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Clay Sanskrit Library
毓乇亘丞 丕賱氐賱氐丕賱 丕賱氐睾賷乇丞
The Clay Toy-cart remains one of the foundational works of Sanskrit drama, having been performed numerous times around the world and even serving as the inspiration for Girish Karnad's highly acclaimed film Utsav.
The story follows the fortunes of a rich and beautiful courtesan, Vasantasena, who falls in love with the handsome Charudatta, a former merchant who is now penniless. Although Charudatta is happily married, he is deeply drawn to Vasantasena. The two embark on a love affair that leads to some terrible complications and shocking reversals of fortune-involving violent crime as well as political rebellion-before matters are ingeniously resolved.
Padmini Rajappa's lucid translation revitalizes this iconic play for contemporary readers while also shedding light on its unique place in the Sanskrit canon as well as the mystery shrouding the identity of its author.
The story follows the fortunes of a rich and beautiful courtesan, Vasantasena, who falls in love with the handsome Charudatta, a former merchant who is now penniless. Although Charudatta is happily married, he is deeply drawn to Vasantasena. The two embark on a love affair that leads to some terrible complications and shocking reversals of fortune-involving violent crime as well as political rebellion-before matters are ingeniously resolved.
Padmini Rajappa's lucid translation revitalizes this iconic play for contemporary readers while also shedding light on its unique place in the Sanskrit canon as well as the mystery shrouding the identity of its author.
276 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 401
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About the author
Shudraka
18听books5听followersShudraka (IAST: 艢奴draka) was an Indian king and playwright.[1] Three Sanskrit plays are ascribed to him - Mrichchhakatika (The Little Clay Cart), Vinavasavadatta, and a bhana (short one-act monologue), Padmaprabhritaka.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 26, 2018
"陌莽imi yakan,insanlar谋n zenginlik durumuna g枚re sevgilerini g枚stermeleri. Ayr谋ca,
Yoksul olan utan莽 duyar,utanan kendini kaybeder.Kendini kaybeden k眉莽眉msenir ,k眉莽眉mseme d谋艧lamay谋 do臒urur d谋艧lanan 眉z眉nt眉 duyar.Kedere bo臒ulan,mant谋臒谋n谋 yitirir,mant谋臒谋n谋 yitiren mahvolur.Ah!
Paras谋zl谋k her t眉rl眉 felaketin nedenidir."
. 馃崄
4.yy'da yaz谋ld谋臒谋 tahmin edilen bu eser bize insan谋n tabiat谋nda olan zay谋fl谋klar谋n谋 g枚stermeye yard谋mc谋 olmaktad谋r aradan 17 yy ge莽mesine ra臒men kad谋na olan bak谋艧 a莽谋s谋n谋n 枚l莽眉s眉 de臒i艧ime u臒ramam谋艧 zenginli臒in kibir kayna臒谋 olu艧u daha da 枚nem kazanm谋艧t谋r 枚zellikle zay谋f insanlar谋n iktidar tutkusu gittik莽e artm谋艧 ve adaletsiz kararlar iktidar sahiplerinin en g眉莽l眉 silah谋 olmu艧tur. .
馃崄 .
艦udraka 艧枚yle der: Kargan谋n beyaz oldu臒una inanan b枚yle insanlar kral谋n yarg谋s谋n谋 da be艧 paral谋k edip binlerce masum insan谋 枚l眉me g枚nderirler. 艦uan kargan谋n beyaz oldu臒una inanan insanlar谋n h眉km眉 ge莽iyor ve bir k枚rl眉k salg谋n谋n谋n gelmesinden ba艧ka 莽aremiz yok o k枚rl眉k vaktinde o insanlar en az谋ndan bir ger莽e臒e de olsa ula艧abilir.
Yoksul olan utan莽 duyar,utanan kendini kaybeder.Kendini kaybeden k眉莽眉msenir ,k眉莽眉mseme d谋艧lamay谋 do臒urur d谋艧lanan 眉z眉nt眉 duyar.Kedere bo臒ulan,mant谋臒谋n谋 yitirir,mant谋臒谋n谋 yitiren mahvolur.Ah!
Paras谋zl谋k her t眉rl眉 felaketin nedenidir."
