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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
LITERATURE one of the rare instances in which a member of an ascetic order is seen busying himself with the composition of a dramatic work. We have comparatively more information about the literature of the later period. After the Kalachuris established themselves at the fort of Kālañjara, some of them took to literary activities. Māyurāja, whom Rājaśēkhara calls Kalachuri poet,1 wrote a Sanskrit play named Udāttarāghava. This play also is not extant, but some references to and extracts from it occur in several Sanskrit works.2 As the name indicates, its theme was the life of Rāma. There are some incidents in Rāma's career, as described in Vālmīki's Rāmāyana, which are open to criticism. Māyurāja seems to have altered or omitted them in order to present the hero as absolutely free from blemish. This object of the author is indicated also by the title of the play, Udāttarāghava, 'The Noble Rāghava'. From some references and extracts in later Sanskrit works, it appears that Māyurāja omitted the incident of Vāli-vadha (the killing of Vāli). The Ramāyana tells us that while Vāli and Sugrīva were engaged in a deadly combat, Rāma concealed himself behind some trees and discharged an arrow which fatally wounded Vāli.3 The monkey chief reproached Rāma severely for this unprovoked wrong and the latter was hard put to it in justifying his action. Some earlier playwrights like Bhāsa4 had followed Vālmīki5in stating Rāmaâs defence. Others like Bhavabhūti had given a different turn to the incident. Māyurāja seems to have cut the Gordian knot by omitting the incident altogether. In one more respect, Māyurāja is known to have deviated from the original story of Vālmīki.6 He sends Lakshmana first to kill the māyāmriga (pseudo-deer). A Rakshasa, who had disguised himself as a sage, plaintively beseeches Rāma to go the rescue of his brother who was in danger. Rama hesitates at first to leave Sita alone in the hermitage, but ultimately departs to save Lakshmana. In his absence, Sita is carried away by Rāvana. By his manipulation of the original story, Māyurāja has cleverly avoided the occasion for Sītā’s unmerited reproach of Lakshmana.7 Judging by the available extracts,8 Māyurāja seems to have adopted the Vaidarbhi rīti for the composition of his play. His style is lucid and charming, being unloaded with long compounds. Jalhanaâs Sūktimuktāvali cites two verses of Māyurāja without referring them to the Udāttarāghava.9 They describe Rāvana and are in the Gaudī style. That Māyurāja wrote also a kāvya is known from Hēmachandra’s Kāvyānuśāsana. 10 Some of the verses cited in the anthologies may have been taken from that Kāvya.
Another king of Kālañjara, who also probably belonged to the Kalachuri dynasty,
was Bhīmata. According to Rājaśēkhara’s account, 11 he composed five plays, of which the
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