Which one of the following is a work attributed to playwright Bhasa?
- Kavyalankara
- Natyashastra
- Madhyama-vyayoga
- Mahabhashya
Explanation
Option (c) is correct
- Bhasa was an important poet in the early phase of the Gupta period and wrote thirteen plays, including Madhyamavyayoga, Duta- Ghatotkacha, Dutavakya, Svapnavasavadattam, Pancharatra, Urubhanga, Karnabhara, Balacharita, and Charudatta. He mainly wrote in Sanskrit, but his dramas also contain a substantial amount of Prakrit. He was also the author of a drama called Dradiracharudatta, which was later refashioned as Mrichchhakatika, or The Little Clay Cart, by Shudraka. Notably, Bhasa uses the term yavanika for the stage curtain, indicating possible contact with Greek theatrical traditions.
Option (a) is incorrect
- Bhamaha was a scholar, presumably of the 7th century, who dealt with Sanskrit poetics. He is believed to have composed the Sanskrit Kavyalamkara and to have been a contemporary of Dandin. Apart from his Kavyalamkara, a commentary on Vararuchi’s Prakrita Prakasa called Prakrta-Prakasa is also attributed to Bhamaha.
Option (b) is incorrect
- Codified around the 2nd century B.C., the Naṭyasastra of Bharatamuni is an epitome of the Naṭyaveda, an oral body of knowledge of performing art containing 36,000 verses known as the Gandharvaveda. The Naṭyasastra embodies a comprehensive set of rules that define naṭya (drama), abhinaya (performance), rasa (aesthetic experience), bhāva (emotion), sangita (music), among others. Recently, Bharat Muni’s Natyashastra have been inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.
Additional Information: What is UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register?
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Option (d) is incorrect
- Patanjali, the notable grammarian who wrote the Mahabhasya (a comprehensive commentary on Panini’s Ashtadhyayi), was a contemporary of Pushyamitra Sunga. Kāśikā Vṛtti is also an important commentary on Ashtadhyayi, the foundational Sanskrit grammar text composed by Panini. It was written in the 7th century CE by Jayaditya and Vamana.
