How the Nagas Were Pleased by Harsha & the Shattered Thighs by Bhasa

Two tragic plays that break the rules: both show the hero dying on stage, a scenario forbidden in Sanskrit dramaturgy. King Harsha's play, How the Nagas Were Pleased, composed in the seventh century, re-examines the Buddhist tale of a magician prince who makes the ultimate sacrifice to save a hostage snake (naga). The Shattered Thighs, attributed to Bhasa, the illustrious predecessor to ancient Kali-dasa, transforms a crucial episode of the Maha-bhárata war. As he dies from a foul blow to the legs delivered in his duel with Bhima, Duryódhana's character is inverted, depicted as a noble and gracious exemplar amidst the wreckage of the fearsome battle scene.

Author: Andrew Skilton
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Clay Sanskrit
Published: 03/01/2009
Series: Clay Sanskrit Library #48
Pages: 380
Weight: 0.7lbs
Size: 6.50h x 4.30w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780814740668