Bhavabhuti

Bhavabhūti, originally named Śrīkaṇṭha Nīlakaṇṭha, was a classical Sanskrit scholar, poet, and playwright who lived in eighth-century India. He is regarded as a major successor to Kālidāsa and is often considered his literary equal. His most famous work, *Uttararamacarita* (*The Later Deeds of Rama*), earned him the title "Poet of the Karunā Rasa."

He was born in Padmapura, in what is now the Gondia district of Maharashtra, into an Audumbar (Udumbar) Brahmin family of scholars. He was a scion of the Yāyāvara family, with the surname Udumbara. His ancestors were Kāshyapa Brahmins who followed the Black Yajurveda and maintained the five sacred fires. His father was Nīlakaṇṭha and his mother was Jatukarni. He was educated at Padmapawaya, about 42 kilometers southwest of Gwalior, under the guru Dayananidhi Paramahansa. He composed his historical plays at Kalpi, a town on the banks of the Yamuna River. He is believed to have been the court poet of King Yashovarman of Kannauj. The 12th-century historian Kalhana places him in the entourage of Yashovarman, who was defeated by Lalitaditya Muktapida, the king of Kashmir, in 736 CE.

His play *Mālatīmādhava* is set in the city of Padmavati. The king wants the minister’s daughter, Mālatī, to marry a youth named Nandana. However, Mālatī is in love with Mādhava, whom she first saw and then drew a portrait of; Mādhava reciprocates by drawing her portrait. Mālatī suspects her father’s motives in supporting the king’s plan. A subplot involves their friends Makaranda and Madayantikā: Madayantikā is attacked by a tiger, and Makaranda rescues her, sustaining wounds. After many difficulties, both couples are united. According to Sanskritist Daniel H. H. Ingalls, *Mālatīmādhava* combines love and horror with a skill unmatched in later Sanskrit literature. In the 14th century, Jagaddhara wrote a commentary on this play.

According to Dasharatha Sharma, both Kālidāsa and Bhavabhūti drew on Kautilya’s *Arthaśāstra* for their works. Kālidāsa used it in the *Raghuvamśa*, while Bhavabhūti employed its words and ideas in *Mālatīmādhava* and *Mahāvīracarita*. There is a notable resemblance between the strategies advocated by Ravana’s minister Malayavana and the policies recommended by Kautilya.

Based on his writings, Bhavabhūti is said to have been born in Padmapura village in the Amgaon tehsil of Gondia district, Maharashtra. In modern times, local efforts preserve his memory: in 1950, Laxmanrao Mankar Guruji named his education society the "Bhavabhuti Education Society"; in 1996, Yashodabai Rahile founded the "Bhavabhuti Mandal"; historian and principal O. C. Patle published a book titled *भवभूति अब गीतों में* (*Bhavabhuti, Now in His Songs*) along with audio CDs and cassettes; the "Bhavabhuti Ranga Mandir" was built in Gondia town in his honor; local TV channels Sahyadri and E TV Marathi have aired documentaries about him; and several statues have been erected by people and nonprofit groups in the region.

His literary works include *Mahāvīracarita* (the story of Rama’s early life), *Mālatīmādhava* (a romance between Mālatī and Mādhava), and *Uttararamacarita* (the story of Rama’s later life, covering his coronation, the abandonment of Sita, and their reunion).