Bhavabhuti
Bhavabhūti (born Śrīkaṇṭha Nīlakaṇṭha; Devanagari: भवभूति; -) was a classical Sanskrit scholar, poet, and playwright of eighth-century India. He is considered a key successor to Kalidasa and is often regarded as matching his literary stature. His best known work '' Uttararamacarita'' (translated as ''The Later Deeds of Rama''), earned him the title "Poet of the Karunā Rasa". Background Bhavabhuti was born in Padmapura, Aamgaon, at Gondia district,in Maharashtra. He was born in a Audumbar/Udumbar Brahmin family of scholars. He is described as a scion of the Yāyāvara family, bearing the surname Udumbara. His Kāshyapa brahmin ancestors adhered to the Black Yajurveda and kept the five sacred fire. His real name was Srikantha Nilakantha, and he was the son of Nilakantha and Jatukarni. He received his education at 'Padmapawaya', a place some 42 km South-West of Gwalior. Dayananidhi Paramahansa is known to be his guru. He composed his historical plays a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mahaviracharita
''Mahaviracharita'' ("Exploits of a Great Hero") is a play by the 8th-century Sanskrit playwright Bhavabhuti based on the early life of Rama, the hero of the ''Ramayana'' and venerated as a Hindu deity. It is the first play of Bhavabhuti,Mirashi p.111 thus lacking in character and style compared to his two known later works: '' Malatimadhava'' and '' Uttararamacharita''. Though currently composed of seven acts, the whole present text may not have been composed by Bhavabhuti. Structure and plot The play is composed of seven acts. Most modern scholars agree that Bhavabhuti has written the play from the beginning only to the 46th verse of Act V. According to one theory, the rest of the play is lost to time. Another theory suggests that Bhavabuti left the play incomplete after the 46th verse of Act V. However, two different extensions replace the lost material to make up seven acts. The North Indian version is composed by a poet Vinayaka and the South Indian version is attributed to Su ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Uttararamacharita
''Uttararāmacharita'' (, IAST: Uttararāmacharita) () is a Sanskrit play in seven acts in the ''Nataka'' style by Bhavabhuti. It depicts the later life of Hindu god Rama, from the coronation after Rama's return from exile, to his reunion with his wife Sita whom he abandoned immediately after his coronation and his two sons Lava and Kusha, covering a period of more than twelve years. Characters Main characters: * Ramathe eldest son of King Dasharatha * SitaRama's wife * LakshmanaRama's brother * Atreyian elderly ascetic * Vasantithe sylvan deity Plot Composed in seven acts, ''Uttararāmacharita''s main theme is Sita's abandonment. The first act gives a brief summary of Rama's story up to the fire-ordeal of Sita. The common people who were away from the scene of the fire-ordeal, refused to be convinced, and made uncharitable criticism of Rama's acceptance of Sita. This forced Rama to take the regrettable decision of abandoning her. He sends her away without explanation under the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Indian Classical Drama
The term Indian classical drama refers to the tradition of dramatic literature and performance in ancient India. The roots of drama in the Indian subcontinent can be traced back to the Rigveda (1200-1500 BCE), which contains a number of hymns in the form of dialogues, or even scenes, as well as hymns that make use of other literary forms such as animal fables However, Indian drama begins its classical stage in the classical period with the composition of the Nātyaśāstra (''lit. The Science of Drama''). Indian classical drama is regarded as the highest achievement of Sanskrit literature.Brandon (1981, xvii). The Buddhist playwright, poet and philosopher Asvaghosa, who composed the ''Buddhacarita'', is considered to have been one of the first Sanskrit dramatists along with Bhāsa, who likely lived in the 2nd century BCE, and is famous for writing two of the only surviving tragedies in Sanskrit drama. Despite its name, a classical Sanskrit drama uses both Sanskrit and Prakrit ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lalitaditya Muktapida
Lalitaditya alias Muktapida (IAST: Lalitāditya Muktāpīḍa; r. c. 724 CE–760 CE) was a Karkota monarch of the Kashmir region in the Indian subcontinent. The 12th-century Kashmiri chronicler Kalhana characterizes Lalitaditya as a " world conqueror", crediting him with miraculous powers and extensive conquests across India and Central Asia. While Kalhana's account is not supported by contemporary records and largely rejected as exaggerations, he is accepted as the most powerful king of his dynasty. The chronicles of the neighbouring Tang dynasty present him as a vassal-ally, and his involvement in the Tang campaigns may have contributed to his reputation as a great conqueror in Kashmir. Lalitaditya commissioned a number of shrines in Kashmir, including the now-destroyed Martand Sun Temple. He also established several towns, including a new capital at Parihasapura. Background The main source of information about Lalitaditya is '' Rajatarangini'', a chronicle of the rule ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Harvard Oriental Series
The ''Harvard Oriental Series'' is a book series founded in 1891 by Charles Rockwell Lanman and Henry Clarke Warren. Lanman served as its inaugural editor (1891–1934) for the first 37 volumes. Other editors of the series include Walter Eugene Clark (1934–1950, volumes 38–44), Daniel Henry Holmes Ingalls (1950–1983, volumes 45–48) and Gary Tubb (1983–1990, volume 49). Currently in its 93rd volume, the series is edited by Michael Witzel, the Wales Professor of Sanskrit in the Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies at Harvard University, and distributed by the Harvard University Press. A subseries, ''Harvard Oriental Series Opera Minora'', "aims at the swift publication of important materials that cannot be included in the mainly text-oriented Harvard Oriental Series." Volumes of Main Series Volumes of ''Opera Minora'' subseries See also * Columbia University Indo-Iranian Series *Loeb Classical Library The Loeb Classical Library (LCL; named after James ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Yashovarman