. 馃崄
4.yy'da yaz谋ld谋臒谋 tahmin edilen bu eser bize insan谋n tabiat谋nda olan zay谋fl谋klar谋n谋 g枚stermeye yard谋mc谋 olmaktad谋r aradan 17 yy ge莽mesine ra臒men kad谋na olan bak谋艧 a莽谋s谋n谋n 枚l莽眉s眉 de臒i艧ime u臒ramam谋艧 zenginli臒in kibir kayna臒谋 olu艧u daha da 枚nem kazanm谋艧t谋r 枚zellikle zay谋f insanlar谋n iktidar tutkusu gittik莽e artm谋艧 ve adaletsiz kararlar iktidar sahiplerinin en g眉莽l眉 silah谋 olmu艧tur. .
馃崄 .
艦udraka 艧枚yle der: Kargan谋n beyaz oldu臒una inanan b枚yle insanlar kral谋n yarg谋s谋n谋 da be艧 paral谋k edip binlerce masum insan谋 枚l眉me g枚nderirler. 艦uan kargan谋n beyaz oldu臒una inanan insanlar谋n h眉km眉 ge莽iyor ve bir k枚rl眉k salg谋n谋n谋n gelmesinden ba艧ka 莽aremiz yok o k枚rl眉k vaktinde o insanlar en az谋ndan bir ger莽e臒e de olsa ula艧abilir.
January 13, 2018
While admittedly beautifully poetically written, can we please all agree that this is a pretty boring play, and that the super long monologues (although admittedly beautifully poetically written) made the plot(s) drag so much that we all lost interest about 10% of the way through?
I am so sorry, Sanskrit drama. You are beautifully poetically written, but you are just not for me.
If this was a collection of poems, yes. But as a story? No, thank you.
I am so sorry, Sanskrit drama. You are beautifully poetically written, but you are just not for me.
If this was a collection of poems, yes. But as a story? No, thank you.
September 23, 2017
A Sanskrit play which eloquently challenges the legitimacy of power structures, including class and caste, and with its rather positive take on regicide (in this case the ruler is a scoundrel, but regicide is regicide) shows itself to be decidedly modern. Goethe would've loved it.
July 16, 2019
鈥淎ileden kime ne? 陌nsan谋 insan yapan karakteridir. B眉y眉k ve verimli tarlalarda dikenli a臒a莽lar da yeti艧ir. 鈥�
December 31, 2016
The Little Clay Cart is a good play with suspenseful plot twists, a lot of humor, a fair amount of on-stage action and reasonably well-drawn characters. If nothing else, it is entertaining. (And I don鈥檛 say that dismissively. Entertaining plays are rare.)
Despite the effusive praise it receives (i.e., it鈥檚 鈥淪hakespearian鈥�), it is a light romantic tale of love between a married man and his prostitute. (It鈥檚 ok. His wife approves.) While it has a strong moral center, the play is unencumbered by ethical, political or psychological complexities or ambiguities.
I found it reminiscent of 14th century Chinese theatre with asides or conscious intensifications of language separate from the rest of the language. Several layers of language mingle throughout the play, with the use of different languages, different dialects and different levels of poetry flowing in and out of the action. Like the Chinese plays (i.e., The Lute), the poetic 鈥渁sides鈥� cause the plot to unwind a bit slowly for Western tastes.
So, is it Shakespearian? Not in the sense of Macbeth or King Lear, but more in the sense of the Merchant of Venice or As You Like It in that it has a romantic plot, some suspense and adventure and some reasonably well-drawn characters. The Little Clay Cart does not display Shakespeare鈥檚 mind buckling use of metaphor, or his incisive understanding of human psychology and motivation. (I might describe this play as more Beaumont-Fletcherian.)
Again, this is a lively, entertaining play with a satisfying ending. You will not glimpse s deeper truth about human life, nor will you soar on new heights of poetic beauty, nor will you meet complex characters you鈥檒l recall long afterward. But if you want entertained, this is a very good play.
The Clay Sanskrit Library edition is a good translation. It鈥檚 very nice that it has the original Sanskrit on the facing page. (I can鈥檛 read it, but it is interesting.) The introduction and notes are also very good. What was missing was an overview of third century CE life/culture in India. What was the caste system as it relates to these characters? What was a courtesan鈥檚 life? If she got married, did she stop being a courtesan? Were polygamous marriages normal? What were the rules of slavery and how was freedom purchased?
