Following the thumping success of authors like Amish and Ashok Banker, mytho-historic fiction has become one of the leading subgenres in the Indian market. One remarkable advantage of the emergence of this genre is that readers are now getting to read quality literature they were unable to access because of the language barrier. So far, we have had Shivaji Sawant’s tale of the eldest son of Kunti, Karna (in Mrityunjay), Kalki Krishnamurthy’s tale of the first Chola king (Ponniyin Selvan) among the most well-known.
However, there is one more epic which has not seen much limelight. The epic’s name is Bruhatkatha, composed in an obscure language known as Paisachi. The work is originally said to have over 7 lakh shlokas. But only 1 lakh shlokas are known to have survived. The original text no longer exists, but its adaptations survive as Kathasaritsagara, Brihatkathamañjari and Brihatkathaslokasangraha in Sanskrit. The most well-known tale is of Udayan-Vasavadatta, which was later made into a famous play Swapnavasavadatta by Bhasa. Author Rajendra Kher narrates the tale in Marathi in Udayan: Vatsdeshacha Sangeetkaar Raja.
Udayan is a descendant of the Pandavas and rules over the kingdom of Vatsa. Like his predecessor Arjun, he is proficient in both music and archery. He is mentored by Yaugandharayan, as Udayan’s parents have renounced the royal robes and retreated to the lives of ascetics. Udayan is an accomplished warrior, but he loathes battles and administration. As a result, the borders of his empire have shrunk, and the king of the neighbouring empire of Avanti (an ancient kingdom with Ujjain as capital), Pradyota, is eyeing the Vatsa kingdom. He begins plotting to obtain Vatsa by hook or by crook. He eventually manages to capture Udayan. Enter Vasavadatta, the princess of Avanti. Both fall in love and Udayan marries her after escaping from her father’s custody. But will they live happily ever after? Well, they do not. From here on, what has been a straight-up love story turns into a tale of deception, loneliness and of love lost and found again.
The book is long, but don’t forget that Bhasa’s play on the same tale contains no less than six acts. However, the characters are very well fleshed out so as to not bore the reader. A big drag on the narrative pace are the superfluous descriptions. But the build-up is good and the finale, though one sees it coming a long time ago, still manages to engage us. The narrative could have been made more tighter and enjoyable. But if one likes mythology and retelling of ancient tales, this is a good read.
