The Sanskrit Drama

This sweeping study traces Sanskrit drama from its sacred legends and Vedic precursors to its classical masters and eventual decline. Opening with the traditional claim that drama is a "fifth Veda" fashioned by Brahmā for instruction and delight, it examines that myth critically before turning to the Ṛgveda's dialogue hymns—striking poems of divine debate, human longing, and enigmatic speech. The book weighs theories that treat these hymns as ritual or proto-dramatic performances, engaging scholars such as Max Müller, Lévi, von Schroeder, Hertel, Windisch, Oldenberg, and Pischel, yet firmly rejects speculative readings unsupported by the texts themselves. From there, it surveys the rise and maturity of classical Sanskrit drama through figures such as Bhāsa, Kālidāsa, Harṣa, Bhavabhūti, Viśākhadatta, Bhaṭṭa Nārāyaṇa, Murāri, and Rājaçekhara, alongside dramatic theory, poetics, sentiment, dance, music, staging, actors, and audience response. Rich literary analysis highlights the fierce loyalty and tragic tension of plays like Veṇīsaṃhāra, with its portrait of Draupadī's humiliation and vow of revenge, and the commanding presence of Rākṣasa, all rendered in the varied meters, Prākrits, and elevated style that define Sanskrit theater. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.