Dasarupaka (critical study)
by Anuru Ranjan Mishra | 2015 | 106,293 words
This page relates ‘Bhasa—The author and the date of the play (Urubhanga)’ of the English study of the Dasarupaka of Dhananjaya: an important work on Hindu dramaturgy (Natya-shastra) from the tenth century dealing with the ten divisions of Sanskrit drama (nata), describing their technical aspects and essential dramaturgical principals. These ten types of drama are categorised based on the plot (vastu), hero (neta) and sentiment (rasa)
Part 1 - Bhāsa—The author and the date of the play (Ūrubhaṅga)
Bhāsa, the author of the Ūrubhaṅga, has not mentioned anything about himself, in his plays.
A. D. Pusalkar (1940, Bhāsa A Study, pp.68, 105) states that:
“Bhāsa is a gotra, in Haimodaka division of Agastyagotra and Bhāsa is a corrupt form. He was an orthodox Brahmin, follower of the caste system and jealous worshipper of Viṣṇu and a firm believer in the practice, utility and efficacy of sacrifices etc. His descriptions of various matters in his works are the evidences that prove the fact that he was a Brahmin from the northern part of India.”
Again tentatively, the date of Bhāsa can be fixed as fourth century B.C., because he has mentioned that the author of Arthaśāstra is Bṛhaspati and not Kauṭilya, which places him before Mauryan period. Even the Buddhism and the Jainism do not seem to have obtained a sway over the public when these plays were written. It might be so because the Brāhmaṇical system, glorification of sacrifices and hate towards Buddhist and Jain were still prevalent. Thus, the most considerable date of Bhāsa is 4th century B.C. He was referred to by the poets like Kālidāsa, Bhoja, Śāradātanaya, Abhinava, Bāṇa, Daṇḍi, Rājaśekhara.