It was all about Chanakya Niti that ensured the victory of Chandragupta Maurya and this is what was showcased in the play Mudrarakshas.
Directed by MS Sayyiu and KK Kohli the play was staged here on Monday at Antarang hall, Bharat Bhavan, marking the third day of National Theatre Festival.
The play was staged by the artists of Impresario Asia, New Delhi. Mudrarakshas is a Sanskrit classic written by Vishakhadatta over a thousand years ago. Begum Qudsia Zaidi adapted the play and made it accessible to larger audience with the use of classic spoken Hindustani.
It is about Chanakya's pact with lord of the Himalayas, Parvateshwar, from the Northwest ensures his victory over Nanda. Parvateshwar and Chandragupta plan to divide up the old possessions of Nanda Empire. Next, Parvateshwara dies poisoned by Nanda’s daughter, his son Malayaketu succeeds him. Malayaketu, together with Rakshasa, the last minister of Nanda, demands the inheritance of all the old territories of the Nanda.
The drama begins when Malayaketu and his allies (the kings of Persia, Sindh and Kashmir) are poised to attack Pataliputra (present day Patna), the capital of Chandragupta.
The outcome arrives when Chanakya, by the use of guile, manages to attract Rakshasa to the Maurya side, thus undoing the coalition of Malayaketu. The historical authenticity of the Mudrarakshasa is somewhat supported by the description of this period of history in Classical Hellenistic sources: the violent rule of the Nanda, the usurpation of Chandragupta, the formation of the Maurya Empire.
According to the directors amongst all the Sanskrit plays, Mudrarakshas stands out as the only play of political intrigue. The language that of Qudsia Zaidi is a beautiful blend of Hindi and Urdu and it is easy for an actor to speak. The audience can follow the plot without any strain. In the very first scene the entire plot is revealed and there is no room for suspense but the way it unfolds is very unique for any genre of plays.
