Mṛcchakatika (मृच्छकटिका), The Little Clay Cart – A Sankrit drama par excellence

 

For reconstructing life in Ujjayini in my novel Yugantar, I relied on Mṛcchakatika (मृच्छकटिका), The Little Clay Cart. It is a ten-act Sanskrit drama created by Śūdraka, a playwright of the 5th century CE. The play is set in the ancient city of Ujjayini during the reign of the King Pālaka, near the end of the Pradyota dynasty that made up the first quarter of the fifth century BCE. The central story is that of a noble but impoverished young Brahmin, Cārudatta, who falls in love with a wealthy courtesan, Vasantasenā. Despite their mutual affection, however, the couple's lives and love are threatened when a lecherous courtier, Samsthānaka, begins to aggressively harass Vasantasenā.

The drama is rife with romance, comedy, intrigue and a political subplot around the overthrow of the city's despotic ruler by a shepherd. The play is notable for its focus on a fictional scenario rather than on a classical tale or legend. Mṛcchakaṭika also swerves away from the traditional approach that dramas should focus on the lives of the nobility. It gives importance to many peasant characters who speak a wide range of Prakrit dialects, the language of the people.

The work played a significant role in generating interest in Indian theatre among European audiences following several successful nineteenth century translations and stage productions.

Unlike other classical plays in Sanskrit, the play does not borrow ideas from epics or mythology. The characters of Śūdraka are drawn from the mundane world. It is peopled with gamblers, courtesans, thieves, and so on. The protagonist of the play, Cārudatta, does not belong to the noble class or royal lineage. Though Vasantasenā is a courtesan, her exemplary attitude and dignified behavior impress the audience. The nobility of the characters does not stem from their social conditioning but from their virtues and behaviour.

I am giving a small extract below from Ryder’s translation:

Maitreya. [Enters and looks about.] Well! What a beautiful orchard! There are any number of trees planted here, and they are covered with the most wonderful flowers. Silken swings are hung under the thick-set trees, just big enough for a girl to sit in. The golden jasmine, the shephālikā, the white jasmine, the jessamine, the navamallikā, the amaranth, the spring creeper, and all the other flowers have fallen of themselves, and really, it makes Indra's heaven look dingy. [He looks in another direction.] And the pond here looks like the morning twilight, for the lilies and red lotuses are as splendid as the rising sun. And again:

The ashoka-tree, whose twigs so merry

And crimson flowers have just appeared,

Seems like a battling mercenary,

With clotting crimson gore besmeared.

 

(Translated by Arthur William Ryder)

(Story adapted from Wikipedia)