Question

Write a critical note on the significance of the title Mrichhakatika?

Answer 1

Mrchchhakatika, Mricchakatika, or Mrichchhakatika (The Little Clay Cart) is a ten-act Sanskrit drama attributed to Śūdraka, an ancient playwright generally thought to have lived sometime between the 3rd century BC and the 5th century AD and identified by the prologue as a Kshatriya king as well as a devotee of Siva who lived for 100 years.[1]The play is set in the ancient city of Ujjayini during the reign of the King Pālaka, near the end of the Pradyota dynasty that made up the first quarter of the fifth century BC.[2] The central story is that of noble but impoverished young Brahmin, Sanskrit: Cārudatta, who falls in love with a wealthy courtesan or nagarvadhu, Sanskrit: Vasantasenā. Despite their mutual affection, however, the couple's lives and love are threatened when a vulgar courtier, Samsthānaka, also known as Shakara, begins to aggressively pursue Vasantasenā.[

Answer 2

Title significance of Mṛicchakaṭikā:

• The Mricchakatika is Sanskrit term which means “Little clay art”

• The title of “The Little Clay Cart” signifies a departure from Sanskrit tradition, in which a prakarana was usually named after its hero and heroine. Malavikagnimitra, for instance, is the love story of Princess Malavika and King Agnimitra.

• It is the ten act Sanskrit serial or drama.

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