Mrichchhakatika as a Prakarna

Mrichchhakatika is believed to be the early-flowering Sanskrit plays in India. It was

composed by Sudraka, a king and a dramatist who lived in the 200 century AD. Though
numerous plays of the Sanskrit tradition are still available to us, little is known about the
authors themselves.
Mrichchhakatika is a Sanskrit play of ten acts that revolves around the love story of a
penury-stricken, yet noble and humble merchant of Ujjayini, Charudatta, and a beautiful,
kind-hearted courtesan, Vasantsena. This play is entirely based on the brilliant imagination
and creativity of Sudraka, and it does not draw parallels with any of the Indian epics. The
material of this play fulfills the spirit of the drama of inventions. Mrichchhakatika is the
best-known example of a Prakarana. According to the Natyasastra of the ancient sage
Bharata, Prakarana is one of the major forms of drama in Sanskrit playwrights. A Prakarana
is different from a Nataka in many ways. The most significant and distinctive feature of a
Prakarna is that it is not based on a popular plot rather it's a fictitious parcel. It also
comprises characters that are the inventions of the creative mind of the playwright. Also,
the characters do not belong to a prestigious or royal household. They are representative of
the middle and lower strata of the society. A typical Prakarna like Mrichchhakatika would
depict personas like Brahmanas, merchants, counselors, courtesans, and servants. One of
the intriguing features of a Prakarna is a king is rarely seen during the play. Similarly, the
courtesan and the wife of the protagonist are never seen together.

A Prakarana does not have more than five or ten acts. Similar to any other classical
European comedy, most of the scenes are set on the streets in a Prakarana. In
Mrichchhakatika, the scenes largely take place on the streets of Ujjain and successfully
capture the vibrancy of the city life. Wider use of Prakrit dialects is another characteristic of
Mrichchhakatika to be a Prakarana. Therefore, we can rightly say that the play is a secular
composition.
One of the overlooked and concealed features of a Prakarana would be the deeds of a
woman are depicted in an elaborative manner. We see that Vasantsena is a cultured and
kind-hearted courtesan, yet she is cursed as a common prostitute. We see her being
overpowered and manhandled by a drunkard. No prevailing law comes to her protection,
and it is only through her wits that she saves herself from being summarily violated.
We also see the rigidness of the cast system in a Prakarana. Every character seems to be
overtly conscious of his/her caste status. In the play, we see that Brahmanas were revered
by many, however, the slaves and servants were deprived of the same status. Therefore,
Mrichchhakatika is a play of social realism that leads it to be treated as a Prakarana.
It can be concluded that all the events and characters in Mrichchhakatika revolve around
contemporary society, and are a creation of the imagination of Sudraka. There are minimal
royal engagement and a dominant secular composition. From the overall observation, it can
be said that Mrichchhakatika is a successful Prakarana.