How the Nagas were pleased

Harṣa(vardhana):
"How the Nāgas were pleased" by Harṣa ; & "The shattered thighs" by Bhāsa / transl. by Andrew Skilton. - [New York, NY] : New York University Press ; JJC Foundation, 2009. - xviii, 353 S. - (The Clay Sanskrit library ; 39)
Einheitssachtitel: Nāgānanda / Harṣa <Sanskrit, engl.> ; Ūrubhaṅga / Bhāsa <Sanskrit, engl.>
ISBN 978-0-8147-4066-8 / 0-8147-4066-9
US$ 22,00

Beschreibung
Two plays that break the rules: both show the hero dying on stage, a scenario forbidden in Sanskrit dramaturgy. From widely different ideological and social backgrounds, each evokes intense emotion in an exploration of love and heroism, conflict and peace, idealism and pragmatic reconciliation.
   Harsha’s Play, composed in the seventh century CE, re-examines the Buddhist tale of a magician prince who makes the ultimate sacrifice to save a hostage snake (nāga).
   Attributed to Bhasa, the illustrious predecessor to Kalidasa, “The Shattered Thighs” transforms a crucial episode of the Mahabhárata war. As he dies from a foul blow to the legs delivered in his duel with Bhima, Duryódhana’s character is inverted, depicted as a noble and gracious exemplar amidst the wreckage of the fearsome battle scene. As ignoble man dies a hero’s death. [Clay Sanskrit Library]

Inhalt
CSL Conventions. vii
Preface. xvii
HOW THE NAGAS WERE PLEASED
Introduction. 3
   Prologue. 17
   Act One. 25
   Introductory Scene. 53
   Act Two. 57
   Act Three. 93
   Introductory Scene. 129
   Act Four. 135
   Act Five. 169
THE SHATTERED THIGHS
Introduction. 227
   Prologue. 239
   Supporting Scene. 245
   Main Scene. 267
Chāyā. 307
Notes. 327
Proper Names, Epithets, and Titles. 343
Index. 351

Herausgeber / Übersetzer

ANDREW SKILTON, Senior Lecturer Emeritus in Indian Religions, University of Cardiff.

Quellen: Clay Sanskrit Library; New York University Press; Amazon; WorldCat.