

272 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XIII, 



might come and see me. I must go. I will only lift, up the 

 hand of my lord; it has slipped from the couch. Then I shall 



go. {Does it; exit.) 



Udayana (jumping from the couch). Vasavadatta! Stay! 



(In the darkness he runs against a door-post.) Oh misery ! 



Why does this wretched post stand in my way ; 

 And hurts me when I want to follow her ! 



Was this the mocking vision of a dream ? 



Was it fulfilment of my heart's desire ? 



Udayana's suspicion that his wife is alive amounts now 

 almost to conviction, whatever proofs his buffoon Vasantaka 

 may adduce to the contrary. However, before he can follow 

 up his suspicion, his royal duties call him to another field. 

 Yaugandharay ana's clever policy bears fruit, and Darsaka 

 unites his forces with the army of Vatsa. Together they shatter 

 the host of the invader, and Udayana returns victoriously 

 to his country. Here the intrigue is revealed. The king is 

 overjoyed to see Vasavadatta again, he forgives Yaugandha- 

 rayana, understanding that he has acted for the country's good. 

 Padmavati who, as things turn out, is the onlv loser, rises 



1 



magnificently to the occasion; she is quite willing to snare 

 Udayana with her beloved friend and to respect Vasavadatta as 

 her elder sister and the chief queen. 



" Svapnavasavadattam" is essentially a psychological 

 drama. The plot itself is interesting enough to satisfy any taste 

 keen on sensations. But it is of little importance when com- 

 pared with the deeply stirring drama that goes on in the soul 



of the heroine. It is her grief which calls up our compassion ; 

 it is the struggle in her soul which keeps us interested. 

 The other figures, though each of them masterly finished, 

 are only the back-ground on which Vasavadatta is drawn. 

 Padmavati, the lovely, kind and merry girl on the threshold 

 of womanhood, serves as a sharp contrast to the sad Vasava- 

 datta, the ripe woman who has suffered much and thought 

 deeply. Udayana, with whom we make a personal acquaintance 

 in this play, is less individual. He is a good-looking, attractive, 

 easy-going prince with a warm, loving heart. His part through- 

 out both plays is to be loved and to give those who love him 

 an opportunity to show their good qualities. Clearly the poet 

 did not intend to make him a leading personality in either 

 drama. 



The parallel with Dushvanta and Sakuntala suggests itself. 

 But except the fact that in both dramas the royal lovers are 

 separated for some time, the two master-pieces have nothing in 

 common. Neither in subject nor in treatment. If our author 

 is a psychologist per excellence the same cannot be said ot 

 Kahdasa. As a matter of fact the creator of Sakuntala make 

 psychology in the usual sense impossible by introducing the 



