Bhasa: A Literary Rebel of the Ancient World

In 1912, the discovery of a codex of palm leaf manuscripts in a small town in Kerala set off a sensation in the Indian literary world. It would be described by commentators and scholars as "the most important event in 20th century Sanskrit literary scholarship". And this discovery was connected with someone called ‘Bhasa’, a name unknown to most Indians. Mahakavi Kalidas (5th century CE), Ban-Bhatta (7th century CE) and Dandin (8th century CE) are some of the big names in the world of ancient classical Sanskrit literature. But all these literary giants revered one man as one of the greatest kavis (poets) of all time. This was Bhasa, one of the most elusive and enigmatic poets of ancient India. Bhasa remained a mystery for so long because, except for references in the works of ancient Indian greats, none of his plays were believed to have survived the vagaries of time. Only his memory lingers in the pages of several plays by writers spanning 15-20 centuries or more. We know nothing of the time or place that he lived in, or the story of his life. And still, Bhasa is one of the most celebrated, discussed and inspiring literary giants of ancient India. Bhasa is the one who inspired Mahakavi Kalidas (5th century CE), as he mentions him in the preface of his play Malavika-Agnimitra. 10th-century playwright Rajshekhar, the creator of Sanskrit dramas like Bal-Ramayan, BalBharat and Karpoor Manjiri refers to Bhasa and his Natak-Chakra (Circle of Plays). Ban-Bhatt, the famous creator of Kadambari– a Sanskrit romantic novel dating to the 7th century CE, mentions Bhasa with great reverence. 10th century CE writer Vakpati also refers to Bhasa as the “greatest of playwrights ever”. Renowned 8th century CE Sanskrit Grammarian, Dandi, of the famous Dash Kumar Charit, mentions Bhasa. So, we have generations of playwrights referring to Bhasa with great respect, names of his plays are mentioned in their own works, and some have even included a few lines from Bhasa’s plays to make a point. Such is the legacy of Bhasa, the elusive poet-author! A Series of Discoveries 10th century CE Sanskrit dramatist and critic Rajashekhara, in his work Kavyamimansa (A Guide for Poets to Compose Poems), referred to Bhasa having written a play titled SwapnaVasavdatta (स्वप्नवासवदत्ता) or ‘Vasavdutta’s Dream’. It was an intriguing tale of love, deception and courage but only fragments of it were known to have survived till the 20th century in various libraries across India. In 1905, Pant Anadalvar of the Mysore Archaeology Department discovered a palm leaf manuscript in the collections of the Oriental Manuscripts Library, Madras (now Chennai). It was a complete version of SwapnaVasavdatta. This triggered a flurry of activity among historians and Sanskrit scholars to discover more. In 1912, another, and even more sensational, discovery was made in a corner of Padmanabhapuram, ...