary formulator of the dramatic art in India. That work, the Na ya-sastra (c.2d cent. AD) is relatively late but could be a reworking of a much earlier version. References to the drama and to dramatic criticism in the work of the grammarian Panini constitute a more certain indication of an early date for Sanskrit drama. The earliest-known Sanskrit playwright was Bhasa (c.3d cent. AD) while among the most renowned were Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti (c.8th cent. AD), and King Harsha. Few Sanskrit plays survive, perhaps due to the limited size of their exclusively aristocratic audience as well as to their antiquity. Mahakavya, a particular form of the Sanskrit literary style known as kavya. It is a short epic similar to the epyllion and is characterized by elaborate figures of speech. The present book explores the greatest Sanskrit epic poetry with special reference to the depiction of Hindu mythology. This book is a valuable reference guide for students and all those interested in mythology and Sanskrit literature.

Acharya Ramcharan Mishra is Lecturer, Department of Sanskrit, Annada College, Hazaribag (Jharkhand). His several research papers have been published in reputed journals. He has also attended many national seminars.

Sanskrit drama is part of Sanskrit literature, the classical literature of India, which flourished from about 1500 BC to about AD 1100. The earliest extant critical work on Sanskrit drama is attributed to Bharata, the legendary formulator of the dramatic art in India. That work, the Na ya-sastra (c.2d cent. AD) is relatively late but could be a reworking of a much earlier version. References to the drama and to dramatic criticism in the work of the grammarian Panini constitute a more certain indication of an early date for Sanskrit drama. The earliest-known Sanskrit playwright was Bhasa (c.3d cent. AD) while among the most renowned were Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti (c.8th cent. AD), and King Harsha. Few Sanskrit plays survive, perhaps due to the limited size of their exclusively aristocratic audience as well as to their antiquity. Mahakavya, a particular form of the Sanskrit literary style known as kavya. It is a short epic similar to the epyllion and is characterized by elaborate figures of speech. The present book explores the greatest Sanskrit epic poetry with special reference to the depiction of Hindu mythology. This book is a valuable reference guide for students and all those interested in mythology and Sanskrit literature.

Acharya Ramcharan Mishra is Lecturer, Department of Sanskrit, Annada College, Hazaribag (Jharkhand). His several research papers have been published in reputed journals. He has also attended many national seminars.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages