New Indian Antiquary. May 1939

938." THE AUTHORSHIP AND DATE OF THE MRCCHAKATIKA1 By R. D. KARMARKAR The only information that we have about the author of the Mrcchkatika is found in the Prologue (Stanzas 3-7 Act 1)2 to the play and the passage in question is undoubtedly an interpolation for expressions like... [...] We know from the Prologue that King Sadraka was the author of the play dealing with the love-romance of the poor merchant-prince Cdrudatta and the beautiful courtesan Vasantasena of Ujjayini that Sildraka was very handsome and the best of Dvijas well-versed in the I3g-veda SEunaveda mathematics fine arts and the science of elephants that he had won laurels in pugilistic contests had his eye [...] For an unfinised play called Carudatta or Daridracarudatta (describing the plot up to the end of the fourth Act) bears such a close resemblance to the Mrcchakatika that there is no doubt that either the Mrcchakatika is an elaboration of the Carudatta or the Cdrudatta is an abridged version of the Mrcchakatika. [...] PISCHEL has shown that there is a close resemblance between the society as depicted in the DcilsakumäracaTita and that in the Mrcchakatika and that the verse ftqt-q aTitzli is found both in the Mrcchakatika and the Kdvyaclar§a He concludes from this that Dant:lin was the author of the Mrcchakatika. [...] Neither is it necessary for our purpose for no one challenges that the Kdiuddarga is the work of Dandin and our thesis is that the author of the Kavyadarga was the real author of the Mrcchakatika.