https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=UttararamacaritaUttararamacarita - Revision history2026-11-02T21:10:51ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uttararamacarita&diff=274798&oldid=prev->CaptainAngus: /* Plot */ Fixed misspelling(s) found by Wikipedia:Typo Team/moss2021-11-05T00:46:12Z<p><span class="autocomment">Plot: </span> Fixed misspelling(s) found by <a href="https://en.bharatpedia.org/wiki/Bharatpedia:Typo_Team/moss" class="extiw" title="wikipedia:Typo Team/moss">Wikipedia:Typo Team/moss</a></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Sanskrit play by Bhavabhuti}}<br />
{{italics title}}<br />
'''''Uttararāmacarita''''' ({{lang-sa|उत्तररामचरित}}, [[IAST]]: Uttararāmacarita) ({{trans|The Later Story of Rama}}) is a [[Sanskrit]] play in seven acts in the ''Nataka'' style by [[Bhavabhuti]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hinduscriptures.com/|title=Hindu Scriptures|website=Hindu Scriptures|accessdate=5 February 2019}}</ref> It depicts the later life of [[Hindu]] god [[Rama]], from the coronation after Rama's return from exile, to his reunion with his wife [[Sita]] whom he abandoned immediately after his coronation and his two sons [[Lava (Ramayana)|Lava]] and [[Kusha (Ramayana)|Kusha]], covering a period of more than twelve years.<br />
<br />
==Characters==<br />
Main characters:<ref name="KMGeorge1997">{{cite book|last=Bhatt|first=C.Panduranga|editor-last=George|editor-first=K. M.|editor-link=K. M. George (writer)|chapter=Uttararamacharita|title=Masterpieces of Indian Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dXFOAAAAYAAJ|volume=2|year=1997|publisher=[[National Book Trust]]|location=New Delhi|isbn=81-237-1978-7|pages=1227–1229}}</ref><br />
* Rama{{snd}}the eldest son of King Dasharatha<br />
* Sita{{snd}}Rama's wife<br />
* Lakshmana{{snd}}Rama's brother<br />
* Atreyi{{snd}}an elderly ascetic<br />
* Vasanti{{snd}}the sylvan deity<br />
<br />
==Plot==<br />
Composed in seven acts, Uttararāmacarita's main theme is Sita's abandonment. The first act gives a brief summary of Rama's story up to the [[Trial by ordeal#By fire|fire-ordeal]] of Sita. The common people who were away from the scene of the fire-ordeal, refused to be convinced, and made uncharitable criticism of Rama's acceptance of Sita. This forced Rama to take the regrettable decision of abandoning her. He sends her away without explanation under the pretext of satisfying her longing to visit the forests again in her pregnant condition. But Rama never entertained any doubt about her chastity and he never banished her from his mind, and this makes him undergo a living death for the next 12 years.<ref name="KMGeorge1997"/><br />
<br />
Sita gives birth to the twins, [[Lava (Ramayana)|Lava]] and [[Kusha (Ramayana)|Kusha]], who are brought up under the guardianship of [[Valmiki]]. Some time later, Rama goes to [[Panchavati]] to punish a [[Shudra]] ascetic and meets Vasanti, the presiding deity of the forests. She rebukes Rama for having abandoned Sita, and Rama becomes remorseful and experiences untold agony. Bhavabhuti projects this situation dramatically by making the invisible Sita a witness to Rama's deep agony. Sita who experiences grief due to the inexplicable abandonment, mentally reconciles to her husband completely on hearing that her golden icon was Rama's consort in the horse sacrifice. Goddesses [[Ganga in Hinduism|Ganga]] and [[Prithvi]] declare Sita to be chaste, and [[Arundhati (Hinduism)|Arundhati]] hands over Sita to Rama after the repentant public has given a full-throated approval to Sita's restoration. Thus Sita and Rama happily reunited.<ref name="KMGeorge1997"/><br />
<br />
==Influence==<br />
The Sanskritist and Archaeologist [[Hasmukh Dhirajlal Sankalia]] demonstrated that Dinnaga, author of Kundamala, influenced Bhavabhuti in the writing of the Uttaramacarita.<ref>Sankalia, H.D., Kundamala and Uttararāmacarita. St. Xavier’s College Magazine: 22: 63 - 76. (1930)</ref><br />
<br />
==Translation==<br />
Uttaramacharita was translated into [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] by [[Manilal Dwivedi]].<ref>{{cite book|title=History of Gujarati Literature|last=Jhaveri|first=Mansukhlal|year=1978|author-link=Mansukhlal Jhaveri|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|location=New Delhi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DA0RAAAAMAAJ|page=104|oclc=639128528}}</ref><br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* [http://www.claysanskritlibrary.org/Rama%E2%80%99s-Last-Act-v-66.html Rama’s Last Act], the [[Clay Sanskrit Library]] edition of the book (translated by [[Sheldon Pollock]])<br />
* [https://archive.org/details/uttararmacharit00bhavgoog 1874 translation] by [[C. H. Tawney]]<br />
* [https://archive.org/details/uttararamachari00patvgoog 1895 edition] (Nyaya Sudha Press, Nagpur)<br />
* [https://archive.org/details/UttaraRamaCharita 1903 edition] (Nirnaya Sagar Press)<br />
* [https://archive.org/details/ramaslaterhistor00bhav 1915 edition] ([[Harvard Oriental Series]] 21)<br />
* [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.135016 Balamanorama series]<br />
<br />
{{Authority control}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Ramayana]]<br />
[[Category:Hindu poetry]]<br />
[[Category:Works based on the Ramayana]]<br />
[[Category:Sanskrit plays]]<br />
[[Category:Medieval Indian literature]]</div>->CaptainAngus