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King Harsha in the seventh century A.D. combined in a notable manner the qualities of illustrious ruler, literary patron and author of renown. Besides some Sanskrit poems, Harsha wrote three dramas, Ratnavali, Nagananda and Priyadarsika, of which the least known is probably the last. This fairly literal English translation is accompanied by a Romanized Sanskrit text, notes and a long introduction.
Priyadarsika, one of the best plays in Sanskrit literature, is composed in four acts during 7th century A.D. by Harsha. The theme of this drama has been taken from Gunadhya’s Brihatkatha (1st century A.D.). He adopts the theme of love intrigue on the same line as his great predecessor had done and embellishes it further by harmonizing the parts of the plot. The action of the drama moves smoothly and there is noticeable ingenuity. The theme of the play is a love ...