The So‑Called Sanskrit Plays

Summary

K.R. Chandra’s essay 'The So‑Called Sanskrit Plays' challenges the conventional classification of many classical Indian dramas as 'Sanskrit' plays. The author notes that ancient treatises like the Nāṭyaśāstra do not use this term and that most so‑called Sanskrit plays contain large quantities of Prakrit dialogue. In the drama Ācārya Śūdraka’s 'Mṛcchakaṭikā', for example, the first three acts are predominantly in Sanskrit while later acts are mainly in Prakrit, demonstrating that these works could equally be labelled Prakrit dramas. Chandra argues that historians of literature should include such plays in accounts of Prakrit literature and that universities should teach Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit and Apabhraṣa together rather than in isolationfile:///home/oai/share/520751%20(1)-105-210.pdf#:~:text=justiQed%20in%20designating%20them%20as,1964%29%202%20Except%20Saffakat. He presents comparative tables showing the percentage of Sanskrit and Prakrit in various plays and contends that the mixture of languages reflects social diversity and artistic flexibility in early Indian theatre.