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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|Indian king and playwright}}<br />
{{Infobox writer<br />
| name = Shudraka<br />
| occupation = playwright, poet, king<br />
| language = [[Sanskrit]]<br />
| notable_works = ''[[Mrichchhakatika]]''<br />
}}<br />
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'''Shudraka''' ([[IAST]]: '''{{IAST|Śūdraka}}''') was an [[India]]n playwright, to whom three [[Sanskrit drama|Sanskrit plays]] are attributed: ''[[Mrichchhakatika]]'' (''The Little Clay Cart''), ''[[Vinavasavadatta]]'', and a ''[[bhana]]'' (short one-act monologue), ''Padmaprabhritaka''.{{sfn|Biswanath Banerjee|1999|p=4}}<ref>Bhattacharji, Sukumari ''History of Classical Sanskrit Literature'', Sangam Books, London, 1993, {{ISBN|0-86311-242-0}}, p.93</ref> According to the prologue of ''Mrichchhakatika'', he was a king; according to one theory, he may have been a third century [[Abhira dynasty|Abhira]] king.{{sfn|Biswanath Banerjee|1999|p=4}} According to another theory, Shudraka is a mythical figure, and the authorship of plays attributed to him is uncertain.{{sfn|Farley P. Richmond|1993|p=56}}<br />
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== Sources ==<br />
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In the prologue of the play ''Mrichchhakatika'', the stage manager states that its poet was a wise king renowned as "Shudraka". He had performed [[Ashvamedha]] (horse sacrifice) ritual to prove his superiority, and immolated himself at the age of 110 years, after crowning his son as the new king. The prologue describes him as a distinguished wise man, who had gained knowledge of the [[Rigveda]], the [[Samaveda]], mathematics, the [[Kamashastra]] and the art of training elephants.{{sfn|Farley P. Richmond|1993|pp=55-56}}<br />
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Two [[lost work]]s titled ''Shudraka-katha'' ([[IAST]]: Śūdraka-kathā, "the story of Shudraka") are known from other sources.{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|pp=77-78}} A verse attributed to the 10th century poet [[Rajashekhara (Sanskrit poet)|Rajashekhara]] in ''[[Suktimuktavali]]'' praises two writers - Ramila and Somila - for jointly composing a novel titled ''Shudraka-katha''.{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|p=77}} Because it is described as a novel, it was probably a work of fiction. Another ''Shudraka-katha'', attributed to a writer called Pancha-shikha, is known from other sources.{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|p=78}}<br />
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Based on information from other sources, it appears that one ''Shudraka-katha'' (probably that of Ramila and Somila) narrated how Shudraka won over a woman called Vinaya-vati, with the help of his friend Bandhu-datta. The other work (probably that of Pancha-shika) was a [[Prakrit]]-language novel that featured a heroine named Harimati and an old parrot acting as her messenger.{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|p=78}}<br />
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[[Daṇḍin|Dandin]]'s ''Avanti-Sundari'' provides a summary of the various narratives about Shudraka, probably based on these novels.{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|p=78}} ''Avanti-Sundari-Katha-Sara'', a paraphrased version of Dandin's work, states that Shudraka was originally called Indrani-gupta. Although born a [[Brahmin]] himself, he despised the Brahmins, and was cursed as a result. After several misfortunes, he became a warrior and acquired royal fortune.{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|p=4}}<br />
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According to Rajashekhara's ''Kavya-mimansa'', Shudraka was reputed as a patron of literature, and presided over a literary circle.{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|p=5}} Some legends pesent Shudraka as a ruler of central India. E.g. the ''[[Kadambari]]'' places him in [[Dasharna]], and the ''Avanti-Sundari-Katha-Sara'' calls him "Malava-raja" (the king of [[Malwa|Malava]]).{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|p=4}} [[Bhoja]]'s ''[[Shringara-Prakasha]]'' also mentions the narratives about Shudraka.{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|p=78}} Vidyapati's ''Purusha-pariksha'' contains a fanciful story that portrays Shudraka as an ideal lover.{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|pp=4-5}}<br />
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== Identification ==<br />
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No historical records mention a king by the name Shudraka (which literally means "little [[shudra|servant]]"). The first four acts of ''Mrichchhakatika'' are virtually a copy of the corresponding acts from [[Bhasa]]'s unfinished play ''Charudattam''. One theory is that the poet of ''Mrichchhakatika'' simply finished Bhasa's play out of respect, styling himself as the "little servant" of Bhasa.{{sfn|Farley P. Richmond|1993|p=56}}<br />