Random note: I found it interesting that the play (and its characters) celebrate the overthrow of the king. This would be frowned upon in Western literature. In no way was the overthrow of a legitimate king made a positive thing to celebrate 鈥� even if they were corrupt. We don鈥檛 want people getting ideas, you know.
Despite the effusive praise it receives (i.e., it鈥檚 鈥淪hakespearian鈥�), it is a light romantic tale of love between a married man and his prostitute. (It鈥檚 ok. His wife approves.) While it has a strong moral center, the play is unencumbered by ethical, political or psychological complexities or ambiguities.
I found it reminiscent of 14th century Chinese theatre with asides or conscious intensifications of language separate from the rest of the language. Several layers of language mingle throughout the play, with the use of different languages, different dialects and different levels of poetry flowing in and out of the action. Like the Chinese plays (i.e., The Lute), the poetic 鈥渁sides鈥� cause the plot to unwind a bit slowly for Western tastes.
So, is it Shakespearian? Not in the sense of Macbeth or King Lear, but more in the sense of the Merchant of Venice or As You Like It in that it has a romantic plot, some suspense and adventure and some reasonably well-drawn characters. The Little Clay Cart does not display Shakespeare鈥檚 mind buckling use of metaphor, or his incisive understanding of human psychology and motivation. (I might describe this play as more Beaumont-Fletcherian.)
Again, this is a lively, entertaining play with a satisfying ending. You will not glimpse s deeper truth about human life, nor will you soar on new heights of poetic beauty, nor will you meet complex characters you鈥檒l recall long afterward. But if you want entertained, this is a very good play.
The Clay Sanskrit Library edition is a good translation. It鈥檚 very nice that it has the original Sanskrit on the facing page. (I can鈥檛 read it, but it is interesting.) The introduction and notes are also very good. What was missing was an overview of third century CE life/culture in India. What was the caste system as it relates to these characters? What was a courtesan鈥檚 life? If she got married, did she stop being a courtesan? Were polygamous marriages normal? What were the rules of slavery and how was freedom purchased?
Random note: I found it interesting that the play (and its characters) celebrate the overthrow of the king. This would be frowned upon in Western literature. In no way was the overthrow of a legitimate king made a positive thing to celebrate 鈥� even if they were corrupt. We don鈥檛 want people getting ideas, you know.
November 16, 2015
the wife and the mistress are so chill they even hug at the end
February 8, 2025
Cute and shenanigan-filled with a happily-ever-after ending. Very Shakespearean comedy-like.
Read
September 21, 2023what happened? (the fault is mine for cramming this play in before a quiz) ((which is why no rating since i mostly tried to absorb the words through osmosis))
beautiful writing and i'm sure a visual treat to see live, but a twelve hour play and ten acts? i don't think the modern mind can handle that much.
beautiful writing and i'm sure a visual treat to see live, but a twelve hour play and ten acts? i don't think the modern mind can handle that much.
September 20, 2023
still on a streak of having to read the worst plays ever written for my degree鈥�
May 3, 2020
Hint K眉lt眉r眉, hi莽bir zaman yak谋ndan tan谋d谋臒谋m谋z ya da tan谋maya tenezz眉l etti臒imiz bir alan olmam谋艧. Fakat, baz谋 cesur yay谋nevlerinin cesur ad谋mlar谋yla 枚n眉m眉ze geliyor ve bizler de deneyimleme f谋rsat谋 buluyoruz. T眉rkiye 陌艧 Bankas谋'n谋n bu dizisini ger莽ekten takdir ediyorum bu bak谋mdan. Klasik deyince Bat谋 edebiyat谋n谋n yan谋s谋ra Do臒u edebiyat谋n谋n da akl谋m谋za gelmesine vesile oldular.
Toprak Arabac谋k'谋n hikaye olarak 莽ok 枚zg眉n, dil olarak benzersiz bir yap谋t oldu臒unu s枚yleyemem kendi a莽谋mdan. Ama bundan daha 枚nemlisini katt谋 bana bu kitap. Hi莽 tan谋mad谋臒谋m Hint toplumunun ya艧ama bak谋艧 a莽谋s谋n谋, de臒erlerini, geleneklerini 枚臒retti. Bir kitap i莽in bundan daha iyi bir i艧lev olabilir mi?
