Adapting the Classics in Braj: The Sakuntalā Nāṭaka by Nevaz (1682-1762)

Abstract

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, a noble at the court of the Mughal emperor Farrukh Siyar (r. 1713–1719) commissioned the poet Nevaz Das Tivari (1682–1762) to compose the story of Shakuntala in bhāṣā. Drawing on both Kalidasa’s Sanskrit drama Abhijñānaśākuntala and the Śakuntalopākhyāna from the Mahābhārata (Sharma, 1970), Nevaz wrote Sakuntalā Nāṭaka in Braj. Like other plays in the Braj tradition, which are often ‘translations’ from Sanskrit, Nevaz categorised his work as a nāṭaka, the most prominent genre of Sanskrit theatre, characterised by a structured dramatic form. Whether these bhāṣā nāṭakas should be interpreted as long poems or as dramas is a matter of considerable scholarly debate. (Hansen, 1992). This presentation explores how the renowned classical play is adapted in an early modern context, navigating between the aesthetics of classical drama, the pervasive influence of rīti poetry, and elements of folk theatre. It investigates whether there are indications that the text was performed, even if such evidence is not immediately apparent. Finally, it also examines the portrayal of the heroine, Shakuntala, noting that Nevaz’s adaptation begins with an elaborate description of her birth —contrasting with the Mahābhārata, which introduces King Dushyanta and his kingdom, and with Kalidasa’s drama, which opens with Dushyanta hunting in the forest.