''Pancharātra'' is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

drama written by Bhasa. The plot is based on the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

epic ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

''. The play takes its name from the period of five nights referred in the plot. Pancha(५) means Five(5) and Raatra means nights. The Pandavas were roaming in the forest for twelve years. Dronacharya who was the teacher of both the pandavas and kauravas knew Duryodhana's (leader of kauravas) reluctance to give the land to the Pandavas. He predicted a war and to avoid such a calamity he was looking for an opportunity. So he asked Duryadhona to perform sacrifice and at the sacrifice, Duryadhona took a bath and asked for gurudakshini (the act of repaying one's guru). Drona cleverly demanded half of the land for the Pandavas. Duryadhona agreed but on one condition that he would provide him with the whereabouts about the pandavas within five nights. Drona agreed and was successful and hence half of the kingdom was handed to the pandavas.

See also