Shudraka

Shudraka
OccupationPlaywright, poet, king
LanguageSanskrit
Notable worksMrichchhakatika

Shudraka (IAST: Śūdraka) was an Indian playwright, to whom three Sanskrit plays are attributed: Mrichchhakatika (The Little Clay Cart), Vinavasavadatta, and a bhana (short one-act monologue), Padmaprabhritaka.[1][2] According to the prologue of Mrichchhakatika, he was a king; according to one theory, he may have been a third century Abhira king.[1] According to another theory, Shudraka is a mythical figure, and the authorship of plays attributed to him is uncertain.[3] Col. Wilfred has identified him with Simuka, the founder of Satavahana dynasty and placed him in 200 B.C.[4]

  1. ^ a b Biswanath Banerjee 1999, p. 4.
  2. ^ Bhattacharji, Sukumari History of Classical Sanskrit Literature, Sangam Books, London, 1993, ISBN 0-86311-242-0, p.93
  3. ^ Farley P. Richmond 1993, p. 56.
  4. ^ Institute, Sri Venkatesvara University Oriental Research (1967). Sri Venkateswara University Oriental Journal. p. 12.