ACK-026:The Sons of Rama

This title is based on Uttara-Ramacharita of Bhavabhuti. He was an 7th century scholar of India noted for his plays and poetry, written in Sanskrit. His plays are considered equivalent to the works of Kalidas. Bhavabhuti was born in a Deshastha Brahmin family of Padmapura, Vidarbha, central India, in Gondia district, on Maharashtra and MP border. His real name was Srikantha Nilakantha, and he was the son of Nilakantha and Jatukarni.

Uttararamacharita by Bhavabhuti (seventh century) deals with the history of Rama's later life, beginning with his coronation, the abandonment of Sita, and their final reunion. Bhavabhuti says he has only given a dramatic form to the Ramayanakatha of Valmiki. It is true that the main characters and events in this play are drawn from the Valmiki Ramayana, but the changes in characters and happenings Bhavabhuti has made, including the happy end, cannot all be ascribed to the demands of the dramatic form. Bhavabhuti has, in fact, presented the Rama story with a new motivation within an overall design implying purposeful art.

Many many thanks to “LMP” for providing ACK scan.