AVENGING THE VIOLATION OF DRAUPADI (AND BHÅRATA MÅTÅ) IN BADRINÅTHA BHATTA’S KURU-VANA-DAHANA: Journal of Vaishnava Studies

Abstract

In his classic work on Sanskrit poetics, The Dhvanyåloka, the critic Ånandavardhana makes a strong case for the recycling of epic narratives when he says, Thus even though familiar scenes—like the battles in the Råmåya∫a, the Mahåbhårata, and other texts—have been told over and over, they still seem ever new.
In the hands of a competent poet, Ånandavardhana suggests, even familiar epic narratives can appear delightfully fresh through original turns of phrase, and attention to one predominant rasa (aesthetic sentiment). Similarly, Kuntaka, the first Sanskrit critic to analyze whole literary works, claims that old stories can be reinvigorated, and advocates using plots from well-known master works, for, Even when great poets compose different literary works based on an identical theme, they are each seen to possess infinite individual beauty, each possessing distinctness from the others.