Bhaṭṭa Nārāyaṇa Mṛgarājalakśman, also known as Nishānārāyana, was a
Sanskrit scholar and writer who belonged to the ''Pancharatra'' Rarhi branch of ''
Sandilya
Shandilya (IAST: Śāṇḍilya) is a Brahmin gotra, named after the Rishi Shandilya, specifying that individuals of the gotra have Shandilya as one of their patrilineal ancestors. Shandilya Rishi and was the progenitor of the Śāṇḍilya go ...
'' family of
Brahmins. He lived before 800 A.D. for he is cited by Vāmana (iv.3.28) in about 800 A.D. and by
Ānandavardhana who refers to him more than once. He is believed to have been summoned from Kanyakubja (
Kannauj) to
Bengal by King
Ādisūra, who ruled before the
Pala dynasty
The Pāla Empire (r. 750-1161 CE) was an imperial power during the post-classical period in the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Bengal. It is named after its ruling dynasty, whose rulers bore names ending with the suffi ...
came to power in the middle of the eighth century, and who in 671 A.D. was a contemporary of
Ādityasena, son of Madhavagupta, who ruled Kanyakubja.
Bhaṭṭa Nārāyaṇa, who is believed to have converted to
Buddhism, was a disciple of
Dharmakirti with whom he co-authored ''Rupavatara''.
Dandin in his ''Avantisundarikatha'' refers to Bhaṭṭa Nārāyaṇa as author of three books but who is more widely known as the author of ''Venisamhara'' that dramatizes in six Acts some incidents from the
Mahabharata.
The construction of this drama may be bad but characterization is vigorous; many violent situations are described in long narrative digressions in poetic but undramatic style, yet there are graces of poetry, power of crude and furious descriptions, of impressive sonorous diction, of vivid depiction of detached scenes and situations, and of vigorous characterization. The
Tagore family and the
Nadia Raj family claims their descent from Bhaṭṭa Nārāyaṇa.
See also
*
List of Sanskrit plays in English translation
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 late ...
References
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Hindu poets
Sanskrit dramatists and playwrights
Indian male poets
7th-century Indian poets
Sanskrit poets