Bhas: A Literary Rebel of the Ancient World
He is one of the most celebrated Sanskrit dramatists of ancient India and yet one of the most elusive. Discover the genius of Bhas, as we examine the only tangible evidence we have of his existence
In 1912, the discovery
of a codex of palm leaf manuscripts in a small town in Kerala set off a
sensation in the Indian literary world. It would be described by commentators
and scholars as "the most important event in 20th century Sanskrit
literary scholarship". And this discovery was connected with someone
called ‘Bhas’, a name unknown to most Indians.
Mahakavi Kalidas (5th
century CE), Ban-Bhatta (7th century CE) and Dandin (8th
century CE) are some of the big names in the world of ancient classical
Sanskrit literature. But all these literary giants revered one man as one of
the greatest kavis (poets) of all
time. This was Bhas, one of the most elusive and enigmatic poets of ancient
India.
Bhas remained a
mystery for so long because, except for references in the works of ancient
Indian greats, none of his plays were believed to have survived the vagaries of
time. Only his memory lingers in the pages of several plays by writers spanning
15-20 centuries or more. We know nothing of the time or place that he lived in,
or the story of his life. And still Bhas is one of the most celebrated,
discussed and inspiring literary giants of ancient India.
Bhas is the one who
inspired Mahakavi Kalidas (5th century CE), as he mentions him in
the preface of his play Malavika-Agnimitra.
10th century playwright Rajshekhar, the creator of Sanskrit dramas like Bal-Ramayan, BalBharat and Karpoor Manjiri refers to Bhas and his Natak-Chakra (Circle of Plays). Ban-Bhatt, the famous creator of Kadambari– a Sanskrit romantic novel
dating to the 7th century CE, mentions Bhas with great reverence.
10th
century CE writer Vakpati also refers to Bhas as the “greatest of playwrights
ever”. Renowned 8th century CE Sanskrit Grammarian, Dandi, of the famous Dash Kumar Charit, mentions
Bhas. So, we have generations of playwrights
referring to Bhas with great respect, names of his plays are mentioned in their
own works, and some have even included a few lines from Bhas’s plays to make a
point. Such is the legacy of Bhas, the elusive poet-author!
A Series of Discoveries
10th
century CE Sanskrit dramatist and critic Rajashekhara, in his work Kavyamimansa (A Guide for Poets to Compose
Poems), referred to Bhas having written a play titled SwapnaVasavdatta (स्वप्नवासवदत्ता) or ‘Vasavdutta’s Dream’. It was an intriguing tale of love, deception
and courage but only fragments of it were known to have survived till the 20th
century in various libraries across India.
In 1905, Pant
Anadalvar of the Mysore Archaeology Department discovered a palm leaf
manuscript in the collections of the Oriental Manuscripts Library, Madras (now
Chennai). It was a complete version of SwapnaVasavdatta.
This triggered a flurry of activity among historians and Sanskrit scholars to
discover more.
In 1912, another, and
even more sensational, discovery was made in a corner of Padmanabhapuram, the
old capital of the princely state of Travancore. Renowned Sanskrit scholar, Mahamahopadhyaya T Ganapatishastri (1860–1926) found a
treasure trove of palm leaf manuscripts in which along with SwapnaVasavadatta, was a set of 13 plays
written by an unnamed author. These were Sanskrit plays written in the Malayalam
script.
After intensive study
and research, Ganapatishastri concluded that all the plays were those of Bhas.
The discovery sent shockwaves across the Sanskrit literary world and a new
chapter of Indian literature was uncovered.
So how did Ganapatishastri
conclude that these works were those of the famous Bhas?
Prose & Structure
of His Work
The explanation is a little
technical and involves the nuances of ancient classical Sanskrit literature,
which is replete with the ‘Natya’ type of literature. This is non-prose, poetic
verse and is studded with Sanskrit ‘Alankar’, depicting a story. Often taken from
the Puranas or the
Mahabharata, the poet-author creates his
own world with his own prowess and command over the language, enthralling
readers by keeping them engaged in the storyline.
Apart from Kalidas,
there are many celebrated literary greats such as Magh, Bharavi and Shreeharsha
who created lasting impressions with their works. The most important among them
was Mruchhkatik or ‘An Earthen Cart’
by Shudrak, supposedly the oldest surviving play in Indian literature dating to
the 3rd century CE.
Another important
milestone is the Natya-Shastra by Bharat
Muni dated to around the 2nd-3rd century BCE. It is a comprehensive
treatise on all the performing arts including drama, dance and music. The
greatest contribution of Natya-Shastra
is the introduction of the concept of ‘Rasa’ (Shringar, Hasya etc) and ‘Bhav’
and their inter-relationship.
