Mudrarakshasa
Encyclopedia
The Mudrarakshasa a historical play in Sanskrit
by Vishakhadatta in late 4th or early 5th century narrates the ascent of the king Chandragupta Maurya
to power in Northern India.
allies himself with Chandragupta in the latter's plans for usurpation and is forced out by the king. Chanakya's pact with king Parvata (Porus) from the Northwest ensures his victory over Nanda.
Parvata and Chandragupta divide up the old possessions of Nanda
. Next, Parvata dies poisoned by a youth and his son Malayketu
succeeds him. Malayaketu, together with Rakshasa, the last minister of Nanda
, demands the inheritance of all the old territories of the Nanda.
The drama begins when Malayaketu and his allies (the kings of Persia, Sindh
and Kashmir
) are poised to attack Pataliputra (present day Patna
), the capital of Chandragupta.
The outcome arrives when Chanakya, by the use of guile, manages to attract Rakshasa to the Maurya side, thus undoing the coalition of Malayaketu.
The historical authenticity of the Mudrarakshasa is somewhat supported by the description of this period of history in Classical Hellenistic sources: the violent rule of the Nanda, the usurpation of Chandragupta, the formation of the Maurya Empire
, and the various battles with the kingdoms of the Northwest resulting from the conquests of Alexander the Great.
The later episodes of the TV series Chanakya
were based mostly on the Mudrarakshasa.
A film in Sanskrit was made in 2006 by Manish K. Mokshagundam, using the same plot as the play but in a modern setting.
The play was performed (as Rakshasa's Ring) by students of the Missouri Southern State University
's theatre program in November 2002.
, with Telugu introduction and commentary) Another version. Originally published as part of Three Sanskrit plays (1981, Penguin Classics).
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
by Vishakhadatta in late 4th or early 5th century narrates the ascent of the king Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya , was the founder of the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta succeeded in conquering most of the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta is considered the first unifier of India and its first genuine emperor...
to power in Northern India.
Origin
Origin of the book is under some doubt the range in which the book is composed vary greatly from the late 4th century to early 8th century.Plot
ChanakyaChanakya
Chānakya was a teacher to the first Maurya Emperor Chandragupta , and the first Indian emperor generally considered to be the architect of his rise to power. Traditionally, Chanakya is also identified by the names Kautilya and VishnuGupta, who authored the ancient Indian political treatise...
allies himself with Chandragupta in the latter's plans for usurpation and is forced out by the king. Chanakya's pact with king Parvata (Porus) from the Northwest ensures his victory over Nanda.
Parvata and Chandragupta divide up the old possessions of Nanda
Nanda
Nanda is a surname of Punjabis . Nanda is a Tarkhan , Ahluwalia and Kamboj surname. All the clans of Tarkhan , Lohar, Gujjar, Kamboj, Ahluwalia tribes have a close genetic and ancestral relationship with each other, and together they form the Khatri/Rajput caste.-Among Kamboj people:*Nanda is a...
. Next, Parvata dies poisoned by a youth and his son Malayketu
Malayketu
Malayaketu was the king of a kingdom in Punjab located between the Jhelum and the Chenab and dominions extending to Hyphasis. Its capital may have been near the current city of Lahore . He was the son of Porus, the king who confronted Alexander the Great in the Battle of the Hydaspes.-External...
succeeds him. Malayaketu, together with Rakshasa, the last minister of Nanda
Nanda
Nanda is a surname of Punjabis . Nanda is a Tarkhan , Ahluwalia and Kamboj surname. All the clans of Tarkhan , Lohar, Gujjar, Kamboj, Ahluwalia tribes have a close genetic and ancestral relationship with each other, and together they form the Khatri/Rajput caste.-Among Kamboj people:*Nanda is a...
, demands the inheritance of all the old territories of the Nanda.
The drama begins when Malayaketu and his allies (the kings of Persia, Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
and Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
) are poised to attack Pataliputra (present day Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
), the capital of Chandragupta.
The outcome arrives when Chanakya, by the use of guile, manages to attract Rakshasa to the Maurya side, thus undoing the coalition of Malayaketu.
The historical authenticity of the Mudrarakshasa is somewhat supported by the description of this period of history in Classical Hellenistic sources: the violent rule of the Nanda, the usurpation of Chandragupta, the formation of the Maurya Empire
Maurya Empire
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in ancient India, ruled by the Mauryan dynasty from 321 to 185 BC...
, and the various battles with the kingdoms of the Northwest resulting from the conquests of Alexander the Great.
Adaptations
There is a Tamil version based on the Sanskrit play.The later episodes of the TV series Chanakya
Chanakya (TV series)
Chanakya is a 47-part Indian television historical drama written and directed by Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi that was originally telecast on DD National from September 1991 to August 1992...
were based mostly on the Mudrarakshasa.
A film in Sanskrit was made in 2006 by Manish K. Mokshagundam, using the same plot as the play but in a modern setting.
The play was performed (as Rakshasa's Ring) by students of the Missouri Southern State University
Missouri Southern State University
Missouri Southern State University is a public, state university located in Joplin, Missouri. Missouri Southern State University was formerly Missouri Southern State College and is also known as Missouri Southern, MSSU, or MoSo for short. Established in 1937 as Joplin Junior College, Missouri...
's theatre program in November 2002.
Editions
. Second edition 1893, Fifth edition 1915. Sixth edition 1918, reprinted 1976 and by Motilal Banarsidass, 2000.. Reprint 2004, ISBN 81-8220-009-1 First edition 1900 Review (In Telugu scriptTelugu script
Telugu script, an abugida from the Brahmic family of scripts, is used to write the Telugu language, a language found in the South-Central Indian state of Andhra Pradesh as well as several other neighboring states. The Telugu script is derived from the Bhattiprolu script...
, with Telugu introduction and commentary) Another version. Originally published as part of Three Sanskrit plays (1981, Penguin Classics).