Shudraka in ppt

this presentation will help you to know about Sudraka, a great dramatist and writer of ancient sanskrit literature.

1. Dev S anskriti Vishvavidyalaya Department of English Topic : Shudraka Presented to : Mrs. Laxmi Limbad Presented by : Ashish Yadav

2. VARANASI

3. Autobiography Shudraka was an  Indian  king and playwright. Three  Sanskrit plays  are ascribed to him - Mrichchhakatika  ( The Little Clay Cart ),  Vinavasavadatta , and a  B hana  (short one-act monologue),  Padmaprabhritaka . Shudraka was one of the celebrated dramatist of the post Gupta Empire.

4. Shudraka According to tradition Shudraka was known as the author of the celebrated Sanskrit prakarana or  Mrichakatika . The prologue of the play contains a verse stating that he was a  Kshatriya  king, brave and handsome, who knew the  Vedas , mathematics, the arts of courtesans, and the science of training  elephants . He was a devotee of  Lord Shiva who performed the military  Ashvamedha yajna  , or horse sacrifice. He died aged 100 years and 10 days, voluntarily entering his own pyre. Scholars have attempted to identify him with the founder of the Andhrabhritya dynasty with  Vikramaditya VI . Whatever the speculations, Shudraka cannot be placed later than the third century.

5. summary of Mrcchakatika Mrcchakatika  is a love story and a political satire. A play more ancient than the equally famous  Shakuntala , it remains one of India’s most enduring works, one still widely performed in various formats and versions.

6. summary of Mrcchakatika The main storyline of  Mrcchakatika , with its ten acts and thirty characters, runs thus: Charudatta is a noble, impoverished Brahmin. One night, the courtesan Vasantasena on the run from the evil Sansthanaka, seeks refuge in Charudatta’s house. She leaves her jewels (and, evidently, her heart) there.

7. summary of Mrcchakatika The jewels are later stolen by the thief Sharvilaka who is in love with Vasantasena’s attendant and needs them to secure the latter’s freedom. As the theft is discovered, Charudatta’s wife offers her own pearl necklace. Vasantasena returns to his house, ostensibly to return the  ratnamala  but with the hope of seeing him again.

8. summary of Mrcchakatika Predictably, it is a dark and stormy night. The next morning, she meets Charudatta’s young son, Rohasena. Moved by his fervent childish desire to own a gold cart (the cart that gives the play its name), quite like his playmate’s, Vasantasena fills it with her own jewelry.

9. THANK YOU