मत्तविलास प्रहसनम

by महेंद्रवर्मन I, N P Unni (Translator)

105 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 600

Reviews

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in the early 7th century CE by the Pallava king, Mahendravikramavarman (Mahendravarman I) of Kerala, Mattavilasa Prahasana is a short one-act comedy about religion and religious mores. The play centres round a drunken Kapalin (a devotee of Shiva, with a skull-bowl as part of his accoutrements), who is busy carousing with his equally drunken girlfriend when they realize the Kapalin’s skull-bowl has gone missing. In their eagerness to find it, they stumble across a Buddhist monk wandering about with his alms-bowl and decide that this alms-bowl is the missing bowl, and that the bhikshu is a thief.

The translation (from the original Sanskrit) which I read is by Dr NP Unni. While Unni’s English is at times a little archaic, it fits in mostly well with the age of the play. The proof-reading could have been far better, but on the whole, this was adequate. Unni’s very detailed notes, combined with his introduction to the play, and how it was traditionally staged in Kerala, are fascinating. Do please read the notes, even if you don’t read the introduction, because these notes are vital to understanding the subtext of the play, and the nuances of it. Without the notes, a lot of the humour of the play is lost on a reader.

Even without that, though, it’s quite a funny little play, the playwright poking fun left, right and centre at drunks, Buddhists, and even to some extent Shaiviites. Entertaining.

[Chandravir Dev · Rating 5 out of 5]

The splendor and vibrance of Kanchi almost 1400 years ago comes alive in this classic by Pallava king Mahendravarman 1. This one act drama is filled with puns and comedy and makes fun of the prevailing religious hypocrisy of various sects. Recommended!

[Lulu]

c. 620

Translations

Mattavilasa Prahasana The Farce of Drunken Sport (1981) by Michael Lockwood and A. Vishnu Bhat

Drunken Games (2001) by David Lorenzen, edited by David Gordon White

The Farce of Drunken Sport (2003) by Stella Uppal-Subbiah [Theatrical Adaptation]

Mattavilasa Prahasana (1936) by N.P. Unni and Narayanan Parameswaran

Mahendravikrama Varmana (1998) by Urmibhushna Gupta

High Spirits (1990, 1992) by Rahul Bonner

[Amrendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written as a play by the Pallava King, Mahendravarman I, this short play revolves around a drunk man Kapalin accompanied by Devasoma. They accuse a Buddhist Monk of having stolen the Kapalin's alms bowl. The monk denies and laments the prohibition of liquor and women in the Buddhist order. He sees it as a conspiracy of the elder monks who interpreted original Buddhist sermons. Pasupata tries to intervene and settle the matter.

On the entry of the lunatic Unmattak, the mystery gets resolved as he has the bowl which he got from a dog who had stolen it for the meat in it. Written originally around 500 AD on palm leaves, this work was played as temple theatre of Kerala and much appreciated for its humourous quality. The acts bring forth the contrast between the Shaivite and Buddhist religious order of its time. The current version was printed in 1973 at Trivandrum by the translator Dr. NP Unni.

[Ashwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant farce! Especially hard on Buddhism. Represents a time when best Buddhism was on the decline in south India.

[Revanth Ukkalam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Satire at its best from Ancient India!