10. Vasulaksmikalyana by Venkata Subrahmanya Dhavarin

In addition to the drama Vasulaksmikalyana^[1] included in Sadasiva Diksita’s Balaramavarmayasobhusana there is another drama of the same name written by Venkata Subrahmanya Dhavarin [Venkatasubrahmanyadhavarin] who was another protege of Rama Varma. The plots of the two dramas do not show any substantial difference, and at the same time are related to the personal like of Rama Varma. However, minor differences are noticable in the plots.

Sadasiva’s narration in this; The ruler of Sindhurajya had a daughter named Vasulaksmi whom he decided to give in marriage to Balarama Varma, the ruler of Travancore. But, the queen wanted to get her daughter married to a sinhalese prince, for which she transported the princess to Lanka. But in the voyage the ship was caught in a whirlpool and was forced to land at the Travancore coast. Vasumadrajan, brother of Balaramavarma’s lady took the princess to his sister. Vasumadraja was the Travancore ruler’s officer posted in the Antadurga. The king fell in love with Vasulakshmi. Nitisagara, the Travancore minister informed the Raja of Sindhuraja of the happenings, whereupon Sindhuraja came to Travancore and gave his daughter in marriage to Balarama Varma.

Venkata-subrahmanya Diksita’s narration is the following. The minister Budhisagara who has seen a portrait of Vasulaksmi the Sindhu Pricess, is anxious that the king should marry her so that the political influence of Travancore may extend northwards and his friendship with the Hunaraja (English East India Company) may also be strengthened. When the news is received that the Sindhu princess is voyaging to Ceylon, the minister manages to waylay this ship in Travancore water with the active co-operation of the Hunaraja. Vasuman the officer in command of the sea coast who is also brother of Ramavarma’s consort, sends the captive princess to the royal court. The king falls in love with her and meets her in the royal pleasure garden; the jealous queen tries to remover her rival by marrying her to the Cera prince Vasuvarman, but the plot fails as the king and his Vidusaka impersonate the Cera prince and his friend. Atlast the queen gives her consent for the marriage^[2]. According to A.S. Ramanatha Iyer and Ullur, Rama Varma’s marriage with the Sindhu princess was a not a historical event, but a symbolism of the establishment of trade relation with the merchants who came from Sindh and Kutch.

The name of the heroine Vasulaksmi, which means literally the ‘Goddess of wealth’ may aptly indicate a personification of the anticipated commercial prosperity of the state consequent on the colonisation by the northern marchants, whose introduction into the country and the grant of special privilages to whom were, however first viewed with disfavour and jealously by the conservative ‘native of the soil’ as personified in the legal consort Vasumati. (the earth) until their prejudice was faded over by proper arguments adduced by the able minister; while Vasuman (the port officer) who was also convinced of the advantages that would happen to the state by Vasulakmi’s marriage heartily sided with the minister in his endeavour to win over Vasumati’s consent^[3].

In Venkatasubrahmanya’s drama it is said that Kaccdesa was located north of Sindhurajya. In the second act of the hero says—

‘sindhoruttarakaccabhūmimavadhīkṛtya |’

It appears that the name indhurajya [indurajya?] has been applied to the country of Setupati. The Setupati owes his title to the territorial name set which in inter changable with Sindhu.

Venkatasubrahmanya states that Rama Varma’s uncle Martandavarma was in friendly relation with the Sindhuraja. It is said in the drama that the matrimony was aimed at developing good relations with the Hunaraja or the English. If Rama Varma developed direct trade with Sindh, it would have enraged the English, instead of pleasing them.

No special significance could be ascribed to the particular mention of sindh, because neither the province of Sindh nor the Sindhis of that time had any remarkable position in international trade. In matters of inland trude also the Sindhis had no place in Travancore. There was no Sindhi population in the 18th C. Travancore as known to history.

Antadurga mentions in the drama should be identified with Vattakotta,which is located at the lands end of India and then frontier of Travancore.

It is stated that the drama included in the Yasobhusana was written for enacting in connection with the Vasantotsava of Lord Padmanabha. Ullur identified this with the Painkunni Utsava^[4].

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Travancore Sanskrit Series 224, 1968; Vide—Kerala Sahitya Caritram, Ullur III -P-458 -459

[2]:

Intro. to Travancore Sanskrit Series No. 224, 1968, Pp 3 -4

[3]:

Travancore Arceological Series -Vol. V -Pp 118 -126

[4]:

Kerala Sahitya Caritram, Ullur -Vol. III -P 459