Bhāsa

Kalidasa mentions him as his predecessor and also refers to and imitates him here and there in his works. Bana praises him as a fine dramatist. Rajashekhara and Vakpati have admired him highly in their respective works. Yet he was a mere name till the beginning of the nineteenth century when all his dramas were discovered from a Library in Trivandrum by T. Ganapati Sastri. He is none other than Bhāsa who has maximum number of dramas to his credit. Svapnavāsadatta, Pratijnā-yaugandharāyana, Pancharātra, Pratimanātaka, Abhishekanātaka, Bālacharita, Dūtavākya, Karnabhāra, Dūtaghatotkacha, Chārudatta, Madhyamavyāyoga, Avimāraka and Ūrubhanga are the thirteen dramas written by Bhāsa. Although nothing is known about the date and place of Bhāsa, he is quite alive in the mind of the people through these dramas. One finds in these dramas a skilful workmanship with a good style, chaste language, brisk movements, good sense of humour and specimen of characters full of action and strong emotions. Sri Aurobindo finds Bhāsa’s dramas ‘finely vigorous’.

Ramayana and Mahabharata are the two main sources from which Bhāsa has chosen the stories for his dramas. Gunadhya’s Brihatakatha and Somadeva’s Kathasaritsagara also have supplied enough materials for designing his Svapnavāsadatta, Pratijnā-yaugandharāyana and Chārudatta. Bhāsa has been very original in handling the themes of his dramas by deviating considerably from the original and introducing new events, situations and characters. Many of his drams have one or two acts with few characters.

It is an enriching experience to read all these dramas of Bhasa.

Here we give few examples to give a feeling of Bhasa’s outlook.

Yaugandharayana is a character in the Svapnavasavadatta (The drama of Vasavadatta who meets her husband in a dream) of Bhasa playing the role of the Minister of king Udayana. Vasavadatta is the queen. Yaugandharayana had heard from the soothsayers that if king Udayana marries Padmavati, the sister of the king of Magadha, then it would bring him and his kingdom a good fortune. But he found that the king Udayana would never think of a second wife beacause of his strong attachment to Vasavadatta. At any cost Yaugandharayana wanted the to bring back the good forutne of the kingdom. He made the plan with queen Vasavadatta, set the city of Udayana aflame and spread the rumour through some one that both he and Vasavadatta have got burnt in the fire. Then in the guise of ascetics both of them went to Magadha. There Yaugandharayana meets Padmavati in an ashram and requests her to take care of Vasavadatta who he has introduced as his siter. At this point the Chamberlain says to Padmavati not to agree to this proposal and makes a very interesting remark:

Sukhamartho bhaved daatum sukham praanaah sukham tapah.
Sukhamanyad bhavet sarvam duhkham nyasasya rakshanam..

“It is easy to give wealth, fruits of one’s penance, even life and all else, but most difficult is to undertake a pledge.”

Below are few more interesting verses from the same drama.

Kaalakramena jagatah parivartamana.
Cakraarapanktiriva gacchati bhaagyapanktih..

Worldly fortunes circle round with the wheel of time moving up and down like the wheels of a chariot.

Bhasa’s Caarudatta is imortant for the literary history of India. Here Caarudatta, the hero, once who was a very rich man, has lost all his wealth in charity. When his friend finds him repenting over the loss consoles him with soothing words. Now Charudatta tells him that he is not regretting the loss but he feels that the sorrows of a man of riches who after, has become wretched is terrible. In the language of Bhasa:

Na khalvaham nashtaam shriyam anushocaami , gunarasajnasya tu pururshasya vyasanam daarunataram maam pratibhaati, kutah

Now he continues saying that “like seeing a lamp while in darkness hapiness is glorious after long sufferings. But penury after happy days is like death while living.

Sukham hi duhkhaanyanubhuuya shobhate
Yathaandhakaaraadiva diipadarshanam.
Sukhaatuu yo yaati dashaam daridrataam
Sthitah shariirena mrritah sa jiivati..

In his Pancaraatra Bhasa brings out the imortance of one’s deed in the following words:

Akaaranam ruupamakaaranam kulam.
Mahatsu niiceshu ca karma shobhate..

No form or one’s clan is of any import, it is the deed that makes you shine whethre you are a low-born or high-born.

In the Karnabhaara when Karna is all ready to give his suit of armor and earrings to Indra in the guise of a Brahmin, then king Shalya interferes and advises Karna not to do this. In this context Karna says:

Shikshaa kshayam gacchati kaalaparyaayaat
Subaddhamuulaa nipatanti paadapaah.
Jalam jalasthaanagatam ca shushyati
Hutam ca dattam ca tathaiva tishthati..

“Knowledge acquired leaves us with the lapse of time; even deep-rooted trees fall down; water well-stored in lakes often dries up; but the fruit of all that has been given with sincerity and with a sense of offering lasts for ever.”

These are few examples to give a little taste of Bhasa’s language and outlook. One can take up the dramas of Bhasa and explore many more hidden treasures of high literary beauty.