Toprak Arabac谋k'谋n hikaye olarak 莽ok 枚zg眉n, dil olarak benzersiz bir yap谋t oldu臒unu s枚yleyemem kendi a莽谋mdan. Ama bundan daha 枚nemlisini katt谋 bana bu kitap. Hi莽 tan谋mad谋臒谋m Hint toplumunun ya艧ama bak谋艧 a莽谋s谋n谋, de臒erlerini, geleneklerini 枚臒retti. Bir kitap i莽in bundan daha iyi bir i艧lev olabilir mi?
April 3, 2016
"惭补诲补苍颈办腻. Whence are you, sir? or who are you, sir? or whose son are you, sir? or what is your business, sir? or what are you afraid of?
Shampooer. Listen, madam. My birthplace is P膩taliputra, madam. I am the son of a householder. I practise the trade of a shampooer.
痴补蝉补苍迟补蝉别苍腻. It is a very dainty art, sir, which you have mastered.
Shampooer. Madam, as an art I mastered it. It has now become a mere trade.
惭补诲补苍颈办腻. Your answers are most disconsolate, sir. Pray continue.
Shampooer. Yes, madam. When I was at home, I used to hear travelers tell tales, and I wanted to see new countries, and so I came here. And when I had come here to Ujjayin墨, I became the servant of a noble gentleman. Such a handsome, courteous gentleman! When he gave money away, he did not boast; when he was injured, he forgot it. To cut a long story short: he was so courteous that he regarded his own person as the possession of others, and had compassion on all who sought his protection.
惭补诲补苍颈办腻. Who may it be that adorns Ujjayin墨 with the virtues which he has stolen from the object of my mistress' desires?
痴补蝉补苍迟补蝉别苍腻. Good, girl, good! I had the same thought in mind.
惭补诲补苍颈办腻. But to continue, sir鈥�
Shampooer. Madam, he was so compassionate and so generous that now鈥�
痴补蝉补苍迟补蝉别苍腻. His riches have vanished?
Shampooer. I didn't say it. How did you guess it, madam?
痴补蝉补苍迟补蝉别苍腻. What was there to guess? Virtue and money seldom keep company. In the pools from which men cannot drink there is so much the more water.
惭补诲补苍颈办腻. But sir, what is his name?
Shampooer. Madam, who does not know the name of this moon of the whole world? He lives in the merchants' quarter. He whose name is worthy of all honor is named Ch膩rudatta."
Shampooer. Listen, madam. My birthplace is P膩taliputra, madam. I am the son of a householder. I practise the trade of a shampooer.
痴补蝉补苍迟补蝉别苍腻. It is a very dainty art, sir, which you have mastered.
Shampooer. Madam, as an art I mastered it. It has now become a mere trade.
惭补诲补苍颈办腻. Your answers are most disconsolate, sir. Pray continue.
Shampooer. Yes, madam. When I was at home, I used to hear travelers tell tales, and I wanted to see new countries, and so I came here. And when I had come here to Ujjayin墨, I became the servant of a noble gentleman. Such a handsome, courteous gentleman! When he gave money away, he did not boast; when he was injured, he forgot it. To cut a long story short: he was so courteous that he regarded his own person as the possession of others, and had compassion on all who sought his protection.
惭补诲补苍颈办腻. Who may it be that adorns Ujjayin墨 with the virtues which he has stolen from the object of my mistress' desires?
痴补蝉补苍迟补蝉别苍腻. Good, girl, good! I had the same thought in mind.
惭补诲补苍颈办腻. But to continue, sir鈥�
Shampooer. Madam, he was so compassionate and so generous that now鈥�
痴补蝉补苍迟补蝉别苍腻. His riches have vanished?
Shampooer. I didn't say it. How did you guess it, madam?
痴补蝉补苍迟补蝉别苍腻. What was there to guess? Virtue and money seldom keep company. In the pools from which men cannot drink there is so much the more water.
惭补诲补苍颈办腻. But sir, what is his name?
Shampooer. Madam, who does not know the name of this moon of the whole world? He lives in the merchants' quarter. He whose name is worthy of all honor is named Ch膩rudatta."
