Má¹Âcchakatika (), also spelled Má¹Âcchakaá¹ÂikÃÂ, Mrchchhakatika, Mricchakatika, or Mrichchhakatika (The Little Clay Cart) is a ten-act Sanskrit drama attributed to à Âà «draka (Simuka), an ancient playwright who is possibly from the 5th century CE, and who is identified by the prologue as a Kshatriya king as well as a devotee of Shiva who lived for above 110 years. The play is set in the ancient city of Ujjayini during the reign of the King PÃÂlaka, near the end of the Pradyota dynasty that made up the first quarter of the fifth century BCE. The central story is that of a noble but impoverished young Brahmin, , who falls in love with a wealthy courtesan or nagarvadhu, . Despite their mutual affection, however, the couple's lives and love are threatened when a vulgar courtier, SamsthÃÂnaka, also known as Shakara, begins to aggressively pursue VasantasenÃÂ.
Life with romance, comedy, intrigue and a political subplot detailing the overthrow of the city's despotic ruler by a shepherd, the play is notable among extant Sanskrit drama for its focus on a fictional scenario rather than on a classical tale or legend. Má¹Âcchakaá¹Âika also departs from traditions enumerated in the Natya Shastra that specify that dramas should focus on the lives of the nobility and instead incorporates many peasant characters who speak a wide range of Prakrit dialects. The story is thought to be derived from an earlier work called CÃÂrudatta in Poverty by the playwright BhÃÂsa, though that work survives only in fragments.
Of all the Sanskrit dramas, Má¹Âcchakaá¹Âika remains one of the most widely celebrated and often-performed in the West. The work played a significant role in generating interest in Indian theatre among European audiences following several successful nineteenth century translations and stage productions, most notably Gérard de Nerval and Joseph Méry's highly romanticised French adaptation titled Le Chariot d'enfant that premiered in Paris in 1850, as well as a critically acclaimed "anarchist" interpretation by Victor Barrucand called Le Chariot de terre cuite that was produced by the Théâtre de l'à Âuvre in 1895.
Unlike other classical plays in Sanskrit, the play does not borrow from epics or mythology. The characters of à Âà «draka (Simuka) are drawn from the mundane world. It is peopled with gamblers, courtesans, thieves, and so on. The protagonist of the play, CÃÂrudatta, does not belong to the noble class or royal lineage. Though Vasantasenàis a courtesan, her exemplary attitude and dignified behavior impress the audience. The nobility of the characters does not stem from their social conditioning but from their virtues and behaviour.
CÃÂrudatta is a generous young brahmin who, through his charitable contributions to unlucky friends and the general public welfare, has severely impoverished himself and his family. Though deserted by most of his friends and embarrassed by deteriorating living conditions, he has maintained his reputation in Ujjayini as an honest and upright man with a rare gift of wisdom and many important men continue to seek his counsel.
Though happily married and the recent father of a young son, Rohasena, CÃÂrudatta is enamored of VasantasenÃÂ, a courtesan of great wealth and reputation. At a chance encounter at the temple of KÃÂma she returns his affection, though the matter is complicated when VasantasenÃÂ finds herself pursued by SamsthÃÂnaka, a half-mad brother-in-law of King PÃÂlaka, and his retinue. When the men threaten violence, VasantasenÃÂ flees, seeking safety with CÃÂrudatta. Their love blossoms following the clandestine meeting, and the courtesan entrusts her new lover with a casket of jewelry in an attempt to ensure a future meeting.
Her plan is thwarted, however, when a thief, Sarvilaka, enters CÃÂrudattaâÂÂs home and steals the jewels in an elaborate scheme to buy the freedom of his lover, MadanikÃÂ, who is VasantasenÃÂâÂÂs slave and confidante. The courtesan recognizes the jewelry, but she accepts the payment anyway and frees Madanikàto marry. She then attempts to contact CÃÂrudatta and inform him of the situation, but before she can make contact he panics and sends Vasantasenàa rare pearl necklace that had belonged to his wife, a gift in great excess of the value of the stolen jewelry. In recognition of this, CÃÂrudatta's friend, Maitreya, cautions the Brahmin against further association, fearing that Vasantasenàis, at worst, scheming to take from CÃÂrudatta the few possessions he still has and, at best, a good-intentioned bastion of bad luck and disaster.
Refusing to take this advice, CÃÂrudatta makes Vasantasenàhis mistress and she eventually meets his young son. During the encounter, the boy is distressed because he has recently enjoyed playing with a friend's toy cart of solid gold and no longer wants his own clay cart that his nurse has made for him. Taking pity on him in his sadness, Vasantasenàfills his little clay cart with her own jewelry, heaping his humble toy with a mound of gold before departing to meet CÃÂrudatta in a park outside the city for a dayâÂÂs outing. There she enters a fine carriage, but soon discovers that she is in a gharry belonging to SamsthÃÂnaka, who remains enraged by her previous affront and is madly jealous of the love and favor she shows to CÃÂrudatta. Unable to persuade his henchmen to kill her, SamsthÃÂnaka sends his retinue away and proceeds to strangle Vasantasenàand hide her body beneath a pile of leaves. Still seeking vengeance, he promptly accuses CÃÂrudatta of the crime.
Though CÃÂrudatta proclaims his innocence, his presence in the park along with his son's possession of VasantasenÃÂ's jewels implicate the poverty-stricken man, and he is found guilty and condemned to death by King PÃÂlaka. Unbeknownst to all, however, the body identified as VasantasenÃÂâÂÂs was actually another woman. Vasantasenàhad been revived and befriended by a Buddhist monk who nursed her back to health in a nearby village.
Just as CÃÂrudatta faces execution, Vasantasenàappears and, seeing the excited crowd, intervenes in time to save him from execution and his wife from throwing herself onto the funeral pyre. Together the three declare themselves a family. Reaching the courts, Vasantasenàtells the story of her near death and, following her testimony, SamsthÃÂnaka is arrested and the good Prince ÃÂryaka deposes the wicked King PÃÂlaka. His first acts as the newly declared sovereign is to restore CÃÂrudattaâÂÂs fortune and make him the king of Kusavati . Following this good will, CÃÂrudatta demonstrates in the final act his enduring virtue and charity, appealing to the King for pardon on behalf of SamsthÃÂnaka who is subsequently declared free. And the Buddhist monk who saved the life of Vasantasenàis made the chief of all Vihars. Vasantasena is given the title of a wife. Everybody is happy, nobody has any grouse.