Mrichchhakatika as
a prakarana play
Although Nataka is considered to be the most ideal
of the ‘Rupakas’,the prakarana appears to be deeply rooted in the life of
common people and social reality in contrast with the nataka.While the nataka
presents a monotonous type of society, the palace, the court and the harem, the
society presented in a prakarana is more flexible, the sentiments are also more
relaxed. Prakarana is a realistic type of play which derives its theme from the
society and the life of ordinary folk. Since, nataka takes its theme from
ancient stories and legends and the hero and heroine belong to the elite class
there is no scope for depicting the life, problems and living standards of the
ordinary people. Prakarana gives enough scope for the dramatist to analyse the
social life of the people, customs and morals current in the society and evil
practices etc. and suggest remedial measures for solving the complicated
problems and shows the right path to be followed. This shows that Sanskrit literature
has kept pace with social problems and changes.
Mrichchhakatika is quite different from all other
Sanskrit plays. It is said to have been written by a Kshatriya king named Sudraka
sometime between third century and the fifth century BC.. Unlike the many
Sanskrit dramas that have borrowed their themes either from mythology or
history, Mrichchhakatika, which in the canons of Sanskrit dramaturgy is known
as Prakarana, ‘a play of invention,’ having drawn the plot from ‘real life,’
depicts classical Indian culture in its varied richness. It is atypical
Sanskrit play offering deeper insights into the sociocultural fabric of the
contemporary society as defined by its politico-economic conditions.Mrichchhakatika
is a play in ten acts based on the love-story of the male protagonist
Charudatta, an honest but poor inhabitant of Ujjayini and Vasantasena, a
beautiful and pure-minded courtesan of the same city. The play is completely
based on the imagination of Sudraka and does not take its material from epics. Mrichchhakatika
is unique in many ways within the entire corpus of classical Sanskrit
literature. The play is one of the best examples of Prakarana, one of the ten
types of ‘rupakas’.
Mrichchhakatika satisfies all the requirements of a prakarana in
which the hero is a Brahmin merchant, heroine being a courtesan and the principal
sentiment being Srngara. The plot is imaginary and it consists of ten acts.
Sincethe heroine is a ganika the play belongs to the category of mixed type of
prakarana. The sentiment of pathos is well developed and subordinated to the
main sentiment srngara. Its style is sweet and simple.The prologue of the play
tells that Sudraka was a scholar was a scholar whohad deep knowledge in the vedas and other branches of
learningsuch as Mathematics, Fine arts and the Art of training elephants. Hehad
a special leaning towards prakarana. He had little respect forthe established
traditions of his time. He dared to break the barriersput by the tradition and
the regulations imposed by the ruling and upper class people. The outcome was
the emergence of a play which is most human and in which one can see the
beautiful portrayal of life, love, emotion and sentiments of ordinary man.
The characters arc drawn
from the lower strata of society.Vasantasena a ganika of Ujjayini has been elevated to
the rank of a lady. Unlike other playwrights; Sudraka preferred to describe
poverty in his play. The hero, the gambler, the Brahmin who commits burglary,
the police officer who lets Aryaka escape are all poorpeople. Since the royal
patronage nourished the poets of antiquity, they were unaware of poverty and so
they ignored it and extolled the life of the elite and their luxurious life.It
sheds light on the social and political conditionof the country. Everyday life
of ancient India and the kind of luxury they enjoyed are shown in an
interesting manner. Life is a blending of sorrow and happiness.Comic situations
and tragic scenes in the same measure attractthe common man.
The touch of humanism makes the play dearer and acceptable
to spectators of all times.Caste-system was prevalent in those days. Brahmanas
occupied a unique place, and they had certain privileges.They were educated and
were employed to worship idols or chant mantras.They were not given capital
punishment. As regards to marriage there is no caste restriction. A Brahmana
can marry even a courtesan. Absence of untouchability deserves special mention.
The judiciary and the police department were functioningwell. Speedy trial and impartial
administration of justice are worth mentioning.Women were classified into three
classes, viz. ‘Prakasanari’ or ganika, ‘Aprakasanari’ or Kulavadhu and
‘Bhujisya’ or slave girls. The women got a fair treatment. The king was the
head of the state, social evils like gambling, prostitution, robbery, slavery
were prevalent in those days. Poverty was depicted as the root cause of all
these evils
Sudraka was very much particular in presenting the
hardlife of the people and solutions to the problems.He raises his voice
against the rulers whose activities are harmful to the people.Many humorous situations
make the play interesting. The Vidusaka makes the people laugh and think. Many
of his remarks throw light on the evils of the society and act as a corrective measure.The
political story which stands as a platform to the union of Vasantasena and
Charudatta and causes the happy ending of the drama adds much significance to
the play. It presented to posterity, the sense that misgoverning should always
be questioned.Finally,the Natyashastra prescribes
wider use of Prakrits and dialects in prakaranas. InMrichchhakatikaDifferent
characters are assigned different dialects of Prakrit on the basis of their
gender and social stature which throw some light on societal practices or at
least on socio linguistic perceptions of the times.
Thus Sudraka’s Mrichchhakatika is the most perfect
form of the ‘prakarana’ mingling rife with romance, comedy, intrigue and a political subplot detailing the
overthrow of the city's despotic ruler by a shepherd, the play is notable among
extant Sanskrit drama for its focus on a fictional scenario rather than on a
classical tale or legend.
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