Svapnavasavadattam

Svapnavasavadattam (Sanskrit: स्वप्नवासवदत्तम्, Svapnavāsavadattam) (English: The dream of Vasavadatta) is a Sanskrit play in six acts written by the ancient Indian poet Bhasa. It is probably the best known of Bhāsa's works.

The plot of the drama is drawn from the romantic narratives about the Vatsa king Udayana and Vasavadatta, the daughter of Pradyota, the ruler of Avanti, which were current in the poet's time and which seem to have captivated popular imagination. The main theme of the drama is the sorrow of Udayana for his queen Vasavadatta, believed by him to have perished in a fire, which was actually a rumour spread by Yaugandharayana, a minister of Udayana to compel his king to marry Padmavati, the daughter of the king of Magadha. It forms, in context, a continuation of his another drama, Pratijnayaugandharayana.

The complete text of the Svapnavasavadattam was long lost until it was discovered in Kerala in 1912.A tradition is recorded that when the critics subjected the plays of Bhasa to a severe test by throwing them into fire, only Svapnavasavadattam rose out unaffected, while other plays were all consummated by the flames. This play contains some of Bhasa's greatest characters.

References
  • Māni Mādhava Chākyār (1975), Nātyakalpadrumam, Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi
  • Baumer, Rachel Van M.; James R. Brandon (1993). "A Sanskrit Play In Performance: A Vision of Vasavadatta, by Shanta Gandhi". Sanskrit drama in performance. 2. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. pp. 110–140. ISBN 81-208-0772-3.

Translations


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