Mudrarakshasa (literary study)
by Antara Chakravarty | 2015 | 58,556 words
This page relates ‘The Chandas employed in Mudrarakshasa (Introduction)’ of the English study on the Mudrarakshasa: an ancient Sanskrit dramatic play (Nataka) authored by Vishakhadatta which deals with the life of king Chandragupta. This study investigates the Mudra Rakshasa from a literary perspective, such as metrics, themes, rhetorics and other poetical elements. Chandragupta ruled the Mauryan Empire during the 4th century BCE, hence this text can also be studied as a historical textbook of ancient India.
2. The Chandas employed in Mudrārākṣasa (Introduction)
kāvye rasānusāreṇa varṇanānuguṇena ca
kurvīta sarvavṛttānāṃ viniyogaṃ vibhāgavit//[1]
The meters used in a kāvya should be favorable for the rasas as well as the contextual descriptions, is, the observation of Kṣemendra. Let us examine how far Viśākhadatta has been successful in employment of the meters in his drama befitting with the rasas and also with the circumstantial situations.
Mudrārākṣasa of Viśākhadatta comprises of seven acts. In these seven acts, there are as many as 168 metrical verses. Viśākhadatta has employed 19 different types of chandass in different places of the drama following the demand of the circumstances. Now, in the following we are going to discuss about the chandass chosen by Viśākhadatta for Mudrārākṣasa along with their definitions cited by Gaṅgādāsa in the Chandomañjarī one by one.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Suvṛttatilaka, III.7