April 10, 2019
It is hard to review this book. The play in itself is not the most intriguing story you will ever read. It can be hard to read at times because of the dramatic poetic language or simply the various characters with similar sounding names. But the experience of reading this books is what makes it a 4 star read for me. The translator has gone to great lengths to provide a plenty of historical context for this play, the time period it is set in and the language it uses. Her long introductory chapter and the numerous footnotes throughout the text are as important a part of this book as Shudraka's play. Trying to thread together the pieces of culture and tradition that have survived through the centuries and those that have not was a very unique experience. This is the first of, I hope, the many texts from the long Indian history that I get to explore. I will definitely be picking up anything translated by Ms. Rajappa.
July 9, 2020
A short and sweet play, albeit a really old one probably composed in the B.Cs.
The play's hero is Charudatta, a merchant who is poor now since he gave a lot of wealth to others.
The heroine is a rich courtesan, Vasantasena, is in love with him and she goes to him on the pretext of giving him a jewel box for safe-keeping.
The villain is the king's brother-in-law, who lusts after Vasantasena. He also manages to put blame on Charudatta for Vasantasena's murder.
The play has most of the stock characters which we encounter in plays.
It reads like modern plays. Also, the hero is not a warrior or prince like in the epics and all. He is just an urban merchant down on his luck.
Overall, a pleasant and short read.
The play's hero is Charudatta, a merchant who is poor now since he gave a lot of wealth to others.
The heroine is a rich courtesan, Vasantasena, is in love with him and she goes to him on the pretext of giving him a jewel box for safe-keeping.
The villain is the king's brother-in-law, who lusts after Vasantasena. He also manages to put blame on Charudatta for Vasantasena's murder.
The play has most of the stock characters which we encounter in plays.
It reads like modern plays. Also, the hero is not a warrior or prince like in the epics and all. He is just an urban merchant down on his luck.
Overall, a pleasant and short read.
August 24, 2021
This was enjoyable to say the least. Padmini Rajappa's accessible translation and helpful supplementary material really enhances the overall experience.
Although, do steer clear of the introduction before reading the actual text. It gets quite spoilerfic.
Although, do steer clear of the introduction before reading the actual text. It gets quite spoilerfic.
October 17, 2018
A back to back reading of Antigone and Mrchchakatikam helped me understand the differences between a typical Greek tragedy and an ancient Sanskrit drama. Definitely will be reading more of these.
February 24, 2021
In The Mrichchhakatika, the hero is a dignified righteous Brahman, a merchant of eminence, who has impoverished himself not by any slackness in his character or any attachment to vices, but by his superior and charitable temperament. He is blameless by nature and never spares in his acts of benevolence and munificence to other people in anguish or suffering.
Consequently, he spends away his assets and reduces himself almost to poverty.
He is married and has a son called Rohasena, by his wife Dhuta. But he is so inopportune that he fails to have fulfilled his little son's desire to have a little gold cart like his other rich friends rather than his own little clay cart given by his nurse.
Charudatta is, however, loved by a lady of rare beauty, Vasantasena, a quite well off courtesan.
After her meeting with Charudatta in a temple of Kamadeva, she becomes extremely amorous of Charudatta. He, too, feels love for her and they meet and spend a night together in the latter's house. But the course of their love doesn't run silky as a criminal Sansthanaka, a brother-in-law of the tyrannous king Palaka intervenes in their love and tries to seduce Vasantasena.
The dignified lady, however, refuses impudently and straight. Thereafter, the clownish criminal, becoming vengeful and nurtures a grudge against both the lovers. Sansthanaka, in due course, suddenly gets a chance to slay Vasantasena and arranges situations to purport Charudatta as her murderer.
Due to a benign error, Vasantasena gets into the cart of the villain, thinking it to be Charudatta's whom she is to meet at a flower-garden, outside the town.
Charudatta unproductively waits for Vasantasena and when her cart comes. A rebel, Aryaka, is found therein. Out of his good nature, Charudatta allows that rebel to use his cart and he leaves the place.
As Vasantasena arrives, Sansthanaka gets hold of her and eventually strangulates her. She becomes cataleptic and drops down on the ground. Taking her as deceased, he leaves her body in a bush. Vasantasena, however, remains alive and is nursed and brought back to her full strength by a Buddhist monk in a close by monastery.
In the interim, Charudatta is accused of killing Vasantasena for her riches. Enough evidence, as available, is put by Sansthanaka for his punishment. The king passes a death sentence against Charudatta. But before the execution of Charudatta, Vasantasena appears alive along with the Buddhist monk. The entire situation now totally changes. Charudatta is released while Sansthanaka is arrested.
