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The Historical
Drama
of Kaumudi-Mahotsava,
or Full-Moon
Festival
Sakuntala Rao Sastri
Here shall be made a brief mention of the historical drama of Kaumudi-Mahotsava
or Full-Moon Festival
a time-honoured
festival of ancient India. This name is given
to this drama as it was staged at the palace of Sugafiga at Pdtaliputra
nal Full-Moon Festival day
the day on which Prince Kalyanavarman
on the Autumwas reinstated
on his throne.
The text of the drama
reveals
that the authoress
Karndla had in view mainly a portrayal
Vij j aka or Vij ayabhattarikd
of
of the life-history of its hero Kalyanavarman.
It was staged to celebrate the occasion of the acquisition of the Kingdom afresh of
King Kalyanavarman.
Kalyanavarman
was the son of Sundara-Varman,
Lord of Magadha.
His original
name was Kalyanasree.
Sundara-Varman
adopted Candasena as his son, but later
Kalyanasree was born to his first wife Madiravati. When Kalyanasree was a boy,
Candasena
secretly formed an alliance with Licchavis who were enemies of Magadha
rulers and treacherously
varman
laid seige to the Capital. In the battle that ensued Sundara-
died fighting bravely
in defence of his Capital. Queen Madirdvati
with other
queens, entered the funeral fire of her husband leaving Kalyanasree in charge of his
nurse Vinayandhard, who carried him away from the Capital to the Vindhya forest
followed by some of the faithful ministers of the King, and the throne of Magadha
was usurped by Candasena. The ministers waited until Kalyanasree came to age and
finding subjects dissatisfied with Candasena,
asked him to rise up against their ruler
when the latter was away from the Capital in quelling the rebellion of frontier tribes,
where he is said to have been killed. The people of Magadha crowned Kalyanasree as
Kalydnavarman
as their king when Ki rtisena, the ruler of the country of Saurasena
gave his daughter in marriage, whom the prince met and fell in love during his
exile. With the accession of Kalyanavarman and the death of Candasena, the dynasty
of Candasena is said to have been uprooted.
According to the facts of the drama, Kalyanasree
battarikd.
was a contemporary
of Vijaya-
Then our hero must flourished about the middle of the 7th century
One of the inscriptions shows a Varman
dynasty
This is the Seipur Inscription of Mahdsivagupta
the 8th century A. D.. It runs thus: "In
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A. D..
ruling at Magadha about this time.
Batarj una. This inscription belongs
the lunar family,
to
Candra Gupta, his son
The Historical Drama of Kaumudi-Mahotsava, or Full-Moon Festival (S. Rao S.)(9)
Harsa Gupta, married Vatasa (daughter of Suryavarman) of the Varman dynasty".
Though the name of Sundaravarman is not found in the list of rulers of Magadha,
it will not be out of place to connect him with Suryavarman. As Vatasa belongs to.
the 8th century, Suryavarman can be placed about the middle of the 7th century, in,
which case we can suppose Suryavarman, as immediate successor of Kalyanavarman,
whose date synchronises with that of queen Vijayabhattarika of Karnala.
Again Candasena is said to have been uprooted by Kalyapvarman. Who was.
Candasena? The text of the drama shows that he was a Jat. These Jats were Guptas.
In the 'List of Inscription of Northren India' Inscription 1402 gives the name of
Adityasena as a ruling King of Magadha. His date is 666 A. D.. His daughter's
daughter was married to a Licchavi King. The name Candasena which is synonymous,
with Adityasena may be identified with this prince of the Gupta dynasty.
The Nepal Inscription of Pandit Bhagawantal Indraji shows that the Licchavis held.
then sway in Nepal and had matrimonial alliances with the ruling families of Magadha.
These show that in the transitional period which followed the great Gupta kings,
when several dynasties were trying to usurp central power, two families
the.
Varmans and the later Guptas, succeeded in acquiring supremacy. It is quite probablethat the Capital was an arena of contest of these two families. Sundaravarman
seems to have tried to bring about a reconciliation between the two rival families,
by adopting Candasena from the Gupta family. With the death of Sundaravarman,
the Gupta dynasty came into power; but as Candasena grew unpopular the citizens
of Magadha rose against him and reinstated Kalydnavarman and thus revived the
Varman dynasty.
Among the Sanskrit dramas, this is the only one written by a lady drawing
materials for her plot from contemporary history. The characters are neither imaginary nor types, but are living men and women, toiling and moiling in the daily
routine of their life. It is a drama of a political intrigue centred in the person of
Prince Kalyanavarman, who was exiled but was brought back by the stratagem of
his loyal minister Mantra-gupta. The action covers a period of at least two decades
of a century and the object is accomplished without bloodshed.
The political intrigue is interwoven with the amours of Prince Kalyanavarman
and Princess Kirtimati. This makes drama unique in itself. Nowhere in the history
of Sanskrit drama can we find one parallel to this one. In Mudrardksasa we find a
similar intrigue, but the dry structure of political intrigue has not any human interest. In Mricchakatikam we have characters drawn from life, but we are deprived
of the atmosphere of high royal families. We meet here all varieties of people
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(10) The Historical Drama of Kaumudi-Mahotsava,
the hermits,
statesmen,
beggers
the princes,
or Full-Moon Festival (S. Rao S.)
the officers of a royal court and harem,
military
officers,
Buddhist nuns, the usual familiar picture of the citizens of Magadha, the
priests and spies.
The author
has given
scope to display
and heroine free and independent
romance with
masters
an ideal
of romantic
love making hero
of their own destiny. The combination
history makes it as interesting
as Shakespere's
Henry
of
IV where the
din of battle and conquest is sweetened by the wed-lock of the Prince of England
with the Princess of France.
The drawing
of characters
maiden, the mixture
from
everyday
of contemporary
life, the
political
intrigue
love of the youth
for the
with the romance of love,
has much in common with the new Attic comedy of Greece.
We get also a glimpse
of the society of the time. Buddhism
women were still admitted
into Buddhist
hard became, out of dejection of mind, a Buddhist
King
was the head of the State
which prevailed
on the democratic
Constitutional
was declining,
but
Order and were held in respect. Vinayandnun
and had absolute
in the time of the Vakatakas,
under the name Yogasiddhi.
power.
The democratic
still continued.
spirit of the people and achieved
Mantragupta
spirit
worked
his object. According to Hindu
Law, the City Council of the Capital had the power to choose their
king and crown him.
Another characteristic
feature of the period is the revival of Sanskrit learning. After
the death of Buddha, Pali was in full swing. But with the revival of Hinduism,
Sanskrit again became the Court language. Everyone in the official circle spoke and
wrote in Sanskrit. This is further corroborated by the fact that the Vakataka Inscription
found near or at the Capital aboututhis period are in Sanskrit. In the South, too, royal
documents were written in Sanskrit. Sanskrit drafting must have come into vogue in
the time of Pravarasena
II as is seen in the set geneological form of Vakataka
ments. Ganapati Naga, a ruler of the South, converted
the vernacular
docu-
literary tradition
into Sanskrit classical poetry.
The State religion was Hinduism and Siva-worship was supreme. In the early part
of Christian Era, Siva was worshipped
as god of destruction,
here that aspect is changed, we find Siva as a Yogi
by the Vakatakas.
But
as a teacher who was trying
to dispel the darkness of ignorance. This Siva has the peaceful attitude
of Lord Buddha
than the Lord of Destruction.
Thus we see a society that was slowly passing through
Buddhism
was waning
a transitional period where
and Hinduism was rising. This drama,
the dark transitional periodwhich
thus, throws light on
followed the fall of Gupta power at Magadha.
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