Preface

I had an interest since my childhood to read storybooks based on mythological events. Among these, the Rāmāyaṇa story had a very special appeal to me. As I started my master degree classes of Sanskrit, I got a chance to read many books and legends of my interest. ‘Kāvya’ was my special subject in my M.A. course (in Sanskrit) during my University days. During the period of my study, there developed a keen interest in me for studying the drama based on the Rāmāyaṇa seriously. So with consultation with my Supervisor, I decided to take up “A Critical Study of the Hanuman-nāṭaka” of Śrī Dāmodara Miśra, for my Ph.D. dissertation.

In Sanskrit version of Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa, I tried to unearth my long cherished curiosity of Rāma’s story. The Rāmāyaṇa, in present form consists of seven Kāṇḍas, hundreds of chapters or cantos and thousands of verses (śloka). It is basically the story of Rāma and his opponent Rāvaṇa and their terrible fight leading to disastrous consequences of the latter. The main story is enriched by hundreds of side episodes and references. It is on the study of human nature and behaviour, where the character like Rāma is depicted with all its perfection and maturity and Rāvaṇa’s character is portrayed as arrival of Rāma for the love of Sītā. It is one of the greatest epics that have ever been written in the soil of India and is often referred to as ‘Ādikāvya’ (first ornate poem).

Śrī Dāmodara Miśra’s Hanuman-nāṭaka is a Mahānāṭaka (a fourteen act drama), dealing with the story of Rāma. Here is found the description of the events starting from Rāma’s birth up to the death of Rāvaṇa, Rāma’s coronation and Sītā’s exile. But some variations from the Rāmāyaṇa have been made in the construction of the plot of the drama. In this drama Rāvaṇa has been depicted as the contesting bridegroom, in the svayamvara (marriage ceremony) of Sītā, the daughter of king Janaka. Love and longing for Sītā are there as the basic theme of the drama.

Śrī Dāmodara Miśra, the dramatist of the Hanumannāṭaka, is one of the celebrated personalities in Sanskrit literature. His only drama Hanumannāṭaka made him a renowned writer in Sanskrit dramatic literature. It seems proper that the work of a writer of the stature of Śrī Dāmodara Miśra, deserves an appreciative as well as critical examination. So at the instances and inspirations of my Supervisor, it was proposed to prepare a dissertation entitled “A CRITICAL STUDY OF THE HANUMANNĀṬAKA” which is divided into seven chapters.

While preparing the dissertation, I have depended primarily on the edition of the Hanumannāṭaka of Śrī Dāmodara Miśra edited by Pt.Jagadisha Mishra which was published by Chowkhamba Surabharati Prakashan, Varanasi.

I, with all my humble submission, place this dissertation to the scholarly world for assessment. I am fully aware of the inadvertent shortcomings. I shall be highly rewarded, if the learned one finds something valuable in it and assesses its worth.

Date (Nurima Yeasmin)