There is also a political change in the city and King Pal aka was dismissed and killed by the rebels. Aryaka, their leader, becomes the new king. He restores Charudatta to his former position of fortune and eminence, and also pardons the villain Sansthanaka who had already been arrested.
Thereafter, there is the union of the solemn lovers-Charudatta and Vasantasena. Charudatta's first wife has no avowal to have another wife for her husband. Vasantasena is permitted to relinquish her position as a courtesan and embrace the life of a legally sanctioned wife.
Thus, the play shows the happy amalgamation of love and the eventual success of virtue over vice. The triumph of true love and profound virtue make the entire theme of the play, showing that vice and iniquitous demeanour do not finally pay.
The Mrichchhakatika, supposed to be written by Sudraka, is for the most part regarded as the symbol of Prakarana plays. This is, in effect a play not based on some ancient classical story or the performances of classical heroes or gods and goddesses. The Mrichchhakatika, as a Prakarana play, is concerned with general life led in a society and the characters involved are fairly familiar and pragmatic in the milieu of the age the play belongs to.
Consequently, he spends away his assets and reduces himself almost to poverty.
He is married and has a son called Rohasena, by his wife Dhuta. But he is so inopportune that he fails to have fulfilled his little son's desire to have a little gold cart like his other rich friends rather than his own little clay cart given by his nurse.
Charudatta is, however, loved by a lady of rare beauty, Vasantasena, a quite well off courtesan.
After her meeting with Charudatta in a temple of Kamadeva, she becomes extremely amorous of Charudatta. He, too, feels love for her and they meet and spend a night together in the latter's house. But the course of their love doesn't run silky as a criminal Sansthanaka, a brother-in-law of the tyrannous king Palaka intervenes in their love and tries to seduce Vasantasena.
The dignified lady, however, refuses impudently and straight. Thereafter, the clownish criminal, becoming vengeful and nurtures a grudge against both the lovers. Sansthanaka, in due course, suddenly gets a chance to slay Vasantasena and arranges situations to purport Charudatta as her murderer.
Due to a benign error, Vasantasena gets into the cart of the villain, thinking it to be Charudatta's whom she is to meet at a flower-garden, outside the town.
Charudatta unproductively waits for Vasantasena and when her cart comes. A rebel, Aryaka, is found therein. Out of his good nature, Charudatta allows that rebel to use his cart and he leaves the place.
As Vasantasena arrives, Sansthanaka gets hold of her and eventually strangulates her. She becomes cataleptic and drops down on the ground. Taking her as deceased, he leaves her body in a bush. Vasantasena, however, remains alive and is nursed and brought back to her full strength by a Buddhist monk in a close by monastery.
In the interim, Charudatta is accused of killing Vasantasena for her riches. Enough evidence, as available, is put by Sansthanaka for his punishment. The king passes a death sentence against Charudatta. But before the execution of Charudatta, Vasantasena appears alive along with the Buddhist monk. The entire situation now totally changes. Charudatta is released while Sansthanaka is arrested.
There is also a political change in the city and King Pal aka was dismissed and killed by the rebels. Aryaka, their leader, becomes the new king. He restores Charudatta to his former position of fortune and eminence, and also pardons the villain Sansthanaka who had already been arrested.
Thereafter, there is the union of the solemn lovers-Charudatta and Vasantasena. Charudatta's first wife has no avowal to have another wife for her husband. Vasantasena is permitted to relinquish her position as a courtesan and embrace the life of a legally sanctioned wife.
Thus, the play shows the happy amalgamation of love and the eventual success of virtue over vice. The triumph of true love and profound virtue make the entire theme of the play, showing that vice and iniquitous demeanour do not finally pay.
The Mrichchhakatika, supposed to be written by Sudraka, is for the most part regarded as the symbol of Prakarana plays. This is, in effect a play not based on some ancient classical story or the performances of classical heroes or gods and goddesses. The Mrichchhakatika, as a Prakarana play, is concerned with general life led in a society and the characters involved are fairly familiar and pragmatic in the milieu of the age the play belongs to.
December 14, 2022
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December 9, 2023
This was beautiful -- definitely my favorite Sanskrit drama that I've read so far. I don't usually like stories where the moralizing is so overt, but it was very satisfying to follow how every character got what was coming to them and how all of the various threads came together at the end.