Bharat Muni has
elaborated on different types of ‘Natya’ and laid down rules of creation, depiction
and performance. These rules touch upon various aspects such as the use of
Prakrit and Sanskrit, breaking down a play in terms of acts or guidelines or showing
certain events such as war or procession in a drama.
Natya-Shastra codified the
rules of drama and dance and was followed by all classical writers over the
centuries in their plays.
As generations of
Sanskrit poets and writers had eulogised Bhas, they had mentioned certain
characteristics of his writing style in their works. For example, he would
start every play with the statement ‘ नान्द्यन्ते तत: प्रविशति सूत्रधार ‘ . Another
commonality is the anchor delivering a shloka
which had the names of all his characters woven in. All the plays would end
with same final statement (भरत वाक्य) (‘Bharat Vakya’). Studying such similarities, Ganapatishastri
concluded that these plays belonged to none other than Bhas.
A Literary Non-Conformist
Once we look at the subjects handled, and the
treatment given to these 13 plays found at Padmanabhapuram, it is not difficult
to be impressed by the intellect and talent of this almost forgotten literary
heavyweight. Pratima(प्रतिमा) and Abhishek(अभिषेक) are based on the Ramayan.
Panchratra(पंचरात्र), Urubhang(ऊरूभंग), Karnabhar(कर्णभार), Dootvakya(दूतवाक्य), DootGhatotkach(दूतघटोत्कच) and Madhyam-Vyayog(मध्यमव्यायोग) are inspired by the Mahabharata. Bal Charit(बाल-चरित) is based on the
childhood of Shrikrishna. Pratidnya-Yougandhrayan(प्रतिज्ञायौगंधरायण) and Swapna
Vasavdatta(स्वप्नवासवदत्ता) are possibly true stories, their kernel also seen in Brihtkatha. Avimarak(अविमारक) and Charudatta(चारुदत्त) are Bhas’s original works.
Bhas comes across as a
non-conforming playwright with novel ideas and a fertile imagination. His plays,
usually based on the Mahabharata,
take the germ of the story from an incident in the epic, which he gives an
imaginative twist and creates a masterpiece, each time.
The play Karnabhar
is about Kunti and Karna; Urubhang is
about Duryodhan in his last days with his thighs broken; and Madhyam Vyayog
is about the love story of Bhim and Hidimba.
Bhas also takes poetic liberties and changes the course of events and
creates another world. In Pratima-Natak, he displays a side of Kaikeyi
and her justification for exiling Ram. Panchratra has him change the
course of events in the epic and he makes Duryodhan give way to the Pandavas’
demand and avoids war.
‘Swapna-Vasavdatta’ is about Vasavdatta, daughter of
king Pradyot of Ujjaini falling in love with King Udayan of Vatsa country,
while he taught her how to play veena. But then Udayan had to marry Ratnavali
for political reasons, but he cannot forget Vasavdatta. The play is about
Vasavdatta’s dreams and Udayan’s pursuit to unite with his true love.
‘Pratindya-Youghandrayan’ is about minister of same
king Udayan who helps Udayan escape the custody of Pradyot and makes him marry
the princess of Magadha to consolidate his position in the political arena. It
is important to note that Udayan and Pradyot are historical figures and their
time coincides with that of Buddhist era which is Fifth century BCE.
Charudutt is about Charudutt and Vasantsena, a gold-hearted ganika or prostitute. This story was
further developed in Mruchhkatik or ‘An
Earthen Cart’, one
of the oldest and most important
Sanskrit plays in India.
Bhas is a rebel. He
dared to show what was traditionally unacceptable. He dared to deviate from
what Bharat Muni advised as classical Natya. For example, defying the rules of Natya-Shastra, he showed death on stage.
He showed war and violence and hunting on stage, supposed to be taboo. He even showed
his characters sleeping on the stage, which Bharat Muni had warned against in Natya-Shastra.
According to tradition,
Bhas is said to have been a Brahmin and a devotee of Vishnu. One of Bhas’s plays
(Pratima) refers to ‘Devkul’.
Scholars think this is a reference to a temple. Bhas refers to a certain king named ‘Rajsimha’,
whose kingdom extended from the Himalaya to the Vindhya.
But to what period
does Bhas belong?
He is praised by
Kalidas, so he must have lived before the 4th-5th century
CE. Bhas’s play Charudutt is original
and hence he would have to predate Shudrak, which is before the 3rd
century CE. Bhas has never really followed Bharata’s Natya-Shastra rules, so in all probability he existed before the Natya-Shasta was written.
The manuscripts
discovered by T Ganapatishastri are preserved in the Manuscript Library at the Government
Sanskrit College, Tripunithura, in Kochi, Kerala. Bhas is still quite a mystery and we can only that more evidence of
the celebrated dramatist comes to light so that we can fully appreciate his
genius.
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