Of around 155 extant Sanskrit plays, at least 46 distinct plays by at least 24 authors have been translated into English.
William Jones published the first English translation of any Sanskrit play (''
Shakuntala'') in 1789. About 3 decades later,
Horace Hayman Wilson
Horace Hayman Wilson (26 September 1786 – 8 May 1860) was an English orientalist who was elected the first Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University.
Life
He studied medicine at St Thomas's Hospital, and went out to India in 1808 as a ...
published the first major English survey of Sanskrit drama, including 6 full translations (''
Mṛcchakatika
''Mṛcchakatika'' ( sa, Mṛcchakaṭikam मृच्छकटिकम्), also spelled ''Mṛcchakaṭikā'', ''Mrchchhakatika'', ''Mricchakatika'', or ''Mrichchhakatika'' (''The Little Clay Cart'') is a ten-act Sanskrit drama attributed ...
'', ''
Vikramōrvaśīyam
''Vikramōrvaśīyam'' (Devanagari विक्रमोर्वशीयम्), meaning ''Ūrvaśī Won by Valour'') is a five-act Sanskrit play by ancient Indian poet Kālidāsa, who lived in the 4th or 5th Century CE, on the Vedic love story ...
'', ''
Uttararamacarita
''Uttararāmacarita'' ( sa, उत्तररामचरित, IAST: Uttararāmacarita) () is a Sanskrit play in seven acts in the ''Nataka'' style by Bhavabhuti. It depicts the later life of Hindu god Rama, from the coronation after Rama's ret ...
'', ''Malatimadhava'', ''
Mudrarakshasa
The Mudrarakshasa (मुद्राराक्षस, IAST: ''Mudrārākṣasa'', ) is a Sanskrit-language play by Vishakhadatta that narrates the ascent of the king Chandragupta Maurya ( BCE) to power in India. The play is an example of ...
'', and ''
Ratnavali
''Ratnavali'' (Precious Garland) is a Sanskrit drama about a beautiful princess named Ratnavali, and a great king named Udayana. It is attributed to the Indian emperor Harsha (606–648). It is a Natika in four acts. One of the first textual r ...
''). These 7 plays — plus ''
Nagananda
''Nagananda'' (''Joy of the Serpents'') is a Sanskrit play attributed to emperor Harsha (ruled 606 C.E. - 648 C.E.).
''Nagananda'' is among the most acclaimed Sanskrit dramas. Through five acts, it tells the popular story of Vidyadhar King Jimut ...
'', ''
Mālavikāgnimitram'', and ''
Svapnavasavadattam'' (the text of which was not discovered until almost a century after Wilson's volumes) — remain the most-translated plays.
The period of
Sanskrit dramas in India begins roughly with the composition of the ''
Natya Shastra'' (c. 200 BCE – 200 CE) — though this treatise evidences a mature theatrical practice already in existence. Literarily, the period dwindles around the composition of the Natya Shatra's influential abridgment: ''
Dasharupakam'' (late 10th century CE) — though derivative works continued to be written. "Sanskrit drama" typically contains a mix of
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
and
Prakrit
The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...
though, for example,
Bhāsa
Bhāsa is one of the earliest and most celebrated Indian playwrights in Sanskrit, predating Kalidasa. His name was already well-known by the 1st century BCE and he belongs to the late-Mauryan (322-184 BCE) period at the earliest, but the thirt ...
's ''Dūtavākya'' contains no Prakrit, and
Rajashekhara Rajasekhara may refer to:
* Rama Rajasekhara/Cheraman Perumal "Nayanar" (''fl.'' 9th century), theologian, devotional poet and ruler from south India
* Rajashekhara (Sanskrit poet)
Rajashekhara (; ) was a Sanskrit poet, dramatist and critic. H ...
's ''Karpuramanjari'' is written entirely in Prakrit.
List of translations
Key
* Published as — The titles of the English translations, with links to their full bibliographic entries.
* Year — The year of the ''translation's first publication''. However, ''revised editions'' are frequently cited in the bibliography.
Fragmentary passages are not considered here, nor are modern dramas written in Sanskrit.
Table
Notes and references
Notes
References
Bibliography
Translations
Anonymous
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Bāṇabhaṭṭa
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Baudhāyana
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Bhāsa
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Bhaṭṭa Nārāyaṇa
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Bhavabhūti
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Diṇnāga
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Harihara
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Harsha
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Jayanta Bhatta
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Kālidāsa
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Krsna Misra
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Mahendravarman
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Murāri
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Rajashekhara
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Sakthibhadran
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Subhata
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Shudraka
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Śyāmilaka
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Umāpati Upādhyāya
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Vararuchi
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Vedanta Desika
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Vishakhadatta
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Multiple authors
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Other references
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanskrit plays in English translation
Translations into English
Lists of plays
Translation-related lists