Mahāvīracarita (by Bhavabhūti)

Index

Introduction and authorship:

The Mahāvīracarita (महावीरचरित, mahaviracarita) is a Sanskrit book written by Bhavabhūti: Literally “the exploits of the great hero”. The story revolves around Rāma, the hero of the Rāmāyaṇa, who is venerated as a deity. The play consists fo seven acts and the introduction represents a scene where sage Viśvāmitra ask Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa to guard his sacrifice.

About the author:

Bhavabhūti (भवभूति, bhavabhuti) (8th century) is the author of the Mahāvīracarita. An author of Sanskrit literature (dramatic plays and poetic works). He is known for his Mahāvīracarita, Uttararāmacarita and the Mālatīmādhava. The content subjects of the former two works are drawn from the Rāmāyaṇa.

Book topics:

Nāṭya (नाट्य, natya), or “Dramatic playwrights”, are well-known in the world of Sanskrit literature. Closely related to kāvya (poetry) and mahākāvya (epic poetry), a dramatic play usually revolves around some epic story involving heroes and romance. Rules for composing plays are defined in the Nāṭyaśāstra.

Book editions:

This book has the following editions. The lists are categorised by ‘print editions’, some of which you can buy, and ‘digital links’, most of which you can download for free. The language of the referenced work is indicated in [brackets].

Digital links (online resources):

[english]

Maha-vira-charita; the adventures of the great hero Rama, by John Pickford, year: 1871, pages: 200; publisher: Trübner

Print publications:

[english]

Mahāvīracarita: the Adventures of the Great Hero Rāma, by John Pickford, year: 1871, pages: 172; publisher: Trübner

[sanskrit]

Mahāvīracaritam of Bhavabhūti, by T. R. Ratnam, year: 1926, pages: 234; By T. R. Ratnam Aiyar and S. Rangachariar; Fourth edition

[hindi]

Mahāvīracarita of Mahākavi Śrī Bhavabhūti, by Ācārya Śrī Rāmacandra Miśra, year: 2009, pages: 376; publisher: Chaukhambha Vidya Bhawan; Edited with the Prakāśa Sanskrit-Hindi Commentary, Introduction and Appendix

[french]

Mahāvīracaritaṃ, by Francois Grimal, year: 1989, pages: 718; publisher: Institut Francais De Pondichery; ISBN-10: 8184700415; ISBN-13: 9788184700411; Edited with the Prakāśa Sanskrit-Hindi Commentary, Introduction and Appendix

Translated verses from this book:

Most of the following verses are English translations of the Mahaviracarita. These are primarily taken from the Mahāsubhāṣitasaṃgraha, a compendium of Sanskrit metrical aphorisms (subhāṣita) collected from various sources. More translations will be added over time, and the latest addition will be shown first here.

2017-05-16, Mahāvīracarita 2.30, English translation by J. Pickford.

About Sanskrit

Sanskrit is the oldest living language and bears testimony to the intellectual past of ancient India. Three major religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) share this language, which is used for many of their holy books. Besides religious manuscripts, much of India’s ancient culture has been preserved in Sanskrit, covering topics such as Architecture, Music, Botany, Surgery, Ethics, Philosophy, Dance and much more.

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