Bhagavadajjukam

Bhagavadajjukam (Sanskrit; translated as The Ascetic and the Courtesan or The Hermit and the Harlot) is a Sanskrit farce written in the 7th century CE, usually attributed to Bodhayana.[1] It is the earliest surviving example of a satirical play (or prahasana, one of the ten types of plays described in the treatise Natya Shastra) in Sanskrit literature.[2][3] Featuring witty exchanges, an episode about the transmigration of souls and a discussion on Hindu dharma, the comical play was intended to mock the doctrines of Buddhism, whose rise at the time presented a challenge to the dominance of Hinduism in India.[4][5]

Characters
  • Parivrajaka – monk or master
  • Shandilya – disciple
  • Vasantsena – courtesan
  • Ramilaka – courtesan's lover
  • Vidushaka – jester
  • A quack doctor
  • Yamaduta, messenger of the lord of death, Yamaraja

Synopsis

The play opens with a discussion on Hindu dharma between a master and a disciple, whose attention is drifting towards a woman in the nearby garden. As the discussion goes on, the woman is bitten by a snake and falls dead – an act that deeply affects the disciple. To demonstrate his yogic power, the master transfers the disciple's soul into the woman's body, who then rises and continues the philosophical discussion.[4]

Translations

The play was rediscovered in the early 20th century when it was first translated into Telugu in 1924 by Veturi Prabhakara Sastri, who then got it published in the Devanagri script through Vavilla Press in 1925.[6] In 1932, the play was translated into Italian, L'asceta transmutato in etèra, by the Indologist Ferdinando Belloni-Filippi.[5] The first English translation of the play was published by the Dutch Indologist J. A. B. van Buitenen in the journal Mahfil (now Journal of South Asian Literature) in 1971 with the title The Hermit and the Harlot.[5][7]

Performance history

In 1967, the play was directed in Hindi by Shanta Gandhi at the National School of Drama.[8] It has often been adapted to be performed as Koodiyattam, a traditional performing art of Kerala.[9] The play continues to be performed in many regional Indian languages.[10] In 2011, Kavalam Narayana Panicker directed the play at the Ernakulam Town Hall in Kochi.[11] Other recent productions were held in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020.[12][13][14]

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References
  1. Liu 2016, p. 482
  2. Monius 2001, p. 61
  3. Datta 1987, p. 422: "Bhagavadajjukam (Sanskrit) is the earliest available play-type called prahasana, in which comical situations, harmless humour and wit are dominant. In a couple of manuscripts the author is mentioned as Bodhayana."
  4. Sastri, Venkatarama Sharma (February 1928). "A Note on Bhagavadajjukam". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 5 (1): 33. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00130563.
  5. Hardy 2005, p. 568
  6. Foreword, Bodhayana's Bhagavadajjukam, Manimanjari Publications, Hyderabad, January 1986
  7. van Buitenen, J. A. B. (1971). "The Hermit and the Harlot". Mahfil. 7 (3/4): 149–166. JSTOR 40874441.
  8. Dharwadker 2009, p. 167
  9. Pradeep, K. (15 September 2011). "Absorbing and relevant". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  10. Bajeli, Diwan Singh (March 19, 2020). "Celebration of theatre" – via www.thehindu.com.
  11. "Some Soul-searching". The New Indian Express.
  12. "This dancer is keeping India's oldest surviving Sanskrit theatre alive". Hindustan Times. July 30, 2016.
  13. Nayar, Vr Prabodhachandran (October 3, 2019). "Powerful portrayal" – via www.thehindu.com.
  14. George, Liza (January 17, 2013). "Curtains up" – via www.thehindu.com.

Bibliography
  • Datta, Amaresh (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Volume 1. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 9788126018031.
  • Hardy, Friedhelm (2005). The Religious Culture of India: Power, Love and Wisdom. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521023443.
  • Liu, Siyuan, ed. (2016). Routledge Handbook of Asian Theatre. Routledge. ISBN 9781317278863.
  • Dharwadker, Aparna Bhargava (2009). Theatres of independence: drama, theory, and urban performance in India since 1947. University of Iowa Press. ISBN 9781587296420.
  • Monius, Anne (2001). Imagining a Place for Buddhism: Literary Culture and Religious Community in Tamil-Speaking South India. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198032069.
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