Subandhu, an Ancient Writer on Dramaturgy

Summary

Subandhu, an ancient Sanskrit writer on dramaturgy, is distinct from the Mauryan minister of the same name who served under Bindusara. The confusion arose from references in the *Kavyalankarasutra* and *Avantisundarikatha*, which were previously misattributed to the Gupta period or linked to Vasubandhu. Subandhu, the dramatist, authored *Vasavadatta-Natyadhirh*, a now-lost early drama written during the Mauryan era under Candragupta and Bindusara. His work influenced later Sanskrit drama, as evidenced by extracts in Abhinavagupta’s commentary on Bharata’s *Natyasastra*. Later, a Subandhu associated with the decline of the Gupta Empire (circa 12th–13th century) authored a prose romance *Vasavadatta* and a treatise on dramaturgy, *Bhavaprakasa*. This Subandhu classified dramas into five types (*Jatis*): *Bhasvara*, *Lalita*, and *Samagra*, with examples like *Svapnavasavadatta* (likely an abridgment of Bhasa’s original) and *Vikramorvaśi*. Scholars suggest these later dramas were Pallava-era adaptations, possibly commissioned under King Rajasimha. The *Bhavaprakasa* also references plays like *Mattavilasa*, which ridiculed Jains and Buddhists, and *Bhagavadajjukam*, possibly by Pallava king Mahendravarman. The identity of Subandhu remains ambiguous—whether he was the Mauryan minister, the author of *Vasavadatta*, or the post-G