October 3, 2020
Honestly this is fire, and suspenseful as heck
November 23, 2021
*1.5, read for theatre literature class
October 23, 2022
Honestly I've been having a really hard time getting into these ancient plays, and this one being 10 acts long didn't help! Maybe if I saw it I'd like it better
October 31, 2023
i love sanskrit drama! but why do they have 10 acts. going back in time to say we gotta edit.
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January 1, 2025what..
October 5, 2017
When reading Will Durant鈥檚 Story of Civilization series (volume one, in this case), you are apt to be thrown off track by interesting little details and new areas to explore or discover--which is why a part of me despairs of ever finishing Durant鈥檚 (and later his and Ariel鈥檚) works. But it鈥檚 the kind of despair with a grin on its face because if your fate is to not learn something completely because you鈥檝e been learning other, unexpected, things along the way 鈥� well, there are worse ways to fail, I guess.
In this case, Durant mentioned The Little Clay Cart as one of the earliest still-existing plays from the ancient history of the civilization of India. Plus, he observed that it was pretty entertaining too! Not that Durant lacked in the entertainment department at the time of his recommendation (he did 鈥� it鈥檚 been grueling to get through the India and China sections--though they definitely have their moments), but I had been needing to expand my play-reading collection (I was stuck on, pretty much, Shakespeare鈥檚 works and time frame), and this was a great opportunity.
Setting aside all the 鈥渄rama鈥� (thank you) it took to be led to this play, how was the play itself? Long. But good.
I have to admit that there was a lot going on in this play that was foreign to me. The names, for instance, are one of those things. They reflect the length of the play, and I usually found myself starting to read a name and then thinking, 鈥淥kay this is the 鈥榮h鈥� person,鈥� and then moving on. A couple of times that caused some problems when other 鈥渟h鈥� characters came into the play, but on the whole it saved me from a lot of trouble and allowed me to actually finish the play itself before the rise and fall of our current civilization 鈥� so tuck that strategy away for your own reading experience.
Other foreign things: the casual mention of the protagonist鈥檚 wife every now and then. Usually not an issue, but in this case the protagonist is devoutly and even sweetly in love with and courting another woman. That would be problematic in any western play, but in a polygamous society I guess it just means that you can have more middle-aged heroes, since they can continue the romantic period of their lives past their first marriages.
There are some other awkward transitions or phrasings or scenes that I am unsure of whether it鈥檚 just poorly written, or a result of the age of the play itself, or if it is a cultural thing (probably a mixture of the two latter ones). And it can be difficult to have the patience for a play that is both long and has wide stretches confusion interrupting the experience.
Besides the off-kilter stuff, there are also moments or language of suspicious clarity, as if the translator decided to convert more than word meanings but also wanted to translate a foreign culture into the modern, twentieth-century, British culture. It is hard for me to determine how much of the play has been corrupted by modern hands and so I鈥檓 forced to be skeptical by a lot of the viewpoints it shows, especially those that line up dubiously well with twentieth-century literature.
In spite of these distractions, on the whole, Mr. Durant is right. The Little Clay Cart is entertaining. There are some memorable and distinct characters (even if their names aren鈥檛!). Towards the end, there are some mix ups that are worthy of a high-quality comedy of errors script of any age. And maybe most importantly, the main character--Charudattake2xkcvnawwhatever--is someone you genuinely care about and root for. So read it for the history, for the mystic translation, for the culture 鈥� but don鈥檛 be surprised if you are also entertained and maybe even inspired at the end.
In this case, Durant mentioned The Little Clay Cart as one of the earliest still-existing plays from the ancient history of the civilization of India. Plus, he observed that it was pretty entertaining too! Not that Durant lacked in the entertainment department at the time of his recommendation (he did 鈥� it鈥檚 been grueling to get through the India and China sections--though they definitely have their moments), but I had been needing to expand my play-reading collection (I was stuck on, pretty much, Shakespeare鈥檚 works and time frame), and this was a great opportunity.
Setting aside all the 鈥渄rama鈥� (thank you) it took to be led to this play, how was the play itself? Long. But good.