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A fourteenth century text attributes ''Mrichchhakatika'' to a duo, Bhartrimentha and Vikramaditya. The ''Mrichchhakatika'' is set in [[Ujjain]]. It is known that an Ujjain-based poet by the name Bhartrimentha was a contemporary of [[Kalidasa]]; the legendary king [[Vikramaditya]] also lived in Ujjain. However, identifying these two as the authors of ''Mrichchhakatika'' is chronologically impossible.{{sfn|Farley P. Richmond|1993|p=57}}<br />
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Indologist [[A. K. Warder]] notes that even the earliest sources that mention Shudraka present him as a legendary figure. Therefore, the existence of Shudraka is doubtful.{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|p=5}} Some scholars, such as Farley P. Richmond, suggest that Shudraka was simply a mythical figure, and the authorship of works attributed to him is uncertain.{{sfn|Farley P. Richmond|1993|p=56}}<br />
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According to another theory, first proposed by [[Sten Konow]], Shudraka was the pen name of a 3rd century [[Abhira dynasty|Abhira]] king, possibly Shivadatta, the father of [[Ishwarsena|Ishvarasena]]).{{sfn|Biswanath Banerjee|1999|p=4}}{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|p=4}} This theory is supported by the following points:<br />
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* The Abhiras succeeded or supplanted the [[Satavahana]]s, who are also known as the Andhras, and who were probably overlords of the Abhiras at one time. A ''[[Skandapurana]]'' legend calls Shudraka an "Āndhrabhṛtya", meaning a vassal of the Andhras. According to the Jain tradition (e.g. ''[[Vividha Tirtha Kalpa|Vividha-Tirtha-Kalpa]]''), a king named Satavahana gave Shudraka half of his empire. According to other legends, such as the one mentioned in Dandin's ''Avanti-Sundari'', Shudraka either ascended the throne after the premature death of the Satavahana prince Svati, or defeated Svati.{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|pp=3-4}}<br />
* ''Avanti-Sundari-Katha-Sara'' mentions that Shudraka was born in the [[Ashmaka]] region. The ''Vividha-Tirtha-Kalpa'' states that he was born in [[Pratishthana]], which is located in the same area. Shudraka is among the earliest dramatists to use the [[Maharashtri Prakrit]], the language of this area, in a play.{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|p=4}}<br />
* The ''Skandapurana'' places Shudraka in the [[Kali Yuga|Kali]] year 3290, which corresponds to 188 CE, close to the Abhira period.{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|p=4}}<br />
* Shudraka invokes the god [[Shiva]] in his play, and the Abhira names (known from their inscriptions) suggest that they were Shaivites.{{sfn|A. K. Warder|1977|p=4}}<br />
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==See also==<br />
{{portal|Poetry}}<br />
*[[Sanskrit drama]]<br />
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== References ==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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=== Bibliography ===<br />
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{{ref begin}}<br />
* {{cite book |author=A. K. Warder |author-link=A. K. Warder |title=Indian Kāvya Literature |volume=3: The Early Medieval Period (Śūdraka to Viśākhadatta) |url=https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Indian_K%C4%81vya_Literature_The_early_medie/trA2AAAAIAAJ |year=1977 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0615-3 }}<br />
* {{cite book |author=Biswanath Banerjee |year=1999 |title=Shudraka |series=Makers of Indian Literature |publisher=Sahitya Academy |location=New Delhi |isbn=81-260-0697-8}}<br />
* {{cite book |author=Farley P. Richmond |chapter=Characteristics of Sanskrit Theatre and Drama |title=Indian Theatre: Traditions of Performance |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1993 |isbn=9788120809819 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OroCOEqkVg4C&pg=PA55 }}<br />
{{ref end}}<br />
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== Further reading ==<br />
* [[Arthur W. Ryder|Ryder, Arthur William]]. Translator. ''The Little Clay Cart (Mrcchakatika): A Hindu Drama'' attributed to King Shudraka, Cambridge, Ma: Harvard University Press, 1905.<br />
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==External links==<br />
* {{Gutenberg author | id=Shudraka | name=Shudraka}}<br />
* {{Internet Archive author |search=("Śūdraka" OR "Shudraka" OR "Shudraka")}}<br />
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/lcc/index.htm ''The Little Clay Cart'' by Shudraka, translated] by [[Arthur W. Ryder]] (1905).<br />
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{{Authority control}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shudraka}}<br />
[[Category:Ancient Indian poets]]<br />
[[Category:Ancient Indian dramatists and playwrights]]<br />
[[Category:Sanskrit poets]]<br />
[[Category:Sanskrit dramatists and playwrights]]<br />
[[Category:Indian male dramatists and playwrights]]<br />
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]<br />
[[Category:Place of birth unknown]]<br />
[[Category:Year of death unknown]]<br />
[[Category:Place of death unknown]]</div>imported>Utcursch