Bhagavadajjukam
The Bhagavadajjukam (
transmigration of souls and a discussion on Hindu dharma, the comical play was intended to mock the doctrines of Buddhism, whose rise at the time presented a challenge to the dominance of Hinduism
in India.
Characters
- Parivrajaka – monk or master
- Shandilya – disciple
- Vasantsena – courtesan
- Ramilaka – courtesan's lover
- Vidushaka – jester
- A quack doctor
- Yamaraja
Synopsis
The play opens with a discussion on Hindu
yogic power, the master transfers the disciple's soul into the woman's body, who then rises and continues the philosophical discussion.[6]
Translations
The play had been largely forgotten until the 20th century except in
Indologist Ferdinando Belloni-Filippi.[8] The first English translation of the play was published by the Dutch Indologist J. A. B. van Buitenen in the journal Mahfil (now Journal of South Asian Literature) in 1971 with the title The Hermit and the Harlot.[8][9]
Performance history
In 1967, the play was directed in Hindi by Shanta Gandhi at the National School of Drama.[10] It has often been adapted to be performed as Koodiyattam, a traditional performing art of Kerala.[11] The play continues to be performed in many regional Indian languages.[12] In 2011, Kavalam Narayana Panicker directed the play at the Ernakulam Town Hall in Kochi.[13] Other recent productions were held in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020.[14][15][16]
References
- ^ Bodhāyanakavi (1925). Bhagavadajjukiyam: a Prahasana of Bodhayana Kavi with commentary (in Sanskrit). Pāliyagranthaśālā.
- ^ Lockwood, Michael. Metatheater and Sanskrit Drama: Part II.
- ^ Saxena, Saurabh (11 November 2010). "Puratattva". Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ "Cave Temples Mamandur". Million Gods. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ www.wisdomlib.org (2017-05-07). "Ten Kinds of Play (daśarūpa) [Chapter XX]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- S2CID 178363530.
- ^ Foreword, Bodhayana's Bhagavadajjukam, Manimanjari Publications, Hyderabad, January 1986
- ^ a b Hardy 2005, p. 568
- JSTOR 40874441.
- ^ Dharwadker 2009, p. 167
- ^ Pradeep, K. (15 September 2011). "Absorbing and relevant". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ Bajeli, Diwan Singh (March 19, 2020). "Celebration of theatre". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ "Some Soul-searching". The New Indian Express.
- ^ "This dancer is keeping India's oldest surviving Sanskrit theatre alive". Hindustan Times. July 30, 2016.
- ^ Nayar, Vr Prabodhachandran (October 3, 2019). "Powerful portrayal". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ George, Liza (January 17, 2013). "Curtains up". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
Bibliography
- Datta, Amaresh (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Volume 1. ISBN 9788126018031.
- Hardy, Friedhelm (2005). The Religious Culture of India: Power, Love and Wisdom. ISBN 9780521023443.
- Liu, Siyuan, ed. (2016). Routledge Handbook of Asian Theatre. ISBN 9781317278863.
- Dharwadker, Aparna Bhargava (2009). Theatres of independence: drama, theory, and urban performance in India since 1947. University of Iowa Press. ISBN 9781587296420.
- Monius, Anne (2001). Imagining a Place for Buddhism: Literary Culture and Religious Community in Tamil-Speaking South India. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198032069.