I have to admit that there was a lot going on in this play that was foreign to me. The names, for instance, are one of those things. They reflect the length of the play, and I usually found myself starting to read a name and then thinking, 鈥淥kay this is the 鈥榮h鈥� person,鈥� and then moving on. A couple of times that caused some problems when other 鈥渟h鈥� characters came into the play, but on the whole it saved me from a lot of trouble and allowed me to actually finish the play itself before the rise and fall of our current civilization 鈥� so tuck that strategy away for your own reading experience.
Other foreign things: the casual mention of the protagonist鈥檚 wife every now and then. Usually not an issue, but in this case the protagonist is devoutly and even sweetly in love with and courting another woman. That would be problematic in any western play, but in a polygamous society I guess it just means that you can have more middle-aged heroes, since they can continue the romantic period of their lives past their first marriages.
There are some other awkward transitions or phrasings or scenes that I am unsure of whether it鈥檚 just poorly written, or a result of the age of the play itself, or if it is a cultural thing (probably a mixture of the two latter ones). And it can be difficult to have the patience for a play that is both long and has wide stretches confusion interrupting the experience.
Besides the off-kilter stuff, there are also moments or language of suspicious clarity, as if the translator decided to convert more than word meanings but also wanted to translate a foreign culture into the modern, twentieth-century, British culture. It is hard for me to determine how much of the play has been corrupted by modern hands and so I鈥檓 forced to be skeptical by a lot of the viewpoints it shows, especially those that line up dubiously well with twentieth-century literature.
In spite of these distractions, on the whole, Mr. Durant is right. The Little Clay Cart is entertaining. There are some memorable and distinct characters (even if their names aren鈥檛!). Towards the end, there are some mix ups that are worthy of a high-quality comedy of errors script of any age. And maybe most importantly, the main character--Charudattake2xkcvnawwhatever--is someone you genuinely care about and root for. So read it for the history, for the mystic translation, for the culture 鈥� but don鈥檛 be surprised if you are also entertained and maybe even inspired at the end.
July 20, 2017
Arthur William Ryder, the translator, in his notes states that the reason he liked translating this book is because it has very modern themes and is not merely a love story with ornamental prose. Although the play has poetry, running allegories and metaphors as was the style. This book has a love story and it is not central to the plot. Perhaps that is the reason this author鈥檚 work is not as known as works of other playwrights. Not much is known about the author either, he just identifies himself as King Shudraka. How did he come to write such a political play? Why did he not continue to write?
The book focuses on modern day issues like bureaucracy, role of judiciary and the idea of classes. But there are some issues which must be regular for that society but don鈥檛 work in ours, such as the protagonist proclaiming love for other woman, when he has a wife. There seems some betrayal of embarrassment when he has to confess this in public so we know even then society did not look comfortable with the idea but it is a polygamous society where it is okay to have several wives, it only frowns at the idea of affairs.
The play has a good pace, despite the redundancy of poetry. But this is definitely a masterpiece for its time. I will definitely have more thoughts on this once I read plays by Kalidas and I will post my thoughts here.
The book focuses on modern day issues like bureaucracy, role of judiciary and the idea of classes. But there are some issues which must be regular for that society but don鈥檛 work in ours, such as the protagonist proclaiming love for other woman, when he has a wife. There seems some betrayal of embarrassment when he has to confess this in public so we know even then society did not look comfortable with the idea but it is a polygamous society where it is okay to have several wives, it only frowns at the idea of affairs.
The play has a good pace, despite the redundancy of poetry. But this is definitely a masterpiece for its time. I will definitely have more thoughts on this once I read plays by Kalidas and I will post my thoughts here.
December 24, 2023
A poetic play written about 1500 years ago. Set in the ancient city of Ujjaini, this play tells the love story between a wealthy courtesan named Vasantasena and a 'poor' and 'noble' Brahman named Charudatta, who is happily married and has a son. The plot gives a glimpse of some social practices of those times like Polygamy and respectable practice of courtesans, caste and class hierarchy in the society. Even after all the dramatisation of poverty by the 'poor' Charudatta, we find he still has servants at his home! The play gets boring at times but it must have entertained the masses in those times so much that it survived several centuries.
August 23, 2012
This drama full of exposition, which detracted from my overall enjoyment of the story. I've been involved in audiodramas that had much less exposition and still managed to move the narrative forward better than this story.
March 14, 2012
I have to believe the Sanskrit version when performed probably had power and interest to it than this poor translation!
March 16, 2013
Very Boring
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October 24, 2016Luckily I read an abridged version
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