Bhavabhuti was an Indian playwright and poet who lived in the 8th century AD. He is considered one of the greatest playwrights in Sanskrit literature and is known for his three famous plays: Malatimadhava, Mahaviracharita, and Uttararamacharita.
Malatimadhava is a romantic play that tells the story of the love between the hero, Chudamani, and the heroine.Malati. Mahavira Charita is a historical play that recounts the life of a great king Vikramaditya. Uttararamacharita is a play that continues the story of the Ramayana after the return of Rama and Sita to Ayodhya. Bhavabhuti’s plays are known for their poetic beauty, powerful emotions, and deep philosophical insights. He is regarded as one of the “three jewels” of Sanskrit literature, along with Kalidasa and Magha. Bhavabhuti’s works have had a profound influence onIndian literature and culture, and they continue to be studied and
performed to this day. His plays are considered equal to the works of Kalidasa. Bhavabhuti was born in Padmapura, in Gondia district, on the Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh border. He was born in a Deshastha Brahmin family of scholars. His real name was Srikantha Nilakantha, and he was the son of Nilakantha and Jatukarni. He received his education at Padmapawaya, a place some 42 km South-West of Gwalior. Dayananidhi Paramahansa is known to be his guru. He composed his historical plays at Kalpi, a place on the banks of river Yamuna. He is believed to have been the court poet of king Yashovarman of Kannauj.
Malati Madhava
Malati Madhava is a famous Sanskrit play that is a romantic tragedy that tells the story of Malati and Madhava, two young lovers from different social classes who are separated by their families and social customs.Madhava is a young Brahmin who falls in love with Malati, the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Despite their different social backgrounds, they pledge their love to each other and plan to elope. However, their plan is foiled by Malati’s father, who arranges for her to marry someone else. The play explores themes of love, social class, family honour, and the conflict between duty and desire. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest works of Indian classical literature and has been translated into many languages.The story of Malati Madhava has been adapted into various forms of literature and performing arts, including dance dramas, operas, and films.
Mahaviracharita – Exploits of a Great Hero, is a play by a Sanskrit playwright Bhavabhuti based on the early life of Shri Rama. It is the first play of Bhavabhuti, so it lacks in character and style compared to his two later known works – Malatimadhava and Uttararamacharita. It currently consists of seven acts.
The play is composed of seven acts. Most modern scholars agree that Bhavabhuti has written the play from the beginning only to the 46th verse of Act V. According to one theory, the rest of the play is lost to time. Another theory suggests that Bhavabuti left the play incomplete after the 46th verse of Act V.
The North Indian version is composed by a poet Vinayaka and the South Indian version is attributed to Subrahmanya. Both versions do not resemble Bhavabuti’s style. But, the North Indian version is considered better in quality than the South Indian version.
The poet removed the defect in the character of Shri Rama, that was because of his abandonment of his wife. At the same time he has shown the humiliated and sorrowful heart of Sita. In the literature, where there was a rule of predominance of Shringar and Veer Rasa in plays, Bhavabhuti brought a unique revolution in the theatrical world by writing a Karun Rasa-dominated play.