Yashovarman (IAST: Yaśovarman) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Kannauj and first king of the Varman dynasty. Life Yashovarman was the king of Kannauj in the early part of the eighth century. The city (then known as Kanyakubja) had previously been ruled by Harsha, who died without an heir and thus created a power vacuum. This lasted for around a century before Yashovarman emerged as its ruler. Alexander Cunningham, an archaeologist of the British Raj period, speculated on possible rulers of Kannauj during the period between Harsha and Yashovarman but there is little evidence to support his claims. Little is known of Yashovarman or his family, with most information being derived from the '' Gaudavaho'' (''Slaying of the king of Gauda''), a Prakrit-language poem written by Vakpati. Yashovarman was a supporter of culture and Vakpati was among his courtiers: the extent to which the poem can be relied upon for statements of fact is impossible to determine. Vakpati's work has been ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sita
Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is the chief goddess of the Ramanandi Sampradaya and is the goddess of beauty and devotion. Sita's birthday is celebrated every year on the occasion of Sita Navami. Described as the daughter of Bhūmi (the earth), Sita is brought up as the adopted daughter of King Janaka of Videha. Sita, in her youth, chooses Rama, the prince of Ayodhya (Ramayana), Ayodhya as her husband in a swayamvara. After the Sita Swayamvara, swayamvara, she accompanies her husband to his kingdom but later chooses to accompany him along with her brother-in-law Lakshmana, in his exile. While in exile, the trio settles in the Dandaka forest from where she is abducted by Ravana, the Rakshasa king of Lanka. She is imprisoned in the garden of Ashoka Vatika, in Lanka, until she ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kalidasa
Kālidāsa (, "Servant of Kali"; 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on Hindu Puranas and philosophy. His surviving works consist of three plays, two epic poems and two shorter poems. Much about his life is unknown except what can be inferred from his poetry and plays. His works cannot be dated with precision, but they were most likely authored before the 5th century CE during the Gupta era. Kalidas is mentioned as one of the seven Brahma avatars in Dasam Granth, written by Guru Gobind Singh. Early life Scholars have speculated that Kālidāsa may have lived near the Himalayas, in the vicinity of Ujjain, and in Kalinga. This hypothesis is based on Kālidāsa's detailed description of the Himalayas in his '' Kumārasambhavam'', the display of his love for Ujjain in '' Meghadūta'', and his highly eulogistic descriptions of Kalingan emperor Hem ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chanakya
Chanakya (ISO 15919, ISO: ', चाणक्य, ), according to legendary narratives preserved in various traditions dating from the 4th to 11th century CE, was a Brahmin who assisted the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya, Chandragupta in his rise to power and the establishment of the Maurya Empire. According to these narratives, Chanakya served as the chief adviser and prime minister to both emperors Chandragupta Maurya and his son Bindusara. Conventionally, Chanakya was identified with Kauṭilya and synonymously Vishnugupta, the author of the ancient Indian politico-economic treatise ''Arthashastra''. ''Arthashastra'' is now thought with high probability to have been composed by multiple authors during the early centuries of the common era—several centuries after the Mauryan period—the backdated identification with Chanakya to have served to add prestige to the work. Chanakya-Chandragupta ''katha'' (legend) There is no documented historical informati ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Arthashastra
''Kautilya's Arthashastra'' (, ; ) is an Ancient Indian Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, politics, economic policy and military strategy. The text is likely the work of several authors over centuries, starting as a compilation of ''Arthashastras'', texts which according to Olivelle date from the 2nd c. BCE to the 1st c. CE. These treatises were compiled and amended in a new treatise, according to McClish and Olivelle in the 1st century CE by either an anonymous author or Kautilya, though earlier and later dates have also been proposed. While often regarded as created by a single author, McClish and Olivelle argue that this compilation, possibly titled ''Daņdanīti'', served as the basis for a major expansion and redaction in the 2nd or 3rd century CE by either Kautilya or an anonymous author, when several books, dialogical comments, and the disharmonious chapter-division were added, and a stronger Brahmanical ideology was brought in. The text thus became a proper ''arthashast ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dasharatha Sharma
Dasharatha Sharma (1903–1976) was an Indologist with a particular interest in the history of the Rajasthan region of India. Born in the Rajasthani city of Churu, he studied in the city of Bikaner and at the University of Delhi. He had degrees of Master of Arts (M.A.) in History and Sanskrit and received a Doctor of Literature (D. Litt.) for his thesis, ''Early Chauhan Dynasties''. Academic appointments Sharma was the head of the Department of History at Hindu College, University of Delhi, and later was appointed Reader (equivalent of Associate Professor) in Ancient History at the University of Delhi. In 1966, he was appointed as Professor and Head of the Department of History at the University of Jodhpur (now renamed Jai Narain Vyas University) and later became Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the same institution. After retirement from the University of Jodhpur, Prof. Sharma served as Director of the Rajasthan Puratattva Mandir near the Rajasthan Oriental Research